Funding for a new secondary and middle school, on top of a recently completed school addition, will provide approximately 3,000 student spaces for families in the growing Langley community.
"As more communities like Langley experience population growth, our government is continuing to invest in our schools," said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. "This new secondary and middle school will make a huge difference for students and families, and with the opening of the new prefabricated addition, these investments will benefit Langley's school community for years to come"
The new joint school campus will be located in the Willoughby area of the Township of Langley and will be home to Smith Middle and Smith Secondary schools.
The Smith Secondary school will provide spaces for 1,900 new students through approximately $203 million from the Province. This is the largest amount of funding provided by the Ministry of Education and Child Care for a school project in the province's history.
An additional $103 million in provincial funding will be used to create 900 new seats at Smith Middle school, and will include a neighbourhood learning centre for child care to benefit the broader community. Both projects will incorporate greenhouse gas reduction measures.
A newly completed prefabricated addition at Richard Bulpitt Elementary means 150 more students are learning in new classrooms this school year. The Province provided $9 million for the addition that includes six classrooms connected by corridors and storage spaces for students' personal belongings. The use of prefabricated construction enabled the addition to be built quickly. With sustainable and energy-efficient designs, the addition supports the Province's CleanBC targets to meet B.C.'s enhanced energy requirements.
The school district has worked collaboratively with the Township of Langley. Each site was purchased in partnership with the township through a joint-use agreement, which enables student access to playing fields and first-class sports fields.
During the past seven years, the Province has provided more than $557 million to create more than 4,800 new student seats and more than 1,500 seismically safer seats in the Langley School District. This includes the new Northeast Latimer Elementary, which is expected to be ready by fall 2025, and the addition to Langley Secondary, which is expected to be ready by spring 2026. The expansion and seismic upgrade at Peter Ewart Middle school are expected to be ready by November 2024.
Since September 2017, the B.C. government has approved more than $5 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for schools throughout the province. This has resulted in 37,000 new student spaces and more than 38,000 seismically safer seats in B.C. schools.
Quotes:
Megan Dykeman, MLA for Langley East -
"I am thrilled that our government is investing in these significant projects in our fast-growing community. By creating these new spaces, we are providing this much needed infrastructure for families in Langley."
Andrew Mercier, MLA for Langley -
"I am proud to see the opening of this new addition, which will serve students in this community for decades to come. Our government remains committed to ensuring more students have access to modern, safe learning environments as quickly as possible."
Candy Ashdown, chair, Langley Board of Education -
"The board is thrilled that students will soon have a new middle and secondary school with access to world-class sports facilities to learn, work and play in, all thanks to our partners, the Ministry of Education and Child Care and the Township of Langley. We know these projects, as well as the recently completed modular building at Richard Bulpitt Elementary, will help increase spaces for students on the Willoughby Slope."
Eric Woodward, mayor of the Township of Langley -
"The new Smith Middle and High schools will be located next to Smith Athletic Park. This $150-million facility will include three new playing fields, a dog park and playground in Phase 1, and finished natural spaces and a fourth playing field, fully enclosed in Phase 2. Smith Athletic Park will be a fabulous addition to Langley, built for today and the future, and students will have the benefit of utilizing this facility throughout their education."
Learn More:
- For more information about the Langley School District, visit: https://www.sd35.bc.ca/
- For more information about major public school capital projects underway, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/major-capital-projects
