B.C. Conservatives plan to remove portables in Surrey schools, teachers call it 'impossible'
The B.C. Conservative Party is promising to eliminate portable classrooms in Surrey by increasing class sizes.
Leader John Rustad discussed the policy on Tuesday, saying the 360 portables in the district impact students' ability to learn.
“Even a 20-per-cent increase (in class sizes) would have the ability to remove a tremendous number of the portables and give parents what they are looking for," says Rustad.
The Surrey Teachers Association says even contemplating increasing class sizes is ignorant and would greatly impact both students and teachers.
“Nobody who is serious about what students learn and students' well-being in classrooms would even contemplate or consider increasing class sizes," says Lizanne Foster, vice-president of the association.
Foster adds recruiting teachers is becoming increasingly difficult with already poor working conditions and complex student needs.
“We are constantly losing people from the profession because it is extremely difficult," she says. "People understood at the beginning of the pandemic just how difficult our job is and that just all evaporated.”
She says the focus should be on the learning environment and how to best serve students.
“If you see kids as numbers and you just see them as empty vessels in the room, then of course you can entertain ideas that we can just have more of them,” Foster says.
Annie Ohana is a teacher at L.A. Matheson Secondary School in Surrey. She says mental health among teachers is at an all-time low and she worries for what could happen if class sizes were to increase.
“You're making less money, longer hours and you are teaching so you have to make sure students understand," she says.
Teachers say the only solution is more funding, and anything else is just a Band-Aid.
This comes after the Surrey school district announced students at five Surrey high schools will move to an extended-day program to combat overcrowding.
The five schools are Grandview Heights Secondary, Fleetwood Park Secondary, Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary, Kwantlen Park Secondary, and Tamanawis Secondary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Suspect in shooting of Toronto cop was out on bail
A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto show.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
DEVELOPING 2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
A 6-year-old girl was kidnapped in Arkansas in 1995. Almost 30 years later, a suspect was identified
Nearly 30 years after a six-year-old girl disappeared in Western Arkansas, authorities have identified a suspect in her abduction through DNA evidence.
Dolphins 'smile' at each other when they play and to avoid misunderstanding, study finds
For humans, flashing a smile is an easy way to avoid misunderstanding. And, according to a new study, bottlenose dolphins may use a similar tactic while playing with each other.
Pit bulls in B.C. pet mauling tested positive for meth, cocaine, says city
Three pit bulls involved in a deadly attack on another dog last month in Kamloops, B.C., tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, and the city is going to court to have them put down.
Tax rebate: Canadians with low to modest incomes to receive payment on Friday
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.