Plans to accommodate West Kelowna's burgeoning school age population are coming together.
At a Central Okanagan School District Planning and Facilities committee meeting, Jan. 18, members determined building a new middle school on the George Pringle Elementary school site while maintaining the existing elementary school was the best option for the district.
The school board made a decision 15 years ago to close George Pringle Secondary and turn it into an elementary school.
Related: West Kelowna school plans discussed further
Trustee Moyra Baxter expressed her concerns, saying she had has been through the repercussions of shutting down the high school.
“It reminds me that we don’t have crystal balls and sometimes we rely on information that comes back to haunt us,” she said.
Superintendent Kevin Kaardal said the committee must deal with issues in the present.
“Visting the past can maybe teach us lessons for the future, that’s true… but I do believe it's also to do with budget restrictions… in 2002 budgets had not kept up with inflation, so that became a compounding issue for school districts,” he said.
West Kelowna is forecast to have an increase of 1,014 students by 2025.