The BC NDP is promising two additions at Surrey high schools if the party wins a majority in the upcoming election.
READ ALSO: ‘Building schools is the answer’ to Surrey’s overcrowding problem, Oct. 14, 2020
Surrey-Fleetwood NDP candidate Jagrup Brar and Surrey-Cloverdale NDP candidate Mike Starchuk made the announcement near Fleetwood Park Secondary on Wednesday (Oct. 14). They were joined by federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.
Brar said Fleetwood Park could see a 500-seat addition, increasing the school’s capacity to 1,700 from the current 1,200.
Brar said parents have made the expansion a “priority.”
“Enrolment at Fleetwood Park Secondary has been steadily climbing for years to the point where it is 350 students over capacity – so we will act quickly to build this expansion before this problem becomes a crisis.”
Meantime, Clayton Heights Secondary could also see a 500-seat addition, increasing the school’s capacity to 1,500 from the current 1,000.
Starchuk said this expansion would mean the high school is “ready for continued growth, providing greater security for families who want to become part of our community.”
According to the BC NDP, the two additions are estimated to be $38 million for each school.
Both Brar and Starchuk said this would eliminate portables at the two schools.
In the 2018/19 school year, Fleetwood Park had four portables, while Clayton Heights had one. However, that was also the year that Salish Secondary opened, which was meant to ease crowding at Lord Tweedsmuir and Clayton Heights.
READ ALSO: Surrey school district proposing 13 new schools in the next decade, Sept. 19, 2020
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