Teachers’ union files grievance over class sizes in new Saanich school

The new Cedar Hill Middle School is pictured on Sept. 4, 2025.

A teachers’ union has filed a grievance about class sizes with the Greater Victoria School District (SD61).

The Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association (GVTA) submitted the grievance in mid-October, highlighting concerns about the new Cedar Hill Middle School. The school opened in September, replacing an aging building.

“We see the new building at Cedar Hill as being built to be out of compliance with the language of our collective agreement around class size and class composition,” GVTA president Carolyn Howe told CTV News.

The agreement limits the number of students with special needs to two per classroom, Howe said. At Cedar Hill, she said there are between three and seven special needs students in each English-track class.

“When there are more students with Individual Education Plans (IEP) in a class, more classes need to be created to bring the class size down,” she said.

IEPs outline programming modifications and varied instructional strategies for students with disabilities.

On average, Howe said there are roughly 25 students in each of the school’s English-stream classes. There should be no more than 20 students per class due to the number of children with special needs, she said.

“When the plans (to replace Cedar Hill Middle School) were first designed, the plans were for a much larger build, but there wasn’t the funding to create that build,” Howe said.

B.C.’s Ministry of Infrastructure said the replacement project was fully funded in 2021, based on enrollment projections from the district.

By filing a grievance, Howe said she hopes the board of education will strengthen its push for more space.

SD61 said it does not comment on labour relations matters. In its capital plan for 2026/27, the board is requesting more than $15 million to expand Cedar Hill Middle School.

The infrastructure ministry said it will consider the submission, along with requests from the other 59 boards of education in B.C.

“We know there’s more work to do to deliver the seats needed to support families in Greater Victoria,” a ministry spokesperson said in an email. “We will continue working closely with the school district to deliver the quality learning environments students and families expect.”