Surrey Summit reignites commitment to supporting growing needs of Surrey schools

The provincial government's commitment to addressing rapid growth in Surrey schools was renewed Friday during the eighth Surrey Summit. This is the first summit since the opening of Regent Road Elementary, pictured, and new additions to Sunnyside Elementary and Sullivan Heights Secondary.

Once again, the provincial government has renewed its commitment with the Surrey School District and the City of Surrey to address the rapid enrolment growth in B.C.’s largest school district at today’s (Feb. 17) Surrey Summit.

The Surrey Board of Education and district leadership met with Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, city councillors and others to discuss how to best support Surrey’s student population – currently at more than 77,000 and growing – as well as capital needs for new schools and site acquisitions, and the progress made with recently opened new schools and expansions.

“We are always eager to continue discussions with our partners at the municipal and provincial levels,” said Surrey Board of Education Chair Laurie Larsen. “Our district continues to grow at a rapid pace, with about 1,000 new students entering our schools annually. We currently have more than 40 building projects and school site acquisitions that are seeking funding, and we are working together to find sustainable and expedient solutions for new school space to meet the demand in our growing community.”

At the summit, the Ministry renewed its commitment to fund the district’s Capital Project Office for another five years, following the success of expedited school capital projects in recent years.

In the past six years, the Ministry, the City of Surrey and the Surrey Board of Education have met eight times to discuss their collective vision for the district.

This eighth summit is the first since the opening of Regent Road Elementary and new additions to Sunnyside Elementary and Sullivan Heights Secondary, creating more than 1,600 new student seats.

Read the full Ministry of Education news release HERE.

In addition to those projects, the new Ta’talu Elementary and the expansion at École K.B. Woodward Elementary are currently under construction in the district, while additions to Morgan Elementary and White Rock Elementary are nearing completion.

Check HERE to view the status of all the building projects in the Surrey School District.