Students are heading back to school this week, but in Surrey, students are returning to packed hallways, staggered start dates and building construction.
With enrolment projected at 2,000 more students this September for the first month back to school, the total student population in the Surrey school district will exceed 85,000 students, according to a release from Surrey Schools.
“With another new school year comes new opportunities to engage with students and provide a welcoming, innovative environment for families as they put down roots in Surrey and White Rock,” Laurie Larsen, chair of the Surrey school board, said in a news release.
"As in previous years, we strive to ensure that our students and staff continue to have access to engaging learning environments where they can work, play and learn.”
New and expanded schools have opened and will be opening very soon, while six secondary schools are also adjusting to extended days.
Xw’epiteng (woh-pee-ten) Elementary, formerly Hall's Prairie Elementary, has reopened, offering outdoor land-based learning to students in K-7. The new name of the school means "place of many rabbits" and was gifted to the district by the Semiahmoo First Nation.
The new Ta'talu Elementary in South Surrey will welcome 655 students this October, expected to help combat the overcrowding being seen in the Grandview area of Surrey that has caused Edgewood Elementary to be significantly over-capacity. In the meantime, students will continue to attend their current elementary school.
South Meridian and Semiahmoo Trail elementaries, also in South Surrey, will have their additional space open in the spring, while the prefabricated additions at Lena Shaw, Walnut Road and Woodland Park elementaries will open this fall and winter.
"However, we know this is not enough, and more work needs to be done to increase capacity at our schools. That is why we will continue to advocate and work with the Ministry to fulfil our five-year capital request for funding to purchase land, build 20 new schools and 19 additions, acquire 21 sites, build two school replacements and conduct a seismic upgrade in our district," Larsen said.
In an exclusive interview with Premier David Eby and Black Press Media last week, Eby said the current NDP government of the last seven years has struggled to keep up with building new schools due to the former BC Liberal party not building a new school site in Surrey during their term from 2011-17.
The NDP has been in power since then.
"We've been trying to dig out of a hole in Surrey," Eby said.
"Our commitment is to build out the school system and make sure that kids have access to high quality schools in their community. It's a basic that every kid is entitled to in our province."
Schools will also be adjusting to the new personal digital device policy being implemented across the province.
Superintendent Mark Pearmain shared in a message to the Surrey community that the district will also begin piloting hybrid classes next school year.
"This approach will allow us to consider all benefits and drawbacks before we fully implement this initiative. Further, we will investigate the feasibility and impact of a tri-semester / balanced calendar system for students and report back to the Board by June 2025," Pearmain said.
- with files from Anna Burns
