The Cowichan Valley School Board has voted to permanently close Cowichan Secondary School at the end of this year and ask the education ministry for permission to sell the property.
SD79 board chair Cathy Schmidt says the board carefully considered input from the public and stakeholders, but the opening of a new secondary school and the stagnation of enrolment in the district’s central area means closing the school makes fiscal sense.
She says they know how much Cowichan Secondary School means to generations of friends, neighbours, and community members, and says the “history will not be lost as active steps are being taken to ensure the memory of Cowichan Secondary School lives on.”
The formal disposal process will require approval from the government and then further conversations with Cowichan Tribes and local governments before the property can be sold.
The district says there is no defined timeline, and the community will continue to be updated as the process moves forward.
Cowichan Secondary was built in 1950 and had several additions until 1998.
The Cowichan Valley School District purchased the 5.3-hectare Cowichan Place property in 2012 and funding for the more than $80-Million project was announced in December of 2019.
The new school, Quw’utsum Secondary, is scheduled to open in the autumn of this year.
