September 22,2025
RED FM News Desk
Despite cutting $16 million in programs earlier this year, including the Grade 7 band and educational assistant positions, Surrey Schools has reported a $33-million surplus for the 2024–2025 school year.
According to a Surrey Schools release, the accumulated surplus—including $12 million in unrestricted reserves—will replenish the district’s rainy day fund to better support students and operations. Of the $33 million, $16 million will be used to replace the district’s enterprise resource planning system, $5 million will go into other restricted reserves, and the remaining $12 million will restore the unrestricted surplus, keeping it within the recommended one to three per cent of the district’s $1.2-billion budget. Chair of the Surrey Board of Education, Gary Tymoschuk, noted that the surplus pertains to 2024–25, while the $16-million deficit relates to the 2025–26 budgeting process.
Tymoschuk emphasized the importance of balancing the budget, saying, “We risk being relieved of our duties or fired if we don’t maintain fiscal balance,” and confirmed the district is required by the province to maintain one to three per cent in reserves at year-end.
At the September 17 school board meeting, vice-chair Terry Allen described the $33-million surplus as an indicator of an “improved financial picture,” noting it allows the district to rebuild operating reserves to meet both current and future financial needs. “The district is now in a stronger position to manage unexpected costs as the province faces another challenging year,” Allen said. He credited the board’s adherence to fiscal policies and the finance staff’s efficiency in managing limited resources.
Allen acknowledged that difficult decisions had to be made last year regarding transportation, Grade 7 band, and inclusive education support roles, all aimed at addressing the $16-million deficit for 2025–26 amid inflation and funding pressures. However, Tymoschuk stressed that the current surplus will not be used to restore any programs or staff cut during the previous budgeting process.
He also noted that declining enrollment—the first such decrease in over 25 years excluding COVID-19—and immigration trends are likely to influence next year’s budget. This year, the district recorded a drop of 350 students from kindergarten through Grade 12, bringing the tentative total to just over 78,700, a notable shift from previous rapid growth of 1,507 students in 2024 and 2,494 in 2023.
The final enrollment report for 2025–26, based on the official September 30 headcount for the Ministry of Education and Child Care, will be presented at the October public board meeting. Including online learning, adult education, specialty programs, and cross-enrolled students, the district currently serves over 85,600 students.
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