Okanagan Indian Band exploring ideas for new school

Plans for an Okanagan Indian Band school in the North Okanagan are taking shape.

The band released a series of design plans for the new potential school on Westside Road to prompt some community feedback.

Plans have been discussed for a while, as the OKIB has found a need for the school based on two specific factors. 

The first, according to the information page on the school, is that the current cultural immersion school is operating in a 1950s era building with no possibility to expand and is limited to the enrolment of 45 students.

The second reason is that approximately 80 per cent or 173 OKIB students are transported off-reserve to surrounding district and private schools and spend an average of 315 hours of bus transportation in a 120 day school year.

A feasibility study has been underway for a while and the band has been collecting historical, current and projected population data to guide decision making.

Data collected will be compiled and sent on for Indigenous Services Canada’s approval process.

The size, location and amenities available of a new school will be connected to the level community engagement; more support reflected in the data will result in more square footage, the ability to accommodate more students and an increased level of amenities.

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