Cowichan Secondary to be Closed and Disposed of

BOARD VOTES TO CLOSE AND DISPOSE OF COWICHAN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Cowichan Valley, BC – At last night’s Open Board Meeting, the Board of Education for the Cowichan Valley School District unanimously voted to close Cowichan Secondary School and enter the school into the formal disposal process.

“We know how much Cowichan Secondary School means to us and generations of our friends, neighbours and other community members. The school’s rich history will not be lost as active steps are being taken to ensure the memory of Cowichan Secondary School lives on,” said Cathy Schmidt, Chair of the Board of Education for the Cowichan Valley School District. “The Board carefully considered all the public feedback from the district engagement session, public survey, letters and emails, and conversations with local stakeholders. With the opening of Quw’utsun Secondary School, the enhancement of programming for our students, and the stagnation of enrolment in the district’s central area, closing the school makes fiscal sense.”

The Board voted to permanently close Cowichan Secondary School as of December 31, 2024, while formally recognizing that the school will not be required for future educational purposes for ten years or more. These decisions were the impetus for the Board to further move a motion to apply to the Ministry of Education and Child Care (the Ministry) for approval to dispose of Cowichan Secondary School.

The formal disposal process will require the Board to request permission to dispose of the school through the Ministry. The Board must then hold further conversations with Cowichan Tribes and local governments before any approval to sell the property for fair market value on the public market.

The formal disposal process has no defined timeline, and the community will continue to be updated on it and the processes in place to honour Cowichan Secondary School’s rich history.