The Chilliwack School District is hoping to create a new learning space inside a Sardis office building, for kids who have otherwise fallen through the cracks.
The board of education gave first reading to a lease agreement for 103-45425 Luckakuck Way at a special meeting held by Zoom on June 26. They plan to give the agreement second and third reading at their regular June 30 meeting.
The hope is that students who have had barriers to attending school in person will be able to "re-engage with learning and community support services," according to a senior staff report. These are students who are not coming to the district's mainstream schools and Kw'铆yeqel Secondary for a number of reasons, including requiring support through the Bridge program, being under probation or under RCMP no-contact orders, or otherwise disconnected from in-person learning environments.
One of the barriers for some of these potential in-class students is simply the lack of transportation, the report states. The office space being considered is in the midst of the commercial corridor, and close to public transportation options.
The 3,236 sq. ft. office is listed by Sarah Toop with Re/Max Nyda Realty Inc. and features several offices and meeting rooms with windows, a reception area, kitchen and storage. It was built in 1987 and has been on market for more than a month.
The estimated lease cost is $7,500 per month, with additional expenses allocated for utilities and custodial services. The staff report notes that the operating cost of bringing this vision to life would be about $90,000 annually, a figure that could be reduced through "subleasing partnerships."
Trustees were enthusiastic toward the new site, which is expected to draw in students who are unlikely to attend any of the other schools in the system. It's a style of school space that the district has had previously, and one that is popular in other cities, staff noted.
While the "storefront" location will likely only be able to handle about 15 to 18 students at one time, staff told trustees that these are students who may only need support for an hour at a time, irregularly. The space would not include traditional classrooms. Instead, students would have access to work spaces as well as teachers and other supports to help them through their coursework as needed.
This new space is "in response to a growing number of youths who are unable to attend school at existing district sites," the report stated. "The vision for this space is to provide a safe, neutral, and accessible site, centrally located on a major city corridor and transit route, where students can re-engage with learning and community support services. These community supports can continue to support the youth after their school journey is complete. It fills a gap between the KSS campuses and existing mainstream options - serving a unique and highly vulnerable population that is often missed by existing programming. The storefront provides flexible, low-barrier daily access for students who face attendance, legal, or wellness-related barriers to attending a traditional school building."
Staffing would come from the existing Kw'铆yeqel staff list, the Bridge program team, and community support agencies including Pacific Community Resources Society, Chilliwack Community Services and Youth Probation.
The lease would be a three-year term, with ongoing evaluation of attendance and engagement by the students as well as transition outcomes. Long-term objectives include increasing the graduation rate of at-risk learners, particularly those students at risk of dropping out entirely.
The report notes that "a formal review of the storefront program will take place annually, with a comprehensive evaluation report submitted in spring 2028 to inform the board鈥檚 decision on whether to renew, revise, or conclude the lease agreement."
All trustees present voted unanimously on the first reading, with Trustee Margaret Reid absent.
This is the second unconventional move forward that the Chilliwack School District has made public in the last several weeks. They have also inked a deal to purchase a church that neighbours Chilliwack Middle School, for just over $3 million, prior to having a plan in place to use that land. They will be leasing the building back to the church for three years while creating a plan to expand the middle school's footprint.
