As the Greater Victoria School District brings in portables to handle an increase in the student population, the Greater Victoria Teacher's Association is asking why they don't open one of the district's closed schools.
Specifically, GVTA President Jason Gammon thinks the former Richmond Elementary building should reopen as a school to take the pressure off Willows and Oaklands, were portables are being considered.
"Richmond is sitting there empty. It has been used for quite a few years to house students from schools going through seismic updates. So, it's not like a school that needs to be retrofitted and fixed up, it's ready to go right now,” says Gammon. “I believe there's a first aid school in there. So, not difficult to ask them to pack up and leave for next year and open that school so we're not squishing kids into portables come next September."
Increasing enrolment has become an issue across the province. It’s a major turnaround after school districts have spent the last several years dealing with the opposite problem – declining enrolment and the need to shutter schools in the face of budget constraints.