March 31, 2010
Surrey Board of Education Finances

Media reports have focused on provincial funding for the Surrey School Board. Here are the facts:

• Since 2001, 42 capital and seismic projects worth more than $204 million have been completed in the Surrey school district, which includes 8 new schools.
• Since 2005, we have created 3,000 new student spaces in Surrey.
• In 1998, the Surrey school district had 363 portables, today the district has 209.
• Currently there are $50 million worth of school capital projects underway in Surrey - two new schools and four seismic upgrades.
• $6.2 million is being provided for the partial implementation of full day kindergarten for 2010-11.
• As of March 31, 2009, Surrey had $5.2 million in unspent Annual Facilities Grant (AFG) funding, part of a $98.6 million surplus in districts province-wide.
• Surrey's operating funding rose to $511.4 million this year, an increase of $17.8 million over last year. Next year operating funding will increase to an estimated $525.8 million, a further increase of $14.3 million.
• Since 2000-01, enrolment in the district has grown by an estimated 8,931 students, while operating funding is estimated to increase by $188.9 million - that's an enrolment increase of 15 per cent and an increase in overall funding of 56 per cent.
• The Province has invested nearly $1.38 million since 2007 to establish and operate 20 StrongStart BC centres in Surrey to support early learners.
• The Surrey board of education has reported a budget surplus every year since 1997. Last year alone, their accumulated operating surplus was $11.15 million.

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