Surrey School Priorities

Wang's Push for Forecasting and Budget Discipline

Venson Wang, running with the Surrey Now slate, is centering his campaign on fixing the district's notoriously unreliable enrollment forecasts. Surrey Now Leader noted that Wang, a finance professional and father, argues these bad predictions have forced school reassignments, disrupted schedules, and left classrooms packed with portable classrooms while budgets remain uncertain. Wang wants proactive, financially disciplined planning to prevent chaos.

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Rahman and Gilera Demand Better Supports for Students

Afzalur Rahman is pushing for concrete, measurable improvements in special education. He wants more educational assistants, shorter wait times for services, and transparent public reporting showing whether supports actually reach students. Rahman also said he would scrutinize spending to direct more dollars directly into classrooms rather than administration.

Vanessa Gilera frames the issue as fairness. She says families should never have to repeatedly fight to secure help for their children, and insists no student should be overlooked or left behind. Both candidates emphasize that supports must be informed by what families and educators actually need.

Tymoschuk Focuses on Building Capacity Before Crisis Hits

Gary Tymoschuk is taking a coordination-heavy approach. He said he would work with the School Board, Ministry, City, school employees, parents, Indigenous communities, and other partners to secure funding and build new schools and additions before enrollment exceeds classroom capacity. His strategy treats capital planning as a collaborative, multi-stakeholder challenge.