If there's one thing the Surrey school district knows how to do, it's remain in the news.
Whether it was disputes with the city, pleas for more funding, program cuts, protests, or more, 2024 was undoubtedly a news-making year for B.C.'s largest school district.
A weeks-long struggle was the issue of StrongStart, a pre-kindergarten service that is free for children from birth to age five that acts as a precursor to entering the public education system.
The program was headed for closure due to what trustees described as a lack of increase in funding that made the program's longevity untenable. After many protests, support from some politicians and unions, StrongStart was able to stay in the district, but only for this year. The 2025-26 school year is still up in the air.
Another cut made in the district that has been affecting families greatly is the reduction in bus services for students with diverse needs. While students who are deemed as "most complex" still receive busing, such as those who are physically disabled, are blind or deaf, etc., students with other special education needs no longer qualify due to budget constraints.
Last school year, more than 1,000 students were being bused to and from school, while this year, only 230 were able to access the service.
A change that was just recently stopped in its tracks was to convert all of Surrey's traditional schools into regular, catchment elementary schools. After strong opposition from the three schools' communities, trustees voted to keep the traditional schools as is due to changes in Canada's immigration policies that are projected to relieve school enrolment.
On the topic of funding, for the next five years, Surrey Schools states they are in need of $5 billion for school builds due to student enrolment outpacing the available classroom space.
“The upcoming school year does present unique challenges. We are facing increased costs due to inflation with no additional funding in our operating grants to offset these costs, requiring the district to utilize the existing resources more strategically,” trustee Terry Allen said in May.
To cope with not enough space, the district has implemented, and continues to implement, changes. For one, several high schools in the city have extended days to stagger student start times to have fewer bodies in the school at a time.
As another, senior high school students will have the option for blended online and in-person classes starting next school year.
“There was a day when there was concern that if we sort of solved the province’s problem for them by putting extended days into place, they don’t need to give us capital anymore. We’re well beyond that, we’re now at a point where we need both and more,” trustee Bob Holmes stressed at the May meeting.
The learning centres in the district are also planned for mergers to convert one of them, Central City Learning Centre, back into a elementary school.
With overcrowding and changes to school schedules, students have indicated in a report done by the district that their experience in Surrey's schools are worsening over time.
Almost every student who participated in the focus groups in December 2023 said their experience is most definitely worse now than it was just two years ago.
“You feel detached from the school in portables. You don’t feel like you are part of the school,” one student from a focus group said.
Other issues included climate challenges in portables, less access to teachers and counsellors due to many students, more competition when it comes to course selection, and confusion for new and younger students when they enter secondary school.
Students and families continued to struggle in other ways also, including financially due to inflation. According to principals and the district as a whole, the number of families relying on food programs, gift cards and other donations continues to rise.
Some new school spaces did open this year, and more projects received funding or approval to move forward.
New elementary school Ta'talu in South Surrey opened its doors in the Grandview neighbourhood, which has been seeing higher student enrolment in area-schools due to housing development.
Fleetwood Park Secondary received ministry approval for a constructed addition that was initially promised by the NDP government in 2020. The addition will bring the school's capacity from 1,200 students up to 2,000, which is evidently needed as Fleetwood Park is one of the school's running on an extended day schedule.
Several other schools received funding for prefabricated modules to be installed at school sites as early as next school year.