Province purchases Penticton’s École Entre-lacs school

The recent sale of École Entre-Lacs and the former Nkwala Middle School facility to Conseil Scolaire francophone de Columbie-Britannique will provide some certainty to permanent French language education facilities in Penticton.

The $11.5 million in proceeds from the sale will also provide funds for School District 67 to advance its capital priorities the province announced today, Jan. 20.

The Government of B.C. has provided the funds to the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombia-Britannique to make the purchase from School District 67, according to a Ministry of Education media release.

The CSF was operating the school on a short-term lease since September 2017. It will now own and operate the school independently.

There is room at Entre-lacs for every Penticton francophone student, including room for future expected growth.

CSF students attending Penticton Secondary School’s francophone program will not be affected, however a secondary school program is expected to be phased in at École Entre-lacs.

"We are happy to see that our collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Okanagan-Skaha School District on this file has allowed us to acquire a school for the Penticton francophone community," CSF Board of Trustees president Marie-Pierre Lovoie said in the release. "We are extremely pleased with this development, which will further the CSF's mission and provide greater access to francophone education in British Columbia."

Nkwala Middle School, also included in the sale, closed in 2016 due to declining enrolment. The Ministry of Education is working with the SAF to decide the future of the site to provide the best use to the community.

School District 67 Superintendent Wendy Hyer said the sale of the facility has been part of the district’s long term capital planning process.

“Funds from the sale must be directed towards future capital projects as required by Ministry of Education policy,” she said in an email. “As such, the funds from the sale do not and will not have an impact on the district’s operational planning as the funds are not available for day-to-day operations."

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