The B.C. government announced the addition of 875 more student spaces as part of the expansion of three schools within the Surrey School District.
The new additions include 17 classrooms at Old Yale Road Elementary, six classrooms at Latimer Road Elementary, and 12 at William Watson Elementary.
The province says the additions will be made from prefabricated materials, meaning students will get “modern learning environments” that are built quickly.
“Prefabricated additions for schools deliver the same quality learning environments as any school expansion and get students into open, spacious classrooms more quickly. With the use of prefab, the build time can be cut in half, making a big difference in building spaces sooner,” said B.C.’s Minister of Education and Child Care, Rachna Singh.
Last month, Singh announced that École Martha Currie Elementary will be getting six prefabricated classrooms and Walnut Road Elementary will be getting four.
In total, the new classrooms announced since May will accommodate 1,125 students.
Laurie Larsen, the chair of the Surrey Board of Education, says the additions are a step in the right direction for a city experiencing rapid growth.
“[These new classrooms] are allowing us to welcome and educate our many incoming new students, as well as continuing to provide comfortable and inviting environments for all of our students and staff to learn, work, and grow every day. And as all of these are prefabricated additions, they can be built much quicker than typical school expansions, so we can begin to address our capacity issues sooner,” said Larsen.
Larsen said she and her fellow trustees are continuing to work on sustainable, long-term solutions to the district’s growth.
The province’s budget for 2024 includes $3.75 billion for school projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for schools.
The new classrooms are expected to be ready by the fall of 2025.
—With files from Monica Gul.