Even though the start to the school year is more than a month away, a group of students in East Vancouver have not taken the summer off.
The students are teaming up today with members of the business community to try to save three schools – Bruce Elementary, Carleton Elementary and Gladstone Secondary – in the neighbourhoods of Renfrew-Collingwood and Cedar Cottage from possible closure.
In June, the Vancouver School Board announced that six elementary schools, four annexes and two high schools, 12 in total, could potentially close in the city.
“We’ve been doing what we do in this community, and that is mobilizing to support our schools… I think the response from the whole community is very positive,” NDP MLA Adrian Dix said.
“Going door-to door… people have been signing the petition by the thousands in the neighbourhood.”
The Vancouver School Board is struggling to cut its operating costs, facing a $18 million shortfall.
As a result, schools under capacity may be closing. The closures are a result of pressure to meet provincial capacity standards as the board strives to meet a district-wide capacity of 95 per cent.
Seventeen-year-old Rhea Bassan, a graduate of Gladstone Secondary, spoke at the rally and said the schools are important parts of the community.
“They have amazing programs… these opportunities benefit students greatly and it would be a tremendous loss for the community,” Bassan said.
One parent, Melvin Lee, said with all the new development and construction “we’re going to need schools, elementary schools as well as high schools throughout the neighbourhood.”
VSB chair Mike Lombardi said if all 12 schools were closed, it would save the VSB $8.8 million a year. The list of potential schools closing are:
- Queen Elizabeth annex
- Champlain heights annex
- Tecumseh annex
- Mcbride annex
- Seymour elementary
- Bruce elementary
- Carleton elementary
- Queen Alexandra
- Trudeau elementary
- Britannia secondary
- Gladstone secondary
Lombardi said this is the first stage of the process and the list is a preliminary one for potential school closures. The next stage will involve a comprehensive school report based on a set of criteria that will look at all the dynamics and specifics around each particular school on the preliminary list.
That report will be prepared over the summer by all stakeholders and delivered to school trustees in December 2016.
Up to 21 Vancouver schools could close over the next 14 years, however at the time of the announcement, Education Minister Mike Bernier said in a statement that schools are not closing due to a lack of funding.
“Schools are closing because of a lack of students. Since 2001 enrolment has dropped by more than 10% in Vancouver — by 6,200 students. At the same time funding has gone up more than 20%. As well with our May 31 announcement that districts would be able to redirect Administrative Savings to front-line education services – this coming school year and moving forward. In Vancouver this provided $2,251,318.”
“We’re investing a record $5.1 billion in public education this year. Annual education funding is $1.2 billion higher than it was in 2000/01 – a 32% increase.”
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