The Surrey Board of Education is eliminating the district’s Grade 7 band program starting in the fall as part of an effort to address a $16-million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
The elementary band program is not part of the B.C. curriculum.
Cutting the Grade 7 band program will affect 12 band teachers who currently travel between Surrey schools to offer instruction.
In a statement, the Surrey School District said it is aligning its band program more closely with other districts across B.C.
Vanessa Prada, whose two children took band at Surrey’s Pacific Heights Elementary, said she is disappointed by the move.
“I know they say that they’re focusing on the course core program … on literacy, numeracy, social emotional learning and mental health. Actually, music is key in those areas,” said Prada. “So it’s contradictory in my opinion.”
Prada said a petition to save Grade 7 band garnered 5,000 signatures, and was delivered to the Surrey school superintendent.
As the Surrey Board of Education faces a $16-million shortfall, the elementary band program at Semiahmoo Secondary School could be on the chopping block. Thousands have signed a petition against it, including parent Angie Haertl, who said cutting music programs would be a major loss for the region.
The chair for the Surrey Board of Education said school districts are required by law to deliver a balanced budget.
“If your expenses are more than your revenues or your incomes, then clearly you’ve got to make some adjustments,” said Gary Tymoschuk.
“We have no way of raising the income. So therefore, the only leverage we’ve got is to be able to reduce expenses.”
The exact amount of money being saved by eliminating Grade 7 band is unclear. Tymoschuk said the board considered cuts to a number of different areas “to try and spread out that pain.”
The teachers whose positions are being eliminated will have opportunities to post into open positions at the end of the school year, according to Tymoschuk.
“There’s a shortage of teachers and that’s part of why we’re making some of these decisions,” he said. “We know people are not happy about any of these decisions. And quite frankly, this board is not happy about any of these decisions.”
Prada said Grade 7 band is an enriching opportunity for students who can’t afford private music lessons.
Other cost-cutting moves taken by the district include reducing bus service and closing learning centres. The Surrey School District’s budget for the next school year is close to $1.2 billion.
