VSB committee approves Main St. Education Centre merger
Posted March 4, 2014 11:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The merger between the Main Street Adult Education Centre and Gladstone Secondary School is one step closer to reality. The Vancouver School Board Planning and Facilities Committee gave their approval for the amalgamation Tuesday night.
Board Chair Patti Bacchus says the move to school board property will save more than 600-thousand dollars a year in the lease alone. “We’ve been looking at options to get out of that lease for a few years because it is a high cost,” says Bacchus.
As for concerns from parents and students at Gladstone, Bacchus says this is not the first time adult learners have been integrated into school space. “We currently have the Lord Roberts Adult Ed Centre where elementary students are in the same building as adult students with no concerns. We have the Brittania site that has of course all ages, and we looked at a number of other examples in several other BC school districts.”
Bacchus says the board has to give final approval before the move can take place, but if passed, they will work with all parties to ease the transition. She says Gladstone was an easy move since there is classroom space and it would be accessible by Skytrain, similar to the Main Street Centre.
The move comes as the VSB tries to balance a 16-million dollar projected budget deficit compounded by rising Hydro and utility costs.
