Tuesday, June 1, 2021 – West Shore: Working together for families is the aim of the memoranda of understanding (MOU) that the Sooke School District Board of Education has recently signed with the City of Colwood, City of Langford and District of Sooke. The primary objective of the individual MOUs is to work together to continue to expand facilities and programs, strengthen public education and the well-being of children and families in the communities that SD62 serves.
“This pandemic has been challenging for our communities and has reminded all of us we are strongest when we work together. As a school district serving a growing and diversifying community, we are pleased to take steps to formally establish and strengthen our partnerships with our local Mayors and Councils,” says Ravi Parmar, SD62 Board Chairperson. “These MOUs enable us all to pool our resources to create world-class amenities with fantastic programming, shared-use facilities and community hubs for all residents. It’s a win-win for students, staff, families and the general public at large.”
The parties have shared interests in delivering their mandates, including, but not limited to, community planning, school sites, shared-use facilities, libraries, safe and healthy environments, sport and recreation, etc.
“Children and families thrive when they have supportive communities working together to pave the way for their success,” says Rob Martin, Mayor of Colwood. “We’re pleased to formalize the strong working relationship Colwood and School District 62 have built as our community grows together in exciting new ways.”
The MOU acts as an agreement on collaboration, cooperation and communication between SD62 and the municipalities. Above all, the MOU will ensure that the school district and local government work together to provide resources and programs for both students and the communities that maximize public dollars.“This agreement solidifies City of Langford’s ongoing partnership with School District 62, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative work in our community,” says Stew Young, Mayor of Langford.
For decades, the parties have worked together to bring programs and shared facilities to the different Westshore and Sooke communities. Examples include:
- Nature playground at École John Stubbs Memorial School, funded by the City of Colwood.
- Turf field and shared field use, contributed by the City of Langford.
- Sport box for sporting events paid for by the District of Sooke.
“We have a strong history with School District 62 and this formalizes our relationship, which is so important to our community,” says Maja Tait, Mayor of the District of Sooke. “Projects like the Little River Crossing, which will provide a multi-use trail connection and sidewalk expansion through School District property, and sport and recreation opportunities through projects such as the multi-use sports box in Sunriver, are some of the initiatives with considerable mutual benefits to Sooke residents and local schools alike.”
As part of the implementation of the MOU, SD62 will establish joint working groups with the respective city and district that will meet twice a year to help bring items forward that meet the community needs as represented by both entities. Joint meetings between the Board of Education and Mayor and Council will also take place on an annual basis and co-chaired by the Board-Chairperson and the Mayor.
Links to the MOUs can be found here.
For more information, please click the following links:
Media Contact
Lindsay Vogan
Manager of Communications
lvogan@sd62.bc.ca
(250) 686-3750