A few dozen portables are sitting empty and unused across school sites in Surrey, even though they could be used elsewhere, Postmedia News has learned.

But Surrey Schools says it costs too much to move them.

Portables have been used as alternative classrooms in Surrey for many years to add more space to schools in a district that has seen enrolment surge from 72,522 students to 83,000 over the last six years.

But now, some schools no longer need portables, either due to facility expansions or the addition of prefabricated modular buildings. This year, there are 45 unused portables across the district.

“We just can’t afford to move them,” Surrey school board chairman Gary Tymoschuk said Tuesday.

The cost to move a single portable is $100,000 and that money would have to come out of the

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