Surrey could get new school funding minister hints

B.C.'s Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid acknowledged provincial funding isn't keeping up with Surrey's growing student population, during a tour of several schools on Monday morning.

McDiarmid wasn't making any firm promises about new schools, but at a meeting with teacher, parent and school board representatives, she hinted the province may soon announce it will fund the expansion of some Surrey schools.

The co-chair of Surrey's District Parent Advisory Committee, Stephanie Hotchkiss said too many students are already going to class in portables, and the student population is forecast to grow by 1000 next year.

"In this district there are over 400 portables, of which approximately 300 of them have become permanent structures. I don't want my kid in a portable for his entire learning time," said Hotchkiss.

Surrey is B.C.'s largest school district, and is one of the few where enrollment is actually growing.

But the president of the Surrey Teacher's Association Denise Moffatt, says instead of hiring new teachers, the district is trying to cut $12 million dollars from its budget instead.

"Where Surrey should be hiring 30, 40, 50 more teachers this year to keep up with the growth, we'll be lucky to get two or three," said Moffatt.

The other teachers will come from cuts to counselling, librarians, and other non-classroom teaching positions.

The cuts also come as the Surrey School District plans to move to all day-kindergarten, district wide, in September.

The Education Minister has said the government has increased funding for school districts, but many district boards have said their costs are rising faster than their funding.