Many Surrey schools overcrowded, but some media outlets ignore the issue
Surrey has a serious school overcrowding problem, but you wouldn’t know it from much of the media coverage about Lower Mainland schools. A dispassionate observer getting information from the Vancouver-based media would likely come to the conclusion that the biggest school-related challenge in the largest metropolitan area of B.C. is that 13 Vancouver schools may eventually be closed. This is because the provincial government won’t fund seismic upgrades unless school enrolment is at 95 per cent capacity. Enrolment in Vancouver schools has been falling for decades, and many schools are barely half-full. The Vancouver School Board has vigorously resisted closing any schools for years. The biggest challenge is, as community newspapers The Surrey-North Delta Leader and Peace Arch News have reported for many years, that many Surrey schools are overcrowded. This is due to two key factors – the amount of development taking place in many Surrey neighbourhoods, and the subsequent boos...