Surrey mayor calls on province to address chronic school overcrowding

Surrey Mayor Linda Hepnersays overcrowding in Surrey schools won't easeunless theprovincial government changes its policies around building new facilities.

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"We need to move from the current model of waiting for [student] demand to arrive, and for that demand to show consistency with what is currently required on under the existing model for new school construction," Hepner told Rick Cluff on the CBC's TheEarly Edition.

"That's whatcreates the overcrowding conditions. Before any new school can be built it has to be overcrowded and it has to be consistently overcrowded," she said.

With an influx of up to 1,000 new students per yearSurrey continues to experience acutegrowing pains in itspublic schools as population growth continues to outstrip available space.

Four secondary schools in the district have resorted to extending the school day andscheduling students in shifts to accommodate numbers well in excess of school capacity.

As well, there are over270 portable classrooms currently in useto deal withstudent overflow,although Hepner says that's a reduction from the 370 portable classrooms Surrey hadin the 1990s.

"Growth should come as no surprise.We've planned growth through neighbourhood concept plans and the regional growth strategy for a very long time," said Hepner. "I think it is a question of getting in front of the development as it occurs and making sure that those schools are there."

Last weekthe Surrey Board of Education passed a unanimous motionurging Surrey city council to temporarily suspend all new development approvals until the district receives more provincial capital funding for schools.

But Hepnersays that's nota solution.

"Putting a freeze on development is akin to putting up a billboard saying young families can't move here," she said.

"What we're seeing is the need to update the current policy on how schools get the green light to be built."

With files from The Early Edition