Newly elected School Trustees for the Sooke School District were sworn in at their first public board meeting last night (Nov 1). Returning Trustees Ravi Parmar and Allison Watson join new Trustees Cendra Beaton, Russ Chipps, Amanda Dowhy, Ebony Logins and Trudy Spiller to make up the new Board of Education. Trustee Ravi Parmar was acclaimed as Board Chair for a sixth consecutive term, and Trustee Amanda Dowhy was acclaimed as Vice Chair.
"Five out of seven Trustees are grads from schools within the district and that's a testament to the learning environment that previous Boards and district staff have created and supported over the years," said Ravi Parmar, Board Chair of the Sooke School District. "Our Board is committed to continuing the important work of nurturing vibrant, inclusive school communities where students and staff have the opportunity to thrive and achieve their potential."
The student population continues to climb with nearly 600 new students joining the district over last year's record-breaking enrollment of over 800 students. The Board of Education will focus on the challenges of aligning resources to absorb the surge of growth that outpaces the available funding to build new schools in the province.
"It's exciting to see our student enrollment grow, but with growth comes complexities that our Board will need to navigate," said Parmar. "We strive to deliver the best outcomes for students but we really need the province to come through and approve our Capital Plan submission that puts priority on building three new elementary schools in Colwood, Langford and Sooke as well as a seismic upgrade to Port Renfrew Elementary."
The new Board of Education will continue building on the momentum of the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan and focus on the three priorities of learning, engagement and growth.
Read the District Strategic Plan 2021-2025.
June 2, 2024
