Surrey parents, students raise concerns over closure of alternative learning centre
Shaurya Kshatri | CBC News | Posted: January 13, 2025 3:36 AM | Last Updated: 8 hours ago
Program has been a lifeline for many vulnerable youth, parents and former students say
The impending closure of a specialized school program in Surrey has sparked concern among students and parents, who say the decision could put some of the region's most vulnerable youth at risk.
The South Surrey White Rock Learning Centre is an alternative education program, known for serving students who struggled in mainstream schools.
According to its website, the centre provides individualized and flexible educational programming for students in Grades 10 to 12 with an emphasis on small class sizes and one-on-one support.
But the Surrey School District says it's closing the centre at the end of this school year.
For Debbie Weir, the centre has been a lifeline for her 16-year-old, who she says is neurodiverse — the broad term used to describe people with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.
Weir says her teenager, currently in Grade 11, found a supportive and nurturing environment at the centre.
"They basically went from low Cs to Bs, high Bs, and even As within one semester," she said. They stood taller. You can see their confidence level increase. They found their voice."
Weir says her child's experience in mainstream schools was marked by bullying and a lack of personalized attention.
"If you're different in any way [or] you're outside what is considered the norm, then they treat you like garbage," she said.
Budget constraints and difficult decisions
Surrey School District Chair Gary Tymoschuk says the decision to close the centre was driven by financial challenges. The building's lease expires in June, and Tymoschuk says the district cannot afford the costs of renewal and necessary renovations.
"Our funding is from the provincial government and that amount is not increasing at the same pace as all of our expenses are throughout the district, so we're having to look at very difficult decisions like this," he told CBC News.
Tymoschuk says staff will be reassigned and students integrated into other schools.
The closure is part of broader changes to the district's learning centres.
At the beginning of the year, there were five learning centres in Surrey: Guildford, City Central, Cloverdale, South Surrey White Rock and North Surrey.
In November 2024, the Guildford Learning Centre closed, with students transferred to the North Surrey Learning Centre. The City Central Learning Centre will be reopening as an elementary school in July 2025, and after the South Surrey White Rock site shuts down, only two learning centres will remain.
A vital program for at-risk youth
Former student Hilly Schaeffer, who graduated from the centre in 2020, described it as a "home" during a turbulent time in her life.
"I was a foster care student, I moved around from home to home, and being able to be here, just that consistency, it was so nice for me," the 22-year-old said. "I don't think there's a way to replicate the environment we have here."
For 2021 graduate Desmond Tompkins, the centre was a life-saving resource.
"I can look back to my personal experience as a queer person, I experienced a lot of bullying and harassment at mainstream schools," he said.
Tompkins started a petition Saturday morning calling on the school district and the province to keep the centre's doors open.
It's a call also echoed by Surrey White Rock Conservative MLA Trevor Halford.
"The province right now can step up and do the right thing and provide the district with the funds they need to keep this open," he said.
In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Education and Child Care said decisions about programs and resources are made locally by school boards. It emphasized that students would continue to have access to educational supports through other schools and programs in the district.
The Surrey School District's annual budget report shows its provincial funding increased to over $1 billion for 2024/25, up from $944 million previously.
However, the district says inflation, enrolment growth and a teacher shortage are creating financial strain.
The district says it spends an additional $50 million on education for learners with diverse needs and abilities, beyond their funding allotment.
In the meantime, parents like Weir say they fear the centre's closure will lead to higher dropout rates among those who thrive in alternative learning environments.
"When you have kids that already have social anxiety, and you throw them in buildings with that many other kids that aren't being held responsible for their negative, horrific behaviour, these kids are just going to give up," she said.