Editor,
The Surrey board of education once again finds itself in a difficult position for the upcoming school year. Expenses outpace revenues and so some trimming is required. This is not unusual as government revenue is finite.
What is unusual, and dangerous, is where the board has decided to trim. As of June 2025, the South Surrey White Rock Learning Centre (SSWRLC) will be closing its doors, and the 100+ students attending the learning centre will be reallocated into the region's four main high schools. In other words, they are being sent back into the very environment that was impossible for them to survive in. Every student at the SSWRLC is there because, for one reason or another, survival in the mainstream high school environment was impossible.
Surrey's learning centres have been an amazing success story over the past several decades. They have offered a sanctuary and community for the student population that struggle in the mainstream environment. The thousands of students that have gone through the learning centre program have rediscovered their educational purpose, and a very high percentage have gone onto higher education, careers and purpose in their lives.
Several learning centre students and their parents have shared their stories with me. Many of them have described a dark period where they either didn't fit in, experienced relentless bullying or suffered from anxiety and depression. During the dark period, many contemplate dropping out of school. Others entertained thoughts of suicide while some described receiving death threats. Fortunately for these students, learning centres have been available to absorb them and nurture their educational journey.
There used to be five learning centres in Surrey, but after the SSWRLC closes, we will be down to two. The Surrey board of education believes they can successfully absorb this vulnerable student population into the region's four main high schools despite massive overcrowding. Many learning centre students, graduates and educators disagree. The mainstream system will always be hostile to a segment of the student population and, despite the board's best efforts, stigmatization will continue.
It is imperative that the Surrey board of education provide a safe and inclusive environment for all students to thrive in. Shutting down learning centres does not achieve this. In fact, it will lead to more students dropping out, more teen suicides and a higher level of school bullying. This outcome cannot be accepted.
As the Surrey board of education drafts its budget for the 2025/26 school year, it cannot lose sight of its No. 1 priority, which is to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all students to thrive in. Closing down the SSWRLC is an abdication of this priority. It exposes the vulnerable student population to the risks listed earlier.
If cuts are required, they need to be made at a lower priority level where the consequential damage isn't as high as the closure of a learning centre. Cutting some elective classes, field trips or athletic programs may not be popular, but the action will not lead to students dropping out, higher teen suicide or higher levels of bullying.
This is all about priorities and consequential damage. By closing down learning centres we are turning our backs on the students that depend on them, and there will be a much higher cost down the road as society struggles to clean up the mess.
The Surrey board of education has stated that the annual cost to operate the South Surrey/White Rock Learning Centre is approximately $1.88 million per year with a net deficit of approximately $645,000 per year. The $645,000 deficit represents only 0.06% of the board's $1 billion budget. If the additional cost of educating the learning centre students at the region's four high schools is included in the calculation, then there can be only negligible net savings.
The board also states leased facilities and learning centre buildings receive no capital funding from the Ministry of Education and Child Care. This will continue to be the case under the board's relocation plan as new portable classrooms are likely to be needed to accommodate additional programming. Funding for portable classrooms comes out of the district's operating budget.
Jeopardizing student safety combined with the relocation upheaval that results in minimal budget savings makes no sense. Surely the board can review its operations and find savings in areas that will have less of an impact than closing a learning centre.
Do the right thing. Student safety and inclusiveness must always be the top priority. Keep the South Surrey White Rock Learning Centre open.
Surrey's vulnerable student population depends on it for their education and future. We owe it to them.
Pat McCutcheon, Surrey
