September 7, 2023

To:

Rachna Singh 

Minister of Education and Child Care 

Parliament Buildings, Victoria, BC  V8V 1X4 

E: educ.minister@gov.bc.ca 

and

Mark Pearmain

Superintendent/CEO

Surrey School District

14033 92 Ave, Surrey, BC V3V 0B7

E: Pearmain_m@surreyschools.ca

 

Dear Rachna and Mark,

We, the undersigned members of the Walnut Road Elementary parent community, are starting this petition to express our urgent concern regarding the shortage of classrooms in our catchment school - Walnut Road Elementary. The growing student population in our school catchment (due to new residential construction projects in the neighborhood) have far outpaced the available classroom space, resulting in detrimental conditions in which our children receive education. 

We have gone from a school of 671 students to over 815 students in the last 3 years. Many of our students are currently studying in make-shift classrooms - the gym, staff room, maker space etc. and we as parents strongly believe that the school gyms should be used for what they were build for - physical activity and play based learning and not for classroom studies.

We understand that managing school infrastructure is a complex task, however we believe that providing our students with a conducive learning environment is crucial to their academic success and overall well-being. Even though it is only 3 days since the school started, we as parents are already seeing the impact make-shift classrooms are having on our kids learning experiences. We have seen decreased attention-span, reduced peer interaction, stress, anxiety, behavior issues and emotional challenges.

To address these issues, we kindly request that Mark Pearmain, Superintendent/CEO, Surrey School District look into expediting the delivery of promised portables for this year. 

We also request that Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care start the process of finding a long-term school expansion solution to accommodate the growing population of the neighborhood as there won't be space left to house more portables in the next 2-3 years without taking up more space from the necessary play areas. Our school has already lost the gravel field to the existing portables and this field was used by our kids to play soccer. This a common theme we are hearing from parents in the community and in other catchments.

We understand that budget constraints and logistical challenges may exist, but we firmly believe that investing in our students' education is an investment in the future of our community. This expansion is vital to ensuring their educational well-being and holistic growth.

To demonstrate our commitment to this cause, we have attached a list of signatures from concerned parents and community members who share our concerns and support this petition. We hope that the Minister of Education and Child Care and Surrey School District will prioritize this matter and work diligently to take immediate action to address the school/classroom shortage issue.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to a positive response that reflects our shared commitment to providing the best possible education for our students.

Sincerely,

Parents of Walnut Road Elementary School Community 

E: walnutroadpac@gmail.com