Re: “Surrey puts up its own cash for new schools,” The Leader, Jan. 22.
It is unclear if it was the Surrey school board or the newspaper that came up with the statement in this story that the school board is “putting up $5 million of its own money,” but the fact is this money is the taxpayers’ money, collected from we the taxpayer over the years and not the board’s.
I have no problem with the plan to build more schools where needed, but we need to always remember where that money came from.
But what is especially disturbing about this story is where this $5 million is to be spent – to hire architects. Give me, and all taxpayers, a break. The board has built several new schools in the district in the past few years. What is wrong with using those same plans, already paid for, to build the new schools and put the $5 million into the actual construction or equipping of them?
Schools don’t need to be monuments to the local school board with each one being built fancier, and more expensively, than the last.
After all, a school is a school, and if the design has worked well for recently built structures, why not use those same plans to build more of them?
If necessary, a few cosmetic changes could be made to give them a bit of uniqueness that wouldn’t entail $5 million paid to architects.
It’s high time publicly elected officials at all levels learned to be better stewards and spend our tax dollars more efficiently and effectively.
Don Campbell, South Surrey
