Fort St. John middle school to gain 200 new seats from B.C. Government investment

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John’s Dr. Kearney Middle School will be one of 10 schools in communities around the province to receive new student spaces from a B.C. government investment program.

The middle school will get an eight-classroom prefabricated addition that will add 200 new student seats.

The $133.5-million investment allows the Ministry of Education and Child Care to add 89 new classrooms, the equivalent of 2,185 new seats, throughout the province in an effort to expand schools more quickly. 

Other communities benefiting from the program include West Kelowna, Langley, Surrey, Delta, Richmond, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, and Terrace.

The new classrooms are expected to be ready early next school year.

According to the B.C. government, prefabricated construction means students will learn in modern classrooms with sustainable and energy-efficient designs.

The additions align with the province’s CleanBC targets and meet enhanced energy requirements.

Since September 2017, the B.C. government has approved nearly $6 billion for new and improved schools and purchases. 

The BC government says the investment has resulted in more than 42,000 new student spaces and more than 38,000 seismically safe seats.