Surrey Teachers’ Association says B.C.’s plan for one elementary school isn’t enough

The Surrey Teachers’ Association says two new building projects in the city, announced by the provincial government Friday, just aren’t enough.

On Friday, the BC NDP government said it is moving forward with its plans to build a new Darts Hill Elementary School, as well as a 500-seat addition to Grand View Heights Secondary, both located in South Surrey.

But the teachers’ association says this announcement is just lip service, and much more needs to be done to address the growing city.

“This is a drop in the bucket; it is just a fraction of what is needed,” said Lizanne Foster, first vice-president of the association. “It doesn’t take into account our exploding population.”

Foster says the lack of schools in Surrey has long been a problem, and the government’s response is “disappointing but predictable.”

“I expect as we get closer to the election, we are going to get this drip, drip, drip of announcements now and then,” she said.

“That [it] is going to look like something is happening, but not really, because today’s announcement says it is OK for the district to proceed to the next step.”

Foster says the Surrey School Board has several project requests that are pending approval by the Ministry, including 17 additions and 10 new schools to address increasing school enrollment. She says in the past, the number of students was growing by about 800 per year, and now it is increasing by over 2,000 annually.

“And it is going to explode once we have the Skytrain extension comes in,” she said. “It is exponential growth. This one addition and one school won’t even begin to address the need.”

Minister, Education and Child Care Rachna Signh says she understands the situation.

“We know how fast Surrey is growing and the pressure the Surrey School Board is growing,” she said. “That is why, since 2017, we have invested almost $750 million.”

But Foster says it’s just not enough.

“In 2000, public education funding was 3.3 per cent of the GDP,” she said. “In 2024- 2025, it is hovering at 1.7 per cent. So it is those numbers we should take into consideration.”

Foster says if people want to see change in the education system, parents need to make their voices heard by all levels of government.

“All governments have ignored it,” she said. “The problem is families with young children don’t show up at the polls in large numbers. They don’t have the time and the capacity to be lobbying politicians.”

The Ministry of Education says the new school will accommodate about 900 students and is projected to be complete by 2028. This announcement was part of the new 2024 budget, which includes almost $4 billion for school capital projects over the next 3 years.