Image: Submitted / A.D. Rundle Middle School Principal Sarah Gamboa (centre) speaks during Tuesday's ceremony announcing a 300-seat expansion at the school, which will boost its capacity to 750 seats.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Middle school expansion

B.C. govt. to fund 300-seat expansion at Chilliwack middle school

Aug 20, 2024 | 4:52 PM

CHILLIWACK — The B.C. government announced Tuesday (Aug. 20) it will fund a 300-seat expansion at A.D. Rundle Middle School.

The 300-seat addition at A.D. Rundle is one of several ongoing projects in Chilliwack, including the forthcoming Eastside Elementary in Rosedale that is currently undergoing in-design development, and the 400-seat expansion of Sardis Secondary, which will be constructed with mass timber. Over the past seven years, completed additions, expansions and new schools have occurred at Vedder Elementary, Stitos La Toti Elementary/Middle, Imagine High Arts and Technology and G.W. Graham Secondary.

“This investment in A.D. Rundle Middle school reflects our government’s commitment to provide quality educational spaces for the growing community of Chilliwack,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “We are taking action with the addition of 12 new classrooms to ensure that students have the room to learn and thrive in a modern, supportive classroom environment.”

Twelve new classrooms will be built using prefabricated construction through provincial funding of $18 million, thereby increasing student seats to 750, a significant boost from the current capacity of 450 seats. The addition will be built to LEED Gold standards and is expected to be complete in early 2026.

“As the MLA for Chilliwack and former school board chair, I’m thrilled to see another significant investment in our local schools,” said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack. “The addition at A.D. Rundle Middle school will help us work quickly to alleviate pressures and provide our students with the facilities they deserve close to home.”

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The province and the school district have approved funding to build and upgrade schools, adding more than 3,420 new student spaces in Chilliwack over the past seven years with record investments totalling more than $230 million.

Since September 2017, the B.C. government says it has approved more than $5 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for schools in the province. This has resulted in approximately 36,000 new student spaces and more than 38,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.