Parents and students express their worries, as Vancouver trustees mull school closures
Posted April 12, 2019 12:14 am.
Last Updated April 12, 2019 12:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver parents and students are sharing their concerns about possible school closures, as the school board wrestles with what to do with under-utilized facilities.
A staff report released in February says most schools are considered operating at low capacity, due to low and declining enrollment. The schools with the lowest enrollments are A.R. Lord elementary near the PNE and Seymour elementary in Strathcona, and Templeton and Gladstone secondaries both in East Vancouver. Sir Guy Carleton elementary is only at 18 per cent capacity, but that’s partly because it was badly damaged in a fire in 2016, so students attend nearby Cunningham elementary.
By the district’s estimates, 10,000 seats are sitting empty, and enrollment is expected to fall by another 2,300 students by 2027.
Seventeen recommendations are made in the staff report, including school closures, consolidating schools to facilitate seismic upgrades and moving specialized programs.
The first of two public information sessions was held Thursday night at Kitsilano secondary, which attracted about 80 parents and students.
William Lee came to voice his concerns about the fate of Prince of Wales secondary, which his son attends. According to the study, the school will be down to 82 per cent capacity by 2027. The report identifies it for possible consolidation.
“Weirdly the school is very full. It has a 95 per cent capacity. It’s very full, so I wonder why it would be considered low capacity,” he says.
Point Grey secondary is also mentioned for possible consolidation. Both Point Grey and Prince of Wales are listed at a high seismic risk.
“Will my son finish his five years there, will the school amalgamate with another school, will he be displaced? If two schools are amalgamated, how big will it be?” asks Melanie Antweiler, whose son will begin attending Point Grey next year.
She also has issues with how the Ministry of Education determines ideal capacity for schools. “Why this push for maximum capacity? What about future-proofing our schools? How do we make sure our schools are there for the growth we are expecting?”
Grade 8 student Amreen Tor is worried about her specialized program. Ideal mini-school is attached to Churchill secondary, but it’s one of four choice programs that could be moved to increase capacity at another school.
“If we go to a different school we would have to take classes with other teachers that we aren’t used to. We are going to miss our friends.”
Trustees will take a vote on the report and its 17 recommendations at the end of April. If they favour school closures, they would need to produce a list of the schools by September for closures to take effect in 2020.
Another information sessions will take place on Tuesday, April 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Vancouver Technical Secondary School.
