Construction underway on expansion project for crowded Okanagan school

Construction has started on an expansion project at a crowded elementary school in the North Okanagan.

The expansion at BX Elementary in Vernon will nearly double the school’s size, according to the Ministry of Education.

The project, worth $11.5 million, will add 240 seats to the school. The provincial government is providing $11.1 million, with the Vernon Board of Education contributing $425,000.

The project is expected to be ready for students in September 2021.

The ministry says the school is currently operating at nearly 150 per cent capacity, and that many students spend their entire days in portables.

It added that enrolment is expected to grow, and that without the addition, the number of portables will double in the next 10 years.

4:39 B.C. education minister reports 60,000 students returned to school on June 1

The ministry also says once the addition is finished, every student at BX will be learning in a classroom.

“With 10 new classrooms on the way, students are one step closer to saying goodbye to portables at BX Elementary school,” said education minister Rob Fleming.

“I can’t wait to see every student at BX learning in classrooms that keep them fully connected to the great school community they have in Vernon.”