Langley Secondary School, once slated for closure, will be getting $26.2 million in seismic and other upgrades and will be joined in the district by a new high school in the future, according to an announcement made on Friday afternoon.
Two local MLAs — Rich Coleman and Mary Polak — made the announcement at LSS, with school board trustees, teachers and students in attendance.
The province has vowed to contribute $25.8 million for the LSS upgrade — which will include partial replacement of the school — with the district covering the remaining $426,123.
"If you're going to keep it, you might as well fix it and therefore some of it should come down and some of it should just be improved for longer-term life," said Coleman.
"Thanks for not closing my school," said Taylor Swift, an LSS student.
Coleman said the new high school is planned to go up near the Langley Events Centre.
He said the district will be putting together a business plan for the school, which he expects to be ready by September.
"I'm very confident that we'll be moving on that one once we've got the business plan," he said.
Coleman said that most high schools cost between $50 million and $60 million.
As for when students will start attending the new school, Coleman said it would be a few years.
"The financing will take a year, or less. Once that's done, now you're into designing the building and then you start breaking the ground probably within a couple years, maybe less."