Kindergarten expansion expected to cause space shortages
By Janet Steffenhagen
Vancouver Sun
March 29, 2010 

Metro schools face a space crunch as the province moves toward full-day kindergarten for all of B.C.'s five-year-olds. New modular classrooms — similar to portables, but with washrooms — look to be on the way.

After years of declining enrolments, some Metro schools are now facing a space crunch as the province moves toward full-day kindergarten for all of B.C.'s five-year-olds.

The Education Ministry is promising new modular classrooms — similar to portables, but with washrooms — to accommodate some of the additional children but it's also instructing districts to make the most efficient use of existing classrooms, district officials said Monday.

In Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, … Independent schools will also be required to move to full-day kindergarten if they want government funding…. Vancouver isn't predicting difficulties this fall …. Richmond is also expecting problems in 2011 ….

Surrey, one of only a few districts that has not experienced declining enrolments, is predicting a significant jump in its need for portable classrooms as a result of full-day kindergarten — from 217 last September to 292 by September 2011. Portable classrooms have become a drag on Surrey's budget because their costs are pulled from operating budgets….

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