A decline in elementary school enrolment has led to the sale of schools across B.C., with the latest listing in Saanich.
The Saanich School District is looking to sell its vacant McTavish Elementary School and property for at least $1.3 million. The district posted a request for proposals on the B.C. Bid website in hopes of getting offers on the 1.7-hectare site near the Victoria International Airport.
The school, which covers 18,000 square feet, opened in 1951. It was closed in 2008 due to declining enrolment.
Enrolment projections show there is no need for McTavish Elementary to provide school programs in the future, the district says.
"It's excess to needs and it is a property that we are permitted to sell because of that," said board chairman Wayne Hunter.
The site is currently zoned for use by a public institution, and about half the property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
"If someone wanted to purchase it for an institutional use, it would make it a lot easier to use than if someone wanted to redevelop it," Hunter said.
Early this year, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon confirmed that boards of education have the authority to dispose of surplus schools and land to help finance new capital projects.
School enrolment in B.C. has fallen nearly 10 per cent in the past decade.
from Western Investor September 2012
