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The Surrey Civic Coalition says Surrey needs six schools immediately, but says Surrey needs another eight within the next five years just to keep up with growth.

Ijaz Chatha, SCC Board of Education Trustee, said, “It’s true, Surrey is at least six schools short of where we should be right now. But it will take several years to build those schools.

“I am a realtor by profession. I know Surrey is not going to stop growing. We need to catch up on new school construction immediately but we also have to plan right now for the years ahead.

“Surrey will continue to grow through this decade and beyond. Our growth is expected to maintain this pace until 2022. What we really need is an announcement for 14 new schools, not six,” said Chatha.

Surrey currently has land set aside for six schools and is awaiting capital funding for those. There has been no new capital funding for new school construction since 2005.

The Surrey Board of Education puts the price for the required six new schools at $273 million.

SCC Trustee Candidate Charlene Dobie noted Surrey’s ad hoc committee on education, a group of concerned parents and other stakeholders, is also calling for six schools immediately and more in the future.

Dobie closely follows the group’s work, and said, “It’s a real shame an ad hoc committee had to be set up to do the work the Board of Education was elected to do.

“Surrey needs six new schools right now to clear the backlog of overcrowded schools, students on shifts, classes in staff room, and hundreds upon hundreds of portables. But the committee estimates it will take five years to build those schools and by then we’ll still be just as far behind.

“What we need is emergency funding now to catch up over the next few years and a long-term strategy so we don’t fall this far behind again,” said Dobie.

Laurence Greeff, another SCC Trustee candidate, said he expects the Liberals and Surrey First will get together to make a major schools announcement this week.

“But whenever the Liberal government makes announcements on the eve of an election, there are always strings attached. I expect they’ll announce funding for new school construction but the funding will be drawn out over many years.

“We’re six years behind now. There has been no new capital for six years while the Board (of Education) has sat on its hands. We’ve got an awful lot of catching up to do.

“Mayor Watts and Surrey First show no signs of slowing development and I just don’t see the existing Board working hard enough on this.

“I expect there will be a capital funding announcement in Surrey that amounts to little more than a photo-op for Christy Clark and Surrey First. If so, SCC candidates are ready to hold the government’s feet to the fire and make sure that Surrey gets the proper funding to build new schools and eliminate portables.”

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