More Surrey students will soon be learning in safer and modern educational environments, as expansion projects are underway at White Rock Elementary school and École K.B. Woodward.

The projects reduce the need for portables in the growing community.

“We are continuing to collaborate with the Surrey school district to ensure we are keeping up with the demand to give all students and their families access to the education they deserve,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education. “Moving these two projects forward means we are getting closer to meeting our goal of creating 9,600 new student spaces in Surrey by 2025; a target we are well on the way to achieving.”

A new addition at White Rock Elementary will add eight new classrooms and room for 195 more students to the kindergarten-to-Grade 7 school, increasing capacity to 655 students. The new classrooms will be ready for students in September 2022. The ministry is investing $7.6 million in the project.

“We are continuing to create new student spaces to ensure all residents of our growing and vibrant community have access to the quality education B.C. is known for,” said Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley. “With construction underway on these two exciting elementary school expansion projects, we are contributing positively to the growth and development of not only our local education system, but the community and province as a whole.”

The ministry is also investing $14.1 million to add eight new classrooms and convert two surplus rooms to kindergarten classrooms at École K.B. Woodward. The project will make space for 240 additional kindergarten-to-Grade 7 students, increasing capacity to 730 students. The expansion project is expected to be complete in January 2023.

“We are very excited to see both of these projects get underway,” said Laurie Larsen, chair, Surrey Board of Education. “By increasing capacity at both of these schools, we are not only building the best possible learning environments for our students, but are laying the groundwork for their future success.”

In the past four years, the Government of B.C. has approved nearly $450 million for 26 major school capital projects in Surrey. The projects will increase capacity by building new and expanded schools, upgrading schools to reduce seismic risk and purchasing property for future schools to support students, now and in the future.

Budget 2021 includes a record $3.5-billion investment in school capital projects, giving B.C. students the best learning experience possible.