Some George Jay Elementary parents are complaining about cramped conditions at the school.
“The basic concern is this — restricted space, lack of amenities, overcrowding,” said parent advisory council president Angela Carmichael, who has a child in Grade 1 at George Jay.
Carmichael was part of a group of George Jay parents who spoke about the school at a Greater Victoria School Board committee meeting this week. She said afterward that she had hoped steps would have been taken some time ago to keep the school’s music room operating and add a portable, but neither of those things happened.
She said she would like to see a couple of annex-style buildings, which are bigger than portables, at the school. “They are fully functional classrooms, all indoors with plumbing.”
Carmichael said space will continue to be a problem, in part because the school has a lot more kindergartners than Grade 5 students. “So there’s way more kids coming in than we’re pumping out.”
She is also worried about the effect of future growth on the George Jay area, including a proposed housing development on district land at Victoria High School. Greater Victoria School District officials have known for some time that schools such as George Jay, Quadra Elementary and Central Middle have been seeing the most growth as district enrolment increases after a 40-year decline.
The district is expected to grow by about 1,800 students over the next decade. Total enrolment last year was about 20,000.
Changes to school-catchment boundaries approved in June after a district review will help George Jay, said district superintendent Shelley Green. Under the new boundaries, which come into effect next year, some of George Jay’s catchment area has been carved off and given to South Park, Sir James Douglas and Quadra elementaries.
A portion of George Jay’s catchment could also go to a proposed new elementary school combining the Bank Street and Sundance facilities.
Green said the number of students at George Jay is down this year by 21 students, allowing staff to make some classes smaller.
“We’re hoping to see that trend continue as the boundary review now starts to take place,” Green said.
Parent advisory council treasurer Andrea Collins disputed that, saying there are 521 students enrolled at the school, up from 511 last year.
"Enrolment is not down," she said. "It’s just lower than we originally thought. We anticipated 550 for the year."
Green said the district considered putting a portable at George Jay for the current school year, but the only one available was old and outsized, and there was concern it would take up too much play space at the site.
Green said dialogue has been happening with groups within the school. “We’re all trying to do the best we can, to create good spaces in between as we’re going through a change in population at that school.”
The Strong Start early-learning program at George Jay has temporarily moved to Victor School, where it’s set to start at the end of the month, Green said.
“The parents at George Jay have been well-informed that it will be there,” she said.
“The plan certainly is as soon as the ‘right-sizing’ starts to flow through, we will be bringing them back as quickly as we possibly can.”
