A new addition for Sunnyside Elementary will move more children out of portables and into permanent classrooms.
Start of construction on the $11.4 million upgrade, which will add 10 classrooms to the school, was announced Friday (May 28) by education minister Jennifer Whiteside.
According to a media release, the new classrooms, due for completion in September of 2022, will accommodate 250 students.
“Families in Surrey are seeing concrete results of our government’s work to build new and expanded schools that give children the best opportunities to succeed,” Whiteside said.
“We are very excited to start construction on this 10-classroom addition to Sunnyside Elementary,” said Surrey school board chair Laurie Larsen.
“South Surrey has been developing very rapidly and this addition will help support our district in addressing the needs of our growing community. We thank the provincial government for their investment and look forward to continuing to work together to increase capacity and create modern learning environments for our students.”
In addition to the new project, the provincial government has also provided $39.1 million to build a new, 655-seat Ta’talu Elementary school, which will further support enrolment growth in the Sunnyside neighbourhood.
That school, which will include before- and after-school child care spaces, is expected to open in September 2023.
The release noted the current investment is part of a nearly $450 million provincial contribution to Surrey schools in under four years, aimed at increasing capacity, upgrading high-risk schools and purchasing property for future schools to meet projected demand.
With the latest projects, Surrey is on track to create nearly 9,600 new student spaces by 2025, it said.
alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
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