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Public Consultation On School Closures and Recommendations To The Vancouver Board of Education - December 7, 2010
Public Consultation On School Closures and Recommendations To The Vancouver Board of Education - December 7, 2010
Administrative
Report
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
and
Recommendations
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Administrative
Report
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
and
Recommendations
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
December
7,
2010
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
i
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
ii
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Section
5
-‐
Options,
considerations,
decision-‐making ............................................................................37
Options .....................................................................................................................................................................37
Considerations ......................................................................................................................................................37
Decision-‐making
–
an
ethical
dilemma.......................................................................................................39
Section
6
–
Another
way.......................................................................................................................................40
Section
7
-‐
Recommendations ...........................................................................................................................43
Section
8
-‐
Concluding
Comments ...................................................................................................................44
Section
9
-‐
Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................44
Additional
materials
http://www.vsb.bc.ca/school-‐closures
iii
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
1
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
School
Closure
There
are
several
compelling
reasons
to
consider
school
closure.
The
tremendous
decline
in
the
student
population
in
Vancouver
over
the
past
decade
has
resulted
in
a
significant
number
of
empty
seats
in
our
schools.
This
translates
into
the
need
to
consider
consolidating
schools
and
school
programs.
The
financial
challenges
faced
by
the
Board,
having
reduced
budgets
almost
every
year
over
the
past
ten
years,
is
a
key
concern.
For
the
current
2010-‐2011
school
year,
the
Board
has
had
to
cut
over
$17.2
M
of
staff
time
and
school
programs.
Next
year,
the
Board
faces
the
difficult
prospect
of
finding
another
projected
$9.6
M.
Given
that
the
greatest
proportion
of
the
budget
is
attributed
to
mostly
contractually
determined
salaries
and
benefits
(about
92%),
this
shortfall
can,
in
reality,
only
be
met
by
terminating
the
employment
of
staff
and
eliminating
school
programs.
Last
year,
these
cuts
have
included
such
areas
as
counseling,
special
education
support,
teacher
librarian
time,
Junior
Kindergarten,
and
school
and
district
administration.
Funds
to
operate
the
school
district
do
not
sufficiently
cover
escalating
costs
and,
additionally,
the
needs
of
the
community
become
greater
each
day.
Many
of
our
facilities
are
seismically
at
risk
and/or
are
in
need
of
significant
upgrades.
While
this
may
not
be
the
rationale
for
all
schools,
certainly
without
a
major
investment
of
capital
funds
by
the
provincial
government,
those
seismically
at
risk
schools
remain
as
safety
concerns
for
staff
and
students
who
must
occupy
the
facilities.
The
evidence
shows
that
the
provincial
government
is
reluctant
to
seismically
upgrading
facilities
that
are
significantly
under-‐utilized
by
students
or
other
co-‐located
services.
Sustaining
strong
educational
programs
under
these
conditions
is
a
very
difficult
task.
The
fiscal
challenges
facing
the
Vancouver
School
District,
together
with
under-‐
utilization
of
space
and
the
physical
condition
of
some
of
our
buildings,
leaves
little
choice
but
to
consider
options
such
as
school
closure.
Many
neighbourhood
schools
have
remained
open
in
spite
of
economic
and
educational
arguments
suggesting
the
contrary.
The
status
quo
may
no
longer
be
a
viable
option.
In
exploring
school
closures,
it
is
hoped
that
funds
can
be
re-‐directed
to
lessen
further
impacts
to
educational
programs
and
services.
While
the
decision
to
consider
the
closure
of
schools
is
a
response
to
circumstantial
challenges,
there
are
educational
reasons
to
consider
the
closure
of
a
school.
There
are
some
economies
of
scale
when
populations
of
two
schools
are
consolidated
into
one.
For
example,
the
time
allocated
in
small
schools
to
certain
staffing
categories,
such
as
counseling
are
difficult
to
manage.
If
a
school
were
to
be
closed,
the
resources
would
be
redirected
to
the
core
purpose,
which
is
to
provide
quality
educational
programs
for
all
students
across
the
entire
district.
This
may
mean,
for
example,
that
bringing
two
schools
together
results
in
increased
learning
assistance
time
or
counseling
support.
Having
a
larger
student
population
can
bring
together
larger
support
networks
for
students.
2
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
At
the
same
time,
we
recognize
that
every
school
in
the
district
has
unique
programs
and
attributes.
The
uniqueness
of
particular
schools
includes:
historical
artifacts,
cultural
symbols,
community
partnerships,
enhancements
provided
by
private
donations,
well-‐
established
community
use
protocols,
unique
design
features
and
many
more.
School
communities
that
engaged
in
the
public
consultation
stage
of
the
school
closure
process
had
an
opportunity
to
provide
excellent
feedback
to
the
Board
of
Education
about
the
many
unique
qualities
of
their
schools,
neighbourhoods
and
communities.
3
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
4
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
5
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Consultation
Materials
The
following
materials
were
made
available
to
the
public
during
the
consultation
process:
Letters
to
parents,
district
web-‐pages,
school
posters,
advertisements,
comment
forms,
storyboards,
Frequently
Asked
Questions,
meeting
agendas,
district
presentations,
speaker
submissions
and
meeting
notes.
In
addition
to
the
above
materials,
there
were
other
opportunities
for
the
public
to
receive
additional
information
by
directly
engaging
with
District
staff
and/or
trustees.
These
opportunities
included
informal
conversations
with
trustees
before
and
after
the
public
meetings,
discussions
with
District
staff
who
were
staffing
the
storyboards
and,
when
possible,
providing
Provincial
and
school
district
data
to
email
requests.
Meetings
The
meeting
formats
were
posted
on
the
District’s
website
on
October
14,
2010.
Parents
and
members
of
the
community
were
invited
to
offer
thoughts,
ask
questions
and
provide
feedback
with
respect
to
the
possibility
of
school
closures
at
the
public
meetings.
Speakers
could
also
register
in
advance
to
speak.
At
each
meeting:
• Attendees
were
asked
to
register
upon
arrival
• Comment
forms
were
made
available
in
English,
Chinese,
Tagalog,
Vietnamese,
and
Spanish.
• Meetings
were
moderated
to
ensure
everyone
had
the
opportunity
to
speak
• Storyboards
were
displayed
at
each
meeting
• Completed
comment
forms
were
collected
• Translators
were
available
for
most
meetings
A
second
letter
with
an
updated
meeting
format
was
distributed
on
October
29,
2010,
to
parents
with
students
in
schools
considered
for
school
closure.
6
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Feedback
received
In
total,
more
than
1,600
people
registered
their
attendance
at
the
10
public
consultation
meetings,
and
there
were
285
public
speaking
opportunities.
It
was
noted
that
meeting
attendance
numbers
were
proportional
to
the
approximate
September
2010
enrolment
numbers
for
the
five
schools.
The
district
received
391
comment
forms
for
the
Board’s
consideration
by
November
24,
2010
–
the
end
of
the
public
comment
period.
Of
this
total,
71
comment
forms
(or
18%)
were
completed
in
languages
other
than
English.
Translations
of
these
comment
forms
were
completed
and
analyzed
for
this
report:
Chinese
(49),
Vietnamese
(15),
Spanish
(7)
comment
forms.
The
comment
forms
were
analyzed
to
identify
the
major
themes
expressed
by
the
public.
The
district
also
received
a
total
of
202
other
submissions
(e.g.
emails
(116),
letters
(28),
petitions
(6),
briefs
and
presentations
(45)
and
other
-‐
artwork
etc.
(7)
for
the
Board’s
consideration.
Of
note,
in
addition,
several
petitions
were
received.
They
were
for:
• Champlain
Heights
Annex
• Macdonald
Elementary
• McBride
Annex
• Bruce
Elementary
• Carleton
Neighbourhood,
Graham
Bruce
and
Sir
Guy
Carleton
• Queen
Alexandra
Elementary
Summaries
of
the
10
consultation
meetings
were
compiled
based
on
notes
taken
at
each
meeting
and
any
feedback
from
notes
posted
on
storyboards.
In
addition
to
concerns
and
impacts
about
the
potential
school
closures,
people
also
provided
ideas
that
could
be
undertaken
to
generate
additional
revenue
or
funding
for
the
schools.
The
synopsis
and
evaluations
of
those
public
consultation
processes
are
presented
in
each
of
the
individual
school
reports.
All
material
was
made
available
to
the
Board
and
summaries
were
posted
on
the
district
website.
7
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Section
3
–
Analysis
8
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Note:
Respondents
were
asked
to
identify
which
school(s)
was
of
interest
to
them
and,
if
applicable,
could
check
more
than
one
school.
Note:
‘Other’
includes
ESL,
music,
sports
and
super
science
club.
9
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Question
4
–
Display
board
information
(at
meetings)
Note:
The
following
questions
(5
to
10)
were
analyzed
for
major
themes
that
emerged
for
all
schools
during
the
review.
Themes
were
identified
based
on
frequency
and
overall
consistency.
The
top
themes
are
provided
for
each
question
below.
Data
on
a
per
school
basis
are
listed
in
the
‘meeting
summaries
by
school’
section.
10
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Question
5
–
Main
concerns
about
closure
What
is
your
main
concern
about
the
potential
school
closure?
1. Distance
to
other
schools
2. The
school
is
at
the
heart
of
the
community
3. Disrupting
a
stable
environment
Other
themes
included:
• Safety
to
reach
other
schools
• Separation
from
friends
• Future
generations
of
students
• Which
school
my
child
will
attend
• General
child
welfare
and
stress
• Ability
to
maintain
school
programs
• Access
to
daycare
• Lost
opportunities
• Teachers
losing
their
jobs
Question
6
–
Impacts
of
school
closure
What
would
you
like
the
trustees
to
know
about
the
potential
school
closure?
1. Impact
on
local
business/neighbourhood/community
2. Impact
on
parents
and
grandparents
3. Impact
on
low-‐income
families
4. Impact
on
quality
of
education
(i.e.
overcrowding,
sent
to
worse
schools
etc)
Other
themes
included:
• School
is
like
a
second
home
• Impact
on
at-‐risk
children
• Psychological
impact
of
moving
schools
• Impact
on
special
needs
children
11
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
12
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
13
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
14
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Common
issues
raised
by
speakers
• Is
the
school
being
considered
for
closure
because
of
the
cost
of
seismic
upgrades?
• What’s
going
to
happen
to
the
land?
• Which
school
will
my
child
attend?
Fear
that
other
schools
will
be
full,
split
up
siblings.
• What
are
the
priorities
for
the
VSB?
• What
are
the
plans
for
future
shortfalls?
• Is
Weir
full?
• Who
will
take
care
of
the
heritage
building
after
closure?
• Are
you
closing
the
school
because
of
the
responsibility
of
maintaining
a
heritage
building?
• How
long
will
the
property
be
vacant?
• Where
will
the
teachers
go?
• Enough
seats
for
students
forced
to
leave?
• Why
did
the
consultation
meeting
happen
only
after
the
announcement?
• What
is
the
annual
Ministry
of
Education
budget
for
education
in
BC?
• Why
did
Collingwood
open?
Our
enrolment
suffered
after
2000.
• What
is
source
of
2019
projections
and
how
reliable
is
it
in
determining
closure?
• Would
the
boundary
changes
affect
the
current
schools’
populations
as
well?
• Norquay
has
560
students
and
you
think
they
should
take
more?
• Where
will
Collingwood
kids
from
4-‐7
go?
• Why
are
we
not
tackling
the
Provincial
budget
to
increase
funding?
• Why
don’t
you
close
MacCorkindale
-‐
Enrolment
only
240
but
surplus
248?
November
2,
2010
By
the
numbers
Attendees
who
checked-‐in:
341
+
children
Speakers:
39
Key
points
from
speakers:
• Carleton
has
repeatedly
been
promised
seismic
upgrades
which
have
never
occurred
• Students
will
miss
their
friends
and
lose
their
sense
of
belonging
• Students
will
miss
their
teachers
• Local
businesses
will
miss
the
business
that
the
school
generates
• Local
businesses
sponsor
school
activities
• The
school
is
a
family
• Concerned
about
overcrowding
at
neighbouring
schools
• Schools
operating
at
maximum
capacity
are
not
efficient
• Future
enrolment
will
increase,
consider
the
Wall
Development
• Not
acceptable
to
send
Carleton
students
to
seven
different
schools
15
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
16
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Summary
Any
consideration
for
the
permanent
closure
of
Carleton
should
include
a
careful
consideration
of
the
school’s
heritage
value,
its
centrality
to
the
community,
and
the
widespread
impact
of
a
student
population
if
a
closure
proceeded.
In
addition,
it
is
a
significant
factor
that
the
building
is
among
the
highest
seismic
priorities
in
Vancouver.
Until
a
seismic
project
is
completed,
students
and
staff
remain
at
risk
in
the
case
of
a
significant
earthquake.
17
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
18
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
19
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Summary
Through
the
public
consultation
process,
the
Board
heard
that
Champlain
Heights
Annex
is
of
great
value
to
the
local
community.
Parents
spoke
of
the
efficacy
in
having
a
small
neighbourhood
school
and
expressed
concerns
that
should
the
school
close
parents
may
opt
for
their
children
to
attend
school
in
nearby
Burnaby.
Through
the
consultation
process,
the
Board
also
heard
the
value
of
daycare
and
the
concerns
for
distances
to
be
walked
to
a
new
school
should
a
closure
occur.
There
was
some
uncertainty
about
the
length
of
time
that
the
school
would
remain
closed
given
potential
development
of
the
East
Fraser
lands.
20
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
21
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
22
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
poorest
neighbourhoods
in
Vancouver
and
is
home
to
many
“at
risk”
kids.
These
kids
need
the
stability
and
protection
that
their
community
school
provides.
• This
school
is
more
than
just
a
place
of
learning;
it
is
a
community
hub.
It
brings
all
our
members
together.
• Please,
think
hard
about
the
vulnerable
kids.
There
are
a
high
number
of
them
living
nearby
who
need
this
school.
• The
federal
and
provincial
governments
have
a
legal
obligation
to
take
care/assist
Aboriginals
under
the
Aboriginal
Agreement.
• It
is
easier
for
us
to
walk
to
school.
We
will
find
it
difficult
to
travel
by
bus
to
school.
• My
child
will
have
to
walk
across
busy
streets.
I
do
not
feel
she
will
be
as
safe
or
prosper
as
much
in
a
larger
school.
Macdonald
is
like
family.
Summary
Through
the
public
consultation,
the
Board
heard
of
Macdonald
Elementary
School’s
importance
as
a
stabilizing
entity
in
a
community
that
faces
many
challenges.
There
is
a
significant
percentage
of
Aboriginal
population
at
the
school
and
the
community
expressed
a
willingness
to
work
together
with
the
Board
of
Education
to
keep
the
school
open
and
to
enhance
its
prominence
as
a
place
of
learning
with
a
focus
on
Aboriginal
learners.
23
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• There
is
a
real
fear
in
the
community
that
it
will
become
a
spark
to
increase
general
property
and
violent
crime
if
closed
• This
is
a
booming
area!
There
are
so
many
young
kids
around.
The
school
will
definitely
grow
in
the
next
few
years.
• We
are
worried
about
our
kindergartener
feeling
small,
lost
and
lonely
in
such
a
large
school
(McBride
Elementary).
Also
worried
about
the
older
kids’
influence
on
our
5
and
7
year
olds.
• My
main
concern
is
that
by
closing
McBride
Annex,
we
would
be
overfilling
McBride
Main.
McBride
Main
cannot
hold
all
of
the
Annex
kids
–
there
will
be
an
overflow
of
at
least
20
kids.
Summary
Through
the
public
consultation
process,
the
Board
heard
about
the
importance
of
McBride
as
a
small,
welcoming
primary
school.
There
were
many
concerns
expressed
about
what
would
happen
to
the
site
should
the
school
be
closed
as
this
may
invite
vandalism
and
other
criminal
activity.
Some
parents
who
have
cross-‐boundary
enrolled
to
McBride
were
concerned
about
the
ability
for
their
children
to
remain
with
peers
should
the
school
close
and
the
population
be
dispersed
to
multiple
catchment
schools.
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November
9,
2010
By
the
numbers
Attendees
who
checked-‐in:
161
+
children
Speakers:
34
Key
points
from
speakers:
• Make
it
a
fine
arts
school
to
increase
enrolment
(District
Multicultural
Fine
Arts
School)
• Convenient
location
• Need
to
value
the
benefits
of
small
schools
• Value
the
school’s
programs
(breakfast/lunch,
daycare,
Sarah
McLachlan
Music
Outreach
program,
drama
department,
garden
program,
KidSafe)
• Concerned
about
distance
to
other
schools
• Concerned
about
overcrowding
at
the
other
schools
if
QAE
is
closed
• Most
families
do
not
have
cars
and
bus
fare
will
be
expensive
• Safety
concerns
around
closed
school
• Concerned
about
lack
of
daycare
spaces
at
other
schools
Common
issue
raised
by
speakers:
• What
are
the
additional
costs
to
the
schools
taking
students
from
the
closed
schools?
28
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Summary
Through
the
public
consultation
process
the
Board
heard
about
the
effectiveness
of
Queen
Alexandra
as
a
school
and
its
diversity
of
programs.
There
was
a
deeply
held
culture
of
acceptance
of
all
children
and
a
focus
on
support
for
Aboriginal
learners.
There
is
a
multi-‐layered
focus
in
the
school
on
the
value
of
the
arts
and
the
staff
work
cohesively
to
integrate
the
arts
into
programs.
There
was
a
proposal
made
to
the
Board
to
consider
the
school
being
a
district
Fine
Arts
School
as
a
way
to
expand
upon
their
existing
programs
and
to
draw
students
as
a
means
to
increase
enrolment.
29
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Other
information
Comments
requiring
further
clarification:
• The
Board
does
not
have
local
taxation
authority
and
so
must
depend
on
government
funding
through
per
student
grants
and
seek
alternate
sources
of
revenue
to
augment
provincial
funding.
• The
Board
has
no
direct
relationship
with
the
City
of
Vancouver
and
so
therefore
cannot
depend
on
the
city
to
contribute
funds
directly
to
our
operating
budgets.
• The
Board
has
no
direct
say
over
provincially
determined
government
priorities.
• The
Board
cannot
sell
property
or
enter
into
long-‐term
leases
(over
10
years),
without
the
express
permission
of
the
Minister
of
Education.
• If
the
Board
were
to
close
schools,
staff
would
be
able
to
post
into
jobs
across
the
district
depending
on
their
qualifications
and
level
of
seniority.
• Savings
on
the
school
closures
under
consideration
at
this
time
are
minimal
relative
to
the
overall
projected
budget
shortfall.
However,
the
predicted
cost
savings
are
annual
and
so
over
time,
consolidating
buildings
and
programs
can
result
in
substantive
savings.
• There
are
costs
in
closing
a
school.
Basic
maintenance
and
minimal
utility
costs,
non-‐financial
costs
to
the
community
and
the
potential
for
greater
areas
of
crime
and
vandalism
are
real.
At
the
same
time
there
are
potential
revenue
streams
through
the
community
use
of
empty
buildings.
There
are
also
potential
savings
for
the
larger
community
by
maximizing
the
use
of
available
space
through
the
co-‐location
of
community
services.
• Capital
funding
to
seismically
upgrade
and
renovate
buildings
is
determined
by
the
Province
and
not
by
the
school
district.
Vancouver
has
a
disproportionate
number
of
school
buildings
that
are
considered
to
be
at
a
high
level
of
seismic
risk.
• Over
92%
of
the
school
district
budget
is
used
for
salaries
and
benefits.
Most
of
these
costs
are
contractual
obligations.
• Collective
bargaining
for
cost
items
in
contracts
is
largely
provincially
negotiated.
• There
remains
some
uncertainty
with
regard
to
the
provincial
government
early
learning
agenda
in
supporting
the
inclusion
of
3
and
4
year
olds
in
schools.
• The
provincial
government
is
moving
forward
with
plans
to
encourage
Neighbourhood
Learning
Centres.
31
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• 48%
prefer
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
close
schools
versus
making
cuts
to
school
staff,
resources,
and
programs
in
order
to
make
up
for
the
budget
shortfall
• 32%
prefer
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
make
cuts
to
school
staff,
resources,
and
programs
in
versus
closing
schools
in
order
to
make
up
for
the
budget
shortfall
-‐-‐-‐-‐
• 59%
feel
that
school
size
is
of
significant
importance
for
student
learning
• The
mean
optimum
number
of
students
for
an
elementary
school
is
371
• The
mean
minimum
number
of
students
for
an
elementary
school
is
224
• The
mean
maximum
number
of
students
for
an
elementary
school
is
630
• 7%
feel
that
the
optimum
number
of
students
for
an
elementary
school
is
less
than
200
• 54%
of
respondents
feel
that
the
maximum
distance
a
child
should
have
to
travel
to
attend
their
neighbourhood
elementary
school
is
less
than
2
Km
• 62%
of
respondents
feel
that
the
current
level
of
public
school
funding
provided
by
the
provincial
government
is
too
little
34
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and
further.
If
we
are
to
graduate
the
very
best
students,
if
we
are
to
produce
innovative,
creative
graduates
ready
to
compete
on
a
global
scale,
then
we
must
also
give
them
the
skills,
tools
and
technologies
that
will
assist
this
endeavor.
This
begins
in
the
elementary
school
and
is
refined
at
the
high
school
level.
We
must
focus
attention
on
truly
engaging
our
students
in
their
learning
and
redesign
our
system
to
meet
their
needs
and
not
our
own
–
these
concepts
will
remain
at
the
fore
of
our
conversations
over
the
next
several
years.
36
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Options
Without
question,
throughout
the
public
consultation
process,
the
Board
of
Education
heard
loud
and
clear
that
schools
are
central
to
each
neighbourhood.
Schools
are
the
heart
of
the
community
and
soul
of
the
neighbourhood.
Closing
a
school
would
be
seen
by
many
as
a
major
blow
to
the
community.
Last
year,
through
the
budget
consultation
process,
faced
with
significant
cuts
to
staff
and
programs,
the
Board
of
Education
also
heard
very
strong
support
for
sustaining
educational
programs
viewed
as
critical
to
providing
quality
public
education
for
the
students
in
Vancouver.
The
tension
between
the
choice
of
facilities
and
programs
was
acknowledged
by
many
speakers
throughout
the
public
consultation
process.
The
Board
heard
many
speakers
talk
of
the
difficult
decision
facing
the
Board.
Based
on
the
feedback
through
the
public
consultation
process
and
after
careful
consideration
of
information
available,
senior
staff
in
the
Vancouver
School
District
could
recommend
several
options
for
Board
consideration.
In
general
terms,
there
are
several
options
available
for
the
Board
to
consider
with
respect
to
the
five
schools:
• Recommend
that
no
closures
take
place
• Postpone
recommending
any
school
be
closed
at
this
time
• Recommend
closure
for
September
2012
(or
at
another
later
date)
• Recommend
that
only
the
small
annexes
be
closed
• Recommend
only
certain
schools
on
the
list
be
closed
• Recommend
that
all
schools
on
the
list
be
closed
for
September
2011
Considerations
Our
goal
within
the
realm
of
a
universally
accessible,
public
education
system
is
to
provide
the
very
best
educational
experience
possible
for
every
child
so
that
each
and
every
learner
in
his
or
her
own
way
is
able
to
maximize
their
individual
potential,
achieve
personal
success
in
the
broadest
possible
sense
and
become
active,
contributing,
productive
citizens
as
members
of
our
pluralistic
and
democratic
society.
World-‐renowned
educator,
Michael
Fullan
at
the
University
of
Toronto
argues,
“Moral
purpose
is
about
ends
and
means.
In
education,
an
important
end
is
to
make
a
difference
in
the
lives
of
(all)
students.
But
the
means
of
getting
to
that
end
are
also
crucial.”
37
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The
school
closure
process
has
been
one
of
extreme
challenge
and
difficulty
for
all
concerned.
It
is
a
process
in
itself
that
needs
a
thorough
review.
In
deep
philosophical,
historical,
political
and
ethical
terms,
the
means
may
not
necessarily
justify
the
ends.
However,
from
the
outset,
the
process
has
provided
keen
insight,
information
and
has
placed
a
crucial
level
of
importance
on
the
qualitative,
community
voice
that
has
emerged
and
predominated
the
public
consultative
process.
The
data
used
to
arrive
at
recommendations
and
to
be
ultimately
utilized
in
the
decision-‐making
process
have
included
numerical
information,
which
provided
quantitative
arguments
suggesting
due
consideration
of
closure.
These
data
remain
cold,
hard
and
alone
without
the
warm,
colourful
and
flavoured
context
of
each
community.
The
qualitative
evidence
provided
at
each
public
meeting
painted
a
rich
and
vivid
picture
of
each
school
and
neighbourhood.
Each
school
under
consideration
for
closure
is
a
unique
case
study.
Mixing
the
two
sources
of
evidence,
objective
and
subjective
together,
results
in
a
more
complete
story
for
each
school.
However,
another
component
must
also
enter
into
the
information
gathering
and
decision-‐making
process,
and
that
is
the
larger
consideration
of
the
entire
school
district
and
the
students
served
throughout
the
system;
more
closely
aligning
community
obligation
versus
individual
preference
and
system
priorities
versus
local
needs.
The
impact
of
closing
a
school
or
the
consequence
of
not
closing
a
school
will
have
a
tremendous
ripple
effect
throughout
the
school
district
and
across
the
city.
The
location
and
type
of
school
and
district
programs
which
attend
to
21st
century
learners,
the
availability
of
space
and
seats
at
other
schools,
the
quantity
and
condition,
including
seismic
attributes
of
all
buildings,
the
distances
and
travel
routes
between
schools,
the
consideration
for
potential
new
early
learning
programs
and
affordable
child
care
within
our
facilities,
provision
for
multi-‐use,
neighbourhood
learning
centres
that
include
services
and
supports
within
our
facilities,
the
demographics
and
potential
growth
indicators
for
each
neighbourhood
are
just
some
of
the
factors,
which
must
be
taken
into
account.
The
financial
implications
for
the
school
district,
as
projections
suggest
significant
and
continued
budget
pressures
on
the
Board,
must
also
be
considered.
The
vibrancy
and
educational
viability
of
a
school,
while
difficult
to
address,
is
also
a
component
of
the
dialogue.
The
question
of
whether
or
not
to
protect
buildings
over
staff,
resources
and
programs
is
at
the
heart
of
the
decision-‐making
challenge.
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Within
each
sector
of
the
city,
student
enrolment
and
programs
offered
at
the
elementary
and
secondary
levels
should
be
reviewed
in
light
of
questions
such
as
the
following:
• What
programming
is
required
to
meet
the
needs
of
all
students
in
a
sector?
• What
school
space
is
required
to
support
this
programming?
• What
additional
program
space
is
required
to
meet
growth
projections?
• What
partnerships
must
be
retained
to
support
student
success
in
the
sector?
• What
space
is
required
in
schools
to
facilitate
these
partnerships?
• How
might
excess
school
space
be
used?
• Is
there
a
possibility
for
multi-‐use
redevelopment
of
existing
buildings?
Through
a
series
of
regional
reviews,
input
will
be
gathered
from
parents,
community
members
and
all
other
interested
parties.
Public
information
sessions
and
consultations
will
be
conducted
through
facilitated
town
hall
like
meetings
in
order
to
collect
community
input.
Such
direction
could
also
provide
greater
services
and
vitality
to
neighbourhoods
and
enable
the
upgrade
and
redevelopment
of
school
district
buildings
to
modern,
safe,
educationally
sound
and
community-‐oriented
standards.
Following
the
direction
of
Neighbourhood
Learning
Centres,
the
concept
would
seek
long-‐term,
multi-‐use
possibilities
for
our
sites
through
the
development
of
medium-‐rise
buildings
inclusive
of
flexible
school-‐purposed
facilities.
Public-‐private
partnerships
could
be
a
practical
way
to
assist
the
school
district
in
this
endeavour.
Such
ideas
would
not
compromise
school
space
or
contemplate
the
sale
of
land.
It
would
potentially
leverage
much
needed
capital
to
enable
the
school
district
to
invest
in
infrastructure
that
is
sadly
lacking
and
at
the
same
time
modernize,
seismically
upgrade
and
provide
greater
community
connection
and
investment
in
our
schools
through
co-‐location
of
services
that
would
include
affordable
housing,
community
embedded
services
and
affordable
child-‐care
could
be
part
of
this
vision.
The
school
closure
process
in
Vancouver
comes
at
a
time
of
considerable
uncertainty
at
the
provincial
level.
Through
this
time,
there
has
also
been
a
very
consistent
direction
on
three
fronts:
1. The
importance
of
supporting
an
Early
Learning
agenda
in
British
Columbia;
2. The
movement
towards
personalized,
21st
century
learning;
and
3. The
continued
call
for
school
and
community
renewal
through
the
establishment
of
Neighbourhood
Learning
Centres
where
the
school
site
and
buildings
are
also
utilized
as
a
resource
for
the
greater
community.
41
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
Each
of
these
issues
has
significant
implications
for
recommendations
concerning
school
closure.
After
careful
consideration
of
all
of
the
data
and
information
received,
as
well
as
reviewing
various
options,
senior
staff
believe
that
more
information
is
needed,
more
consultation
is
required,
and
more
needs
to
be
done
to
vitalize
Vancouver
public
schools
as
central
elements
of
our
neighbourhoods
and
communities.
More
can
be
done
if
there
is
a
will
to
work
actively
with
other
agencies
and
jurisdictions
to
seek
shared
possibilities.
This
proposal
encourages
our
Board
to
take
a
long
view
of
what
our
public
education
system
could
become.
This
is
a
forward
looking
direction
that
contemplates
moving
our
Vancouver
public
education
system,
not
from
good
to
great,
but
from
a
place
of
excellence
to
a
position
of
exceptional
quality
that
is
a
beacon
for
all.
42
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
43
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
44
Public
Consultation
on
School
Closures
–
Report
to
the
Vancouver
Board
of
Education
45