Surrey mayor says province should build more schools not classrooms in the city

SurreyMayor Brenda Locke said the province should build new schools in B.C.'s second-most populous cityinstead of funding more classrooms.

"We need to see more schools built in Surrey.There's just no doubt about it," Locketold CBC News. "These temporary fixes are becoming a bit tiresome."

Her comments came on the heels of the province's funding announcement for36 new prefabricated classrooms at three schools in the city, which will create875 new student spaces.

Those spaces are expected to be ready by fall 2024, according to the province.

Locke saidthe prefabricated classrooms area temporary solutionand took issue with the fact that the province billed them as a solution for decades to come.

She was particularlycritical of the timeline and number of classrooms promised, saying 875student spaces will not make a big dentinthe school district's capacity issues.

"There is nothing that is forecasted that shows we're going to have a decline in the number of students," she said. "It only is increasing, and it has for the past decade or probably twodecades.

"They need to start building infrastructure. School infrastructure. Not temporary, not Band-Aid solutions."

According to Laurie Larsen, Surrey Board of Education chair, the school district has seen an average of2,400 students join over the last two years,compared to 800 new students per year in the previous decade.

She praised the announcement, saying it was particularly valuable as more residents are set to arrive in Surrey once aSkyTrain expansionis finished.

Better than portables: board of education chair

Larsen says the prefabricated classrooms which have two floors as opposed tosingle-floor portables are an important step in addressing capacity issues in the district.

She says prefabs are more accessible than portables andallow the schools to have more play space for students.

Surrey has the most portables across all school districts in B.C., although other school districts have reported higher per-capita usageof portable classrooms.

While the announcement focused on prefabricated classrooms, Locke saidstudents and teachers have repeatedly raised concernsaboutconditions in portables,and that they negatively impact education outcomes and are not accessible enough.

Asked about those concerns, Education Minister Rachna Singh pointed to the province's $4 billion in capital investments in education since 2017.

WATCH | A deep dive into the political debate on school portables:

The myths and facts about portable classrooms

12 months ago

Duration 3:09

The issue of portable classrooms in Surrey has long been a hot political debate, with parties trading barbs over how bad it is and who's to blame. Who's right? This week, we dive into the issue. Justin Mcelroy starts things off with a look at the spin ... and the facts.

"Surrey being the largest school district, we have invested more than $500 million in Surrey," she said.

"We will continue to work with the school district and the board of education ... to address any gaps that the district is facing."