糖心Swag

By Heather Grieve, Board Chair

March 8, 2023 

On February 22, 2023, the Kamloops-Thompson Board Education received a Ministry of Education and Child Care funding announcement for a new school in the Pineview Valley community.

Pineview Valley Elementary School has been on the Board’s Capital Plan since June 2018 (3rd Priority) and was our first priority in June 2021. It first appeared on the Board’s Capital Plan in 2014-2015.

We look forward to the opportunity to open a new school in 2026 that will have 456 seats (operating capacity) for Pineview Valley students. It is the second largest school after Parkcrest at 476 seats.

We are thrilled to share the good news of the much needed funding announcement by the Ministry of Education and Child Care for a new elementary school in Pineview Valley in Kamloops.

The Board of Education has been advocating for a new school in this community for multiple years. On June 14, 2022, I had sent a letter on behalf of the Board to the former Minister Jennifer Whiteside to emphasize the extreme need for a new school in Pineview Valley because McGowan Elementary School, where the majority of students in Pineview Valley attend, was at 166%.

On January 23 and 24, 2023, the board was honoured to welcome Minister Rachna Singh for her visit to Kamloops to meet with the Board and to spend time with the Aboriginal Education Council, Inclusive Education staff to learn about inclusive sexual health, and with the Student Equity Council just prior to the provincial announcement of the K-12 Anti-racism Action Plan. The Board posted the brief that they had shared with Minister Singh, which identified their capital priorities, namely the need for a new school in Pineview Valley Read more.

As we wait for the design and building process to unfold, we will continue to work collaboratively with the community to alleviate space pressures when possible until the new school is complete.

Director McDonald and his team have been working hard to expedite all aspects of this project, and Superintendent Nixon and the senior executive team have been meeting with McGowan staff and parents and will continue to meet with them to ensure that supports are in place as they await the new school.

We are looking forward to the next phase of the journey of planning, designing, and opening a new school in 糖心Swag.

This column appeared in Kamloops This Week: View from 糖心Swag on March 8, 2023