Mainroad Group was honoured by Surrey school trustees last week for its belief in building communities just as much as in building roads.
Not long after the company formed as Mainroad Construction in the late '80s, it began "quietly supporting" the students at Bridgeview Elementary. Since 1992, Mainroad has been covering the cost of transporting students to various community pools so they can take swimming lessons. The company has also assisted families that couldn't afford the cost of lessons.
It's estimated donations over the years amount to about $40,000.
"But the benefit to students far exceeds any monetary measure," said Surrey Board of Education Chair Shawn Wilson.
Architect appointed for new Surrey high school
KMBR Architects & Planners have been appointed to the new Clayton-neighbourhood high school project by the Surrey Board of Education.
The province announced funding for the new secondary school in mid-February, to be located near 184 Street and 73 Avenue. The school is pegged to cost about $16.7 million – $10.5 million of which will come from province, while the school districts funds the remainder.
In January, in order to speed up construction of new schools in growing Surrey, school trustees agreed to allocate $5 million of school district funds to begin planning for new high schools in Clayton and Grandview and expansions at Grandview and Cloverdale Elementary schools. The Ministry of Education assured it will pay the district back the money.
The agreement with KMBR so far only involves the Clayton North high school project.
The new school is slated to have space for 1,200 students, but won't be complete for two to three years.
Tuition steady for international students
Fees for students from other countries wanting to attend Surrey public schools will be the same this fall as they are this year.
The Surrey Board of Education voted last week to maintain the current annual fees, which stand at $12,900 ($12,100 for tuition, plus $800 medical fee).
The fee is the lowest of Lower Mainland school districts, with Surrey costing $1,100 per year less than Delta, Vancouver, Burnaby and Coquitlam, and $50 less than Langley and New Westminster.
There are currently about 1,200 international students in Surrey schools, about half of which are funded by the province (as refugees or on study permits). The rest pay fees to the district totalling approximately $6.4 million per year. More than half of Surrey's international students are from Korea.