School District No.43 (Coquitlam) has been working collaboratively with the Ministry of Education, the City of Coquitlam and Wesbild to build schools in the Burke Mountain area that will meet the needs of the Burke Mountain community. This project has been a number one priority for the School District’s capital planning team for quite some time.

Several of our Board members attended a Public Hearing in late January 2015 and reported back to the Board of Education. Our school district takes into consideration the needs of the Burke Mountain citizens when planning accommodation for students. Currently, we have added classroom space to Irvine and Leigh Elementary schools. We have included four portable classrooms in our amended budget for 2014–2015. The specific siting and logistics for portable placement are in the process of being confirmed. We are working diligently on our planning process for Burke Mountain, which includes opportunities for community consultation.

Last Fall, we announced that the School District and City of Coquitlam were working together to purchase land for an elementary school. This process continues to progress. In the Spring the Board of Education is confident that we will be able to meet with the public and provide a more detailed status update at that time.

The Board of Education is also progressing with the acquisition of other school sites to meet the needs of students within our district.

Judy Shirra, Board Chair – “Our staff is working diligently through the proper process to meet the needs of the Burke Mountain community. We will be holding a public forum in the Spring and look forward to meeting with the community.”