B.C. has announced $57 million for new and expanded Surrey schools. The investment will fund construction of a new school in Sunnyside Heights and the expansion of Morgan Elementary and White Rock Elementary to provide better learning environments for more students.
“Students throughout the Surrey School District are beginning to see the benefits of the new and expanded schools in their communities, and we must keep going if we’re going to meet the sustained growth in this vibrant community,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “These investments in Surrey and White Rock schools mean thousands more students will be learning in the inspiring and engaging environments they deserve for generations to come.”
The new, $44-million, 655-seat Sunnyside Heights-area elementary school will be built at 20th Avenue and 165A Street in South Surrey, with $5 million from the Surrey School District, and is expected to be ready for students in fall 2023. It will be built on land purchased in 2019 with $31 million from the Ministry of Education, adding much-needed classroom space to the fast-growing Grandview Heights neighbourhood.
Adding 190 seats to Morgan Elementary, a $10.4-million project, means there will soon be no need for the five portables at the school. Construction on this addition is expected to be underway in fall 2021 for the new classrooms to be complete in December 2022.
The new addition at White Rock Elementary, a $7.6-million investment from the Ministry of Education, will add 195 seats to the K-7 school, increasing capacity to 655 students and reducing the need for portables. Construction is expected to begin on the addition in spring 2021, and for the new classrooms to be ready for students in September 2022.
These investments are part of government’s school capital plan to ensure students have safe, positive learning spaces, no matter where they live. In fewer than three years, the province has announced nearly $2 billion for new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools. This includes the creation of nearly 12,400 new student seats at 31 new or expanded schools.
