There’s both good and bad news for Surrey students heading back to class next month.
Classrooms have been bursting at the seams, thanks to Surrey’s rapidly growing population and demographic boom of young families.
This fall, there will be some relief.
The Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark ruling in favour of teachers regarding class size and composition means the district now has funding for 315 new teaching positions.
But Surrey School District spokesperson Doug Strachan said along with the new teachers, the district is set to get 50 more portables to accommodate an anticipated 800 to 1,000 new students.
“We anticipate going from about 275 portables to 325 thereabouts to get us through until some of the new construction comes on.”
Parents have been complaining for years about the lack of classrooms for the district’s more than 71,000 students.
Last year, the then-BC Liberal government announced a wave of new school construction for the city. It offered up a further $217 million in capital funding for the district in January of this year.
WATCH: Surrey schools receive funding boost
One of Surrey’s new schools is slated to open next year: a high school in Clayton Heights, one of the city’s fastest growing areas.
A second high school to be located in Grandview Heights area is slated for completion in 2020.
“The space needs are still a challenge for us,” admitted Strachan.
Back in January, the Surrey School Coalition warned that the province would need to build a new elementary school every year and a new high school every two to three years in order to meet the needs of the city’s growing population.
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