The city expects to have a made-in-Surrey school funding policy ready for the province by fall.
Facing a critical shortfall of space for students, the Surrey Board of Education voted in April to ask city council to “temporarily suspend all new development proposals” in overcrowded school catchment areas.
Those include Grandview/South Surrey, Clayton and Newton.
The city declined to halt development, but met with school trustees and chose to devise a construction plan for the province to follow in order to adequately serve Surrey students.
“The formula is broken. All the members (at the meeting) said that,” Hepner told The Leader. “We’re going to develop it ourselves and present it to the (education) minister.”
Hepner initially said she wanted to have a plan before the province within in a few weeks.
However, the mayor said Wednesday she now anticipates it should be ready to deliver to the province by fall.
She said it’s too early to discuss specifics of the policy plan as the details are still being worked out.
In the meantime, large developments coming before council are increasingly facing more opposition from residents, largely because of the pressure the added housing puts on schools.
A current proposal one before council is a large development in south Newton, and it has already become a flashpoint for parents concerned about overcrowded schools.
