Work begins to boost capacity at Morgan Elementary

Students, families and staff at Surrey's Morgan Elementary school will soon have room to grow as construction to add eight more classrooms is underway.

"Surrey students and staff deserve safe, modern, spacious classrooms to learn and grow," said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education. "I am pleased to see another new building in progress as we work to meet the enrolment needs of one of B.C.'s fastest-growing communities."

The new addition to Morgan Elementary, at a cost of slightly more than $10.3 million, has capacity for 190 students in eight more classes, bringing the total capacity to 625. Students will remain on site during construction. The work is expected to be completed by winter of 2022.

"The south Surrey area continues to be one of the fastest-growing communities in our school district," said Laurie Larsen, chair, Surrey Board of Education. "The expansion of Morgan Elementary is much needed, and eight classrooms will go a long way in supporting the needs of families and providing modern learning environments for our students."

Over the past four years, more than $475 million has been invested in 28 major school capital projects in Surrey. This includes new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and land purchases for future schools that will support students for years to come. These investments are helping more than 10,000 students move from portables to classrooms between 2018 and 2025 - the equivalent of eliminating more than 400 portables.

"I am delighted to see continued investment in education for the students and families here in Surrey," said Jinny Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama. "For too many years, despite being a fast-growing city, Surrey did not receive the investments in education necessary to meet the needs of families moving here. I am proud that our government continues to focus on families by building more permanent classrooms and new schools, taking action to move students out of portables and into real classrooms. Good for our kids and good for contributing to a stronger economy."

To continue this momentum, construction is also underway on the following Surrey schools:

• Sunnyside Elementary (addition), expected to open fall 2022
• Prince Charles Elementary (seismic upgrade), expected to open fall 2022
• Queen Elizabeth Secondary (seismic upgrade), expected to open fall 2022
• Sullivan Heights Secondary (addition), expected to open spring 2022
• Regent Road Elementary (new school), expected to open fall 2022
• White Rock Elementary (addition), expected to open fall 2022
• Holly Elementary (seismic upgrade), expected to open winter 2022

Budget 2021 includes nearly $3.5 billion for school capital investments, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and site purchases to ensure land is in place to accommodate fast-growing communities throughout the province.

Quick Facts:

• Between 2014-17, no new schools and only one addition opened in Surrey.
• Surrey School District has no plan to purchase portables for this school year.
• Surrey School District was recently supported to acquire a site for a new Newton area secondary school, as well as a number of school upgrade projects, including HVAC system upgrades and new accessible playgrounds.

Learn More:

For more information about Surrey's SD36, visit: https://www.surreyschools.ca

For more information about major public school capital projects underway, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/major-capital-projects

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