Everyone in Surrey is well aware of the portables crisis facing our city's schools.

The province's biggest school district continues to add more students each school year. The city has added nearly 10,000 new residents a year for the past two decades. Yet funding for a new school hasn't been committed by the provincial government since 2005.

As a result, the district is about eight schools short. Nearly 7,000 students will study in a portable this school year. And experience has proven that the need for more space will only grow as time goes on.

Everyone is on board to find a solution. The Surrey Board of Trade's Education Advocacy team. Concerned parents at Earl Marriott and Lord Tweedsmuir schools. The District Parent Advisory Council. Teachers. School staff. Students. An emergency Ad Hoc Committee has even been formed.

The relevant question is, have those in power done enough to find a solution?

The current board of education says it's been trying its best to lobby the provincial government for new school construction

They've been trying really hard, they say. But is their message getting through?

Evidently not. Education Minister George Abbott recently admitted there was, "a need for incremental investment", in Surrey. Abbott said he would be working with the Treasury Board to try to eventually find "appropriate" funds for said incremental investment.

The Treasury Board is, of course, part and parcel of the portfolio of Surrey Cloverdale MLA and Minister of Finance Kevin Falcon whose own riding has been acutely affected by overcrowding in schools. Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary is considering going to an extended-day schedule because of a shortage of space in the school. Hazelgrove Elementary featured several portables on site in its first year of being open because of extraordinary growth in the East Clayton neighbourhood.

Surrey has been promised imminent capital funding for years, yet nothing has been delivered. With the provincial election cancelled, the government may have even less incentive to spend the money now rather than at election time in 2013 when they can maximize its benefit.

Has Surrey been reduced to begging on our knees, pleading for the provincial government to give us what our students fairly deserve? Or could more be done?

I believe more can be done. I have always maintained that Surrey is likely to achieve better results with a city council and board of education committed to working together on the capital funding crisis.

In the 1990s, the council and school board were able to convince the provincial government to build record numbers of new schools in the city, when the city was growing at the same rate that it is now.

SCC Coun. Bob Bose, who was mayor at the time, implemented a policy whereby development permits were withheld until funding and plans were in place for a new school in new subdivisions. The development community joined students, parents, teachers, staff and school administrators to push the provincial government to build more schools. And schools were built.

It is possible for a progressive city council and board of education to once again work together, implement the same policy, and achieve similar results.

It will require political will and the support of voters.

Stephanie Ryan is a candidate for city council with the Surrey Civic Coalition.