More Surrey students will soon say goodbye to portables as construction has begun to add a combined 250 new student spaces at Frost Road and Coyote Creek elementary schools.

“All students deserve to learn in positive, engaging and inspiring classrooms,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Our government took quick action to make these long-overdue projects a reality, and it’s great to see them underway so students can be in a better learning environment as soon as possible.”

The Government of B.C. is providing a combined $11.8 million for the two expansions, which will add 10 classrooms to the Fleetwood neighbourhood and eliminate portables at these schools. These projects are part of the Province’s plan to reduce portables as fast as possible in Surrey.

“Our community has been waiting for these additions for years, and I’m so excited to join students and families to celebrate the construction of their new classrooms,” said Jagrup Brar, MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood. “I can’t wait to see these expansions completed and for the students at these schools to say goodbye to portables.”

Since September 2017, the Province has approved nearly $250 million in new schools, expansions and seismic upgrades in Surrey. These investments are helping up to 7,300 students in Surrey move from portables to classrooms between 2018 and 2022.

Four new schools and four additions are under construction in Surrey, where only one new school was built between 2014 and 2018.

“We’re so excited to see the progress on additional classroom space at both Coyote Creek and Frost Road elementary schools,” said Laurie Larsen, chair, Surrey Board of Education. “These investments are a result of the positive relationship we have with the Province, and we’re looking forward to continue our work to build and expand even more new schools for Surrey students.”

Providing Surrey students with better places to learn is part of government’s plan to give all students the best learning experience possible. In two years, the Province has approved nearly $1.7 billion for new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and land purchases for future schools.

Budget 2019 includes a record $2.7 billion in school capital funding.

A backgrounder follows