The Editor,
Re: “Short-changing our schools is inexcusable,” the Now editorial, April 28.
This is not new. It was happening 25 years ago. When my children went to school, there was always inadequate funding, portables and overcrowding. As parents, we were asking the same questions and paying the same fees for supplies, computers, books and playground equipment as today’s parents are.
In my time as an involved parent at all grades of my children’s schools, we must have literally raised well over $1 million, providing computers, books, field trips, playground equipment, dry grads, school team sports, clubs, subsidizing hot lunch programs, not to mention subsidizing two other have-not schools.
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I also fail to see any improvement in the City of Surrey with regards to illegal suites in the past 25 years. Nothing is ever done about the problem.
The city should just start charging for each suite. It is pretty obvious they are not going away – the city deems them affordable housing and pretty much looks the other way.
The city should also share its information about suites with Revenue Canada to ensure taxes are being paid. I am sick and tired of my taxes going up immensely due to this problem and to hear there is still a lack of adequate schools for students.
By enforcing the rules and collecting the funds, this could become a moot conversation instead of having it again in another 25 years.
Tanya Rowlands, Surrey