In order to best meet future educational needs, we’re preparing for what tomorrow’s students will need in schools. As part of our long-range planning, the Burnaby Board of Education has initiated a process to engage with the community, as we work to create a new Long-Range Facility Plan. The resulting strategy will support students by capturing our upcoming facility needs, with an emphasis on what’s needed for school buildings.
What’s a Long-Range Facility Plan (LRFP) and Why Does it Matter?
The Long-Range Facility Plan (LRFP) lays out a roadmap that aligns educational priorities with plans for the District’s facilities. In other words, what students need dictates our plans for buildings. In addition to anticipated population growth, and therefore more students forecast in areas throughout the City of Burnaby, the driving factor that shapes how facilities are developed is educational priorities and plans.
The LRFP, itself, is the fulsome plan for our facilities of the future and is the overarching strategy from which funding requests are made. Priorities from the LRFP are elevated each year by the District and put forward in our formal funding requests to the Province – called an Annual Capital Plan Submission – for capital projects, such as new schools, expansions and seismic upgrades. The Ministry of Education and Child Care reviews Capital Plan Submissions from all districts throughout BC when making its decisions about which projects to support and fund.
What Input is the District Asking for?
We’re seeking input from parents, students, staff and the broader community about what we should be paying attention to, as we plan for future growth and develop options for each of the four educational zones within the District. Each zone has its own anticipated growth, challenges and potential solutions, which can be seen by clicking on the links below:
Click here to find the zone in which your school is located.
It’s important to note that no school closures are anticipated. With projected population growth in Burnaby, it’s anticipated that additional schools will be required in the Brentwood, Lougheed, Edmonds and Bainbridge Town Centre areas. For additional details about potential solutions, click on the links for each of the four educational zones above.
How can Input be Shared?
There are two ways to share your voice about proposed potential solutions and anything else you think we should be paying attention to as we plan for future growth.
In-person Information Sessions
Parents, students, staff and the broader community have an opportunity to attend an in-person engagement session. These sessions are being held by educational zone, with each happening on a drop-in basis from 5-8pm at the District Administration Office (4054 Norfolk Street, Burnaby).
- January 25 – Central West Zone
- February 1 – Kingsway South Zone
- February 15 – Cariboo Lougheed Zone
- February 22 – Brentwood North Zone
Click here to find the zone in which your school is located.
An Online Survey
To share your input and thoughts electronically, join the conversation on ThoughtExchange. Parents, secondary students and school staff will have received a direct email sharing the link to the survey for the educational zone in which their school is located.
Click here to learn more about how to participate.
The opportunity to provide input will be open until end of day on February 28.
What’s the Timeline for Engagement and the Final Long-Range Facility Plan?
Posted January 18, 2023
Updated with How to Complete the Survey on January 25, 2023