Wednesday, June 2, 1999 — North Shore News - 5 Parents fight Seycove space squeeze Meeting to address expansion push Anna Marie D'Angelo _ News Reporter dangela@news.com CROWDED Seycove secondary in Deep Cove had the dubious honour of being ranked at the top of the school district’s 1998 list of schools that needed to be expanded. Rut after education min- istry staff in Victoria crunched ‘ numbers fast vear, Seveove was dropped down on the expansion priority list and shut out of money tor additional student space. Lyan Valley’s Argyle see- ondary, which had been rated sixth on the school district’s priority list, got $2. million from the ministry to add 350 seats. A Sevcave elementary feeder school, Sherwood Park, along with Braemar, Capilano and Upper Lynn clementaries, received $6.7 million for an additional 750 seats last year. “The parents are pretty trustrated. We sort of got real grumpy in December after the (ministry) announcement,” said Bill Jenkins, a Seycove Parent Advisory Council (PAC) executive. Tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m, a public ‘intormation meeting about Sevcove’s ill be held Seycove’s PAC holding the meeting and has invite:: Liberal MILA Daniel is.and North Vancouver District 44 School Board chairman Doug MacKay Dunn is to address the meet- ing, according t to Jenkins. Parents trom Seycove’s elementary feeder schools —- Cove Cliff, Dorothy Lynas and Sherwood Park — are being asked to attend. Jenkins has rwo children at Seycove, a daughter in Grade 1] and a son in Grade 8. “Pm sort of hoping that by the time my sen gets to Grade 11 or 12 there may be a place for him to sit down ‘and study,” said Jenkins. Sevcove was ranked as the school district’s top. priority ansion because the @ has cight portable cl rooms and will have 11 within two years; @ has a 425-student capacity projected to be 675 to 700 within a few years. It is cur- rently operating with a stu- dent population of 625. . Jenkins said portables are scattered throughout the school site. Students cat lunch in a double-wide portable and have to study in hallways. Education ministry spokesman Anne McKinnon said the ministry was aware that the school district had ranked Seycove as the top pri- BE NOTICED. #2-2435 Marine Dr, West Van & (oack taney F22-3014 . . ority and Argyle as the sixth highest. MeKinnon said the educa- tion ministry re-ranked all the province-wide expansion pro posal together. “When othe ministry looked at the actual need, Argyle was the one that need ed othe funding,” said Mekinnon. She said one of the largest factors in ranking was “enrol- ment pressure.” McKinnon said Argyle was ranked higher because there was “more enrolment pres- sure and a greater shortall of space.” She said the district. can submit a high priority propos- al tor Seycave’s expansion next year. twill be fairly consid: ered. Itis a very equitable for- mula thar they woe,” said McKinnon. Jenkins said it’s iogical for Sherwood Park elemen- tary to be allowed to expand when the clementary school graduates will go ro an already overcrowded Seycove high school. In the school district’s five- year capital plan, Argyle was ranked as the high school sec- Uiet_ estimated Seycove was and - 1 sid that the min- istry looked at the district's proposal to add 350 seats to Arevle for $2.1) million and 225 to Sevcove for $3 million. “Esuspeer that they have tried to stretch the dollars as far as they can and Argyle was cheaper to buy a (classroom) seat,” said Le’ Lewis said a Seveave expansion proposal for 730 students goes to the ministry this month. “Without a doubt it will be the number one priority,” said Lewis, Lewis sad it may take three vears after money is approved before the school expansion is completed, is located at 1204 Caledonia Ave. ond tu Seveove in need of expansion, said John Lewis, North Vancouver School District 44 facilities and plan- ning director. Lewis said the school dis- Pay AN UAC DELON ST HEINE Tg bttp://ewer. 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