Sooke's growing school district seeks land for 4 new schools

The Sooke School District saidincreasing enrolment means it's looking for land so it can add four new schools in the coming years.

"We put a request for proposals outquite a while ago, just before Christmas, and we're considering offers that have come in on that request," School District 62 superintendent Jim Cambridgetold All Points West host Robyn Burns.

"We're asking for land because we're quite concerned that if we don't secure it now, it won't be available to us in the next couple of years."

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Cambridge saidthe district's enrolment grew six per cent last year and five per cent the year before that. That growth far outstrippedprojections for those years of two and one per centrespectively.

"We seem to be overreaching our targets so we think they might be a bit conservative."

The actual land purchases will be done by the provincial government, and Cambridge saidthey are involved with the process.

Once the lands are in the district's hands, then there will be more discussions with the province as to what will be built on them.

Cambridge saidonly two or three of the district's schools are presently operatingbelow their capacities.

He saidwithin the next couple of weeksthe district will recommendparcels of land for the province to buy.

With files from CBC Radio One's All Points West

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled:Growing Sooke school district seeks land for 4 new schools