The closure of schools in Penticton and Summerland is now set after months of feedback from the public.

The school board met on April 15, and voted unanimously to move forward with the proposed long-range facilities plan.

That plan will see the district scrap the elementary, middle and secondary school model for a straight elementary-secondary split, while closing the Carmi, Giant鈥檚 Head and Parkway elementary schools.

鈥淭he board is pleased to have finalized the Long-Range Facilities plan, said James Palanio, school board chair, in a press release. 鈥淭he decision to close the schools was not an easy one but we believe this plan will ensure that we are making the best uses of our resources and planning for the future of the district.鈥�

According to the district, enrolment at local schools stands at 5,741 students, a decrease of 36 per cent since 2001.

Penticton schools are at 82 per cent of capacity, while Summerland schools are at 69 per cent of capacity. The Ministry of Education and Child Care鈥檚 facilities guidelines identify 95 per cent as a usage target.

Students at Carmi will move into the current KVR Middle School building. Parkway students, meanwhile, will move into the current Skaha Lake Middle School building and Giant鈥檚 Head students will go over to Summerland Middle School.

Grade 8 students will become part of the secondary schools in the district starting in the coming 2024-25 school year.

The changes to the elementary schools will be phased in starting in the 2025-26 school year.

The long-range facilities plan was brought forward to address enrolment and capacity issues at the school along with budgetary pressures.

Closing the three schools is expected to bring about anticipated annual operational savings of $1.5 to $2 million between savings in utilities, reduction in staffing, reduction in facilities maintenance costs and economies of scale.

In addition to the closure of the elementary schools, the district鈥檚 ConnectEd Facility next to Penticton Secondary School will be closed and its programs moved to a different location.

For details on the full reconfiguration plan, and for more information and regular updates, please continue to visit