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Surrey school district projections show ‘dire’ situation growing worse in 10 years

Grandview Heights Secondary, the district’s newest school, already needs additional space
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Students at Sunnyside Elementary use the communal space outside of the classrooms to learn together. (Sobia Moman file photo)

In the next decade, B.C’s largest school district, Surrey, could near 100,000 students.

Over-crowding in Surrey and White Rock schools has been a concern for decades, but projections up to 2032 show that the situation is expected to get worse unless bigger and more schools are built quickly, according to data from School District No. 36, released May 10.

The school district will continue to struggle as enrolment is expected to reach 97,069 students in 2033 – up 26 per cent from the 75,069 students currently attending classes in the district.

Trustees have sounded the alarm about insufficient capital funding from the B.C. education ministry, leading to an excessive use of portables by Surrey’s public schools.

The chart below shows that the number of portables is expected to increase in every region of Surrey and White Rock, more than doubling in some areas.

Chart made my Sobia Moman

Each year, all 60 school districts in B.C. submit a five-year capital plan to the province before funding is allocated. Last year’s 2023-24 capital plan for School District No. 36 included 10 priorities, which consisted of five expansions to existing schools as well as requests for five new school sites.

Only two of the 10 requests were supported by the ministry: additions at Clayton Heights Secondary (29 per cent over capacity) and Forsyth Road Elementary (28 per cent over capacity). Both are at the stage where project definition reports are being drawn up by the district.

According to the district, $3.17 billion is needed for capital projects outlined in the 2024-25 plan to combat over-crowding and get students out of portables.

“Recently, the provincial government, in their budget, announced $3.6 billion for capital over three years, which sounds fantastic until you look at our number of (nearly) $3.2 billion for our district alone,” said Trustee Bob Holmes.

“And really, the growth isn’t just in Surrey – we are the biggest, we are growing the most, but we see growth in Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Kamloops, Kelowna, so $3.6 billion is not going to go far and it’s certainly not going to do what we need.”

A chart from the Surrey school district shows the expected enrolment for the next decade in the province’s largest district. (Surrey Schools)
A chart from the Surrey school district shows the expected enrolment for the next decade in the province’s largest district. (Surrey Schools)

Within five years, David Riley, executive director for the district’s capital projects office said, some schools will be “extremely over-capacity. Two hundred per cent in some cases.

“It will be no surprise that we forecast that growth to be increasing, and to be increasing at a much faster pace than what we’ve been seeing over the last few years.”

This trend, Riley added, has made the district re-examine its capital projects for the next five years and “look carefully at the needs of the district.”

Currently, enrollment at all elementary schools in the district is slightly under capacity with 44,400 students enrolled, for an operating capacity of 47,097. Meanwhile, Surrey’s 21 public schools are over, with 30,667 students enrolled when the capacity allows 28,050.

But not all schools look the same.

Chart made my Sobia Moman

Where Pacific Heights Elementary has a capacity for 588 students and actually has 419 enrolled, Semiahmoo Trail Elementary only has a capacity for 275 students but has 459 enrolled. At 167 per cent of capacity, it is the most crowded elementary school in the district

But “seats at one school which is under capacity cannot be transferred to another school which is over-capacity largely due to geographical constraints,” Riley said.

Despite the fact Pacific Heights and Semiahmoo Trail elementary schools are both in South Surrey, moving students around is not a solution, the board emphasizes.

“The problem is — well first of all, it’s not a very good solution to be busing kids around the district — but secondly, a lot of those schools that have a little bit of space now, they’re not going to now in the future,” Holmes explained.

“We’d be moving kids around for a few years and that would be the end of that.”

Chart made my Sobia Moman

Projects currently underway to address overcrowding include addition of 11 new classrooms at Kwantlen Park Secondary (28 per cent over capacity) Semiahmoo Trail Elementary (10 classrooms) and South Meridian Elementary (eight classrooms).

New schools currently under development are Snokomish Elementary in South Newton and Ta’talu Elementary in South Surrey.

“We’re projecting that we will need 290 additional portables” if there are no more school expansions or new sites developed in Surrey, said Trustee and board vice chair Gary Tymoschuk.

Other projects listed in the five-year capital plan include additional spaces at 10 elementary schools and nine high schools.

South Surrey’s Grandview Heights, which opened in 2021 and is already over capacity, is also slated for expansion. Because of that, portables will be moved on site this summer, district reps said.

All of the schools included in the list are over-capacity or will be in September and the additions are needed immediately, district representatives said.

Chart made my Sobia Moman

Areas of the city in need of new elementary schools, according to the district, are Darts Hill, Anniedale/Tynehead, Redwoods Heights, Grandview Heights, Sunnyside Heights and Abbey Ridge area.

Additionally, the district projects that new high schools will be needed in East Newton, Grandview Heights and South Port Kells. All of these sites will be needed based on projections for future development, except for a secondary school in South Newton, which Riley says is needed immediately to address over-crowding in neighbourhood schools.

Riley said that three elementary schools in the district — Mountainview Montessori, Riverdale and Port Kells — need to be replaced due to their age. This is also included in the capital plan.


@SobiaMoman
sobia.moman@peacearchnews.com

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Sobia Moman

About the Author: Sobia Moman

Sobia Moman is a news and features reporter with the Peace Arch News.
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