Sooke School District superintendent Scott Stinson is enthusiastic about the upcoming academic year.
“The first day of school is an exciting time for students and parents,” said Stinson, amid stops at Journey Middle School and Sooke, Saseenos, Ecole Poirier elementary schools on Tuesday. “There’s always lots of smiles and happy faces.”
Stinson said all of the facilities in Sooke are in “great shape” to start the school year, with a new portable at Journey Middle School expected to be ready for students by the end of the week.
There will also be two new portables at Edward Milne Community School, replacing the two older ones that date back to when they were used in Jordan River.
“We’re pretty full right now, but we’re managing,” Stinson said regarding enrolment. “Sooke continues to grow, not at the same pace as the West Shore, but we’re anticipating continued growth.
“We’re ready to submit its business plan for Port Renfrew, and we’re meeting with the Pacheedaht chief and council to review the plan before submission.”
The plan will include several scenarios, including replacing the elementary school, which has been identified as one of the most seismically unsafe schools in the province.
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“We’re putting together our best case (to the Ministry of Education) to replace and expand the school for another 150 to 200 students, which would bring it up to 500,” he said.
“We’re in a relatively fortunate position on the South Island, unlike some of my colleagues in the north regarding staffing,” Stinson said.
“We’re fully staffed for the start of the school year. We continue to struggle in specialty areas such as French Immersion, and it’s always a challenge to find enough education assistants, but we’re in a pretty good place to start the school year. Our human resources department has done an amazing job of recruiting and hiring.”
Stinson also wants motorists to obey speed limits in school zones and to adhere to the rules regarding school buses displaying stop signs or flashing lights.
