Surrey School Expansion Plans - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Surrey School Expansion Plans

Voters in Surrey said "yes" to a six million dollar bond for an expansion at the local school.
However, the proposed addition to Surrey Public School required that two local measures be passed: the first for the six million, and the second for a five percent public indebtedness which would have raised property taxes by ten percent.

Surrey Superintendent Kevin Klassen says the passing of the first measure makes it clear that the community is aware that the school needs to grow.
The original plan was to add eleven classrooms and a commons area.
With limited funds, the school board is now back to the drawing board.
They have a handful of options: redesign, or re approach the public with the second measure in November.
Klassen says he 'hates to assign a number Surrey can handle,' but the school is filling up, enrolling six new students in six days last week.

(Kevin Klassen, Superintendent Surrey Public School) "It might end up being portables for awhile just to accommodate our students. But I do have faith in our community, it's a great school and we'll continue to give the best education to our kids."

Surrey city auditor Jason Vaagen says there about 1200 housing units that have been approved for construction in Surrey.
A new developer has purchased land which would increase that number significantly, but the application to build has not yet been approved.