SURREY – Two Surrey secondary schools will build additions to provide space for more than 1,000 students, helping accommodate recent growth in the community.
Tamanawis Secondary will get a new addition, making space for 575 more students in 23 new classrooms. The expansion at Guildford Park Secondary will add space for 450 students in 18 new classrooms.
The Province is contributing $52 million and the school district is providing $4.5 million for the Tamanawis Secondary addition.
Guildford Park Secondary is receiving $59.5 million from the Province, with another $5.36 million from the school district.
“In the past two years, a record number of people moved to B.C. and many chose to make Surrey their home. We are committed to building new schools and expansions for families in fast-growing communities like Surrey, as we make up for years where the previous government was not opening new schools,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Today, over 11,000 new student seats are built or underway, creating hundreds of new classrooms for kids with more funding on the way.”
Both additions will include neighbourhood learning centres that could be used for child care and other local programs that benefit children, their families and the neighbouring communities. Designs for the additions incorporated greenhouse-gas-reduction measures.
The student population at Tamanawis has increased tremendously since it opened 30 years ago. Expanding the school will help ensure a better learning environment where every student can reach their full potential,” said Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey-Newton.
Students are also learning in new classrooms in recently opened additions at Morgan Elementary and White Rock Elementary. Those additions created space for 400 more students within the district, adding eight classrooms to each school.
According to the BC government, since September 2017, more than $640 million have been invested in Surrey for major capital projects, such as school upgrades, land purchases, school expansions and new school construction.
