The B.C. government said Thursday it would commit $217-million to new education projects in Surrey, with a goal of creating 5,200 new student seats.
The expenditure will be rolled out over the next three years, led by a new Surrey School District executive board.
Surrey School District board chairperson Shawn Wilson said the board is "working hard" with the education ministry to address the challenges of the population growth the region has seen in recent years.
The province says the school district has seen a 20 per cent increase in student enrollment since 2001.
The first priority for the newly-created board will be identifying new schools and school expansions as quickly as possible so the proposals can be put forward for provincial approval.
The new executive board will be comprised of school board and ministry staff as well as members of Partnerships BC and a city liaison.
The new funding is on top of the $100M announced last year to build a new secondary and elementary school in Surrey, and expand three elementary schools.
A release from the province says the new funding and project team will help reduce the number of portables in the city.
