Dozens of elementary and high schools could be on the chopping block as the Vancouver School Board looks to save money while investing in seismic upgrades to schools it plans to keep.
The VSB told CTV News there are 28 schools it is considering closing, but it does not specifically list any of them in the draft of its Long Range Facilities Plan.
The majority of those 28 schools are located in East Vancouver.
"I think I would be quite disappointed because this school has helped us through tremendous times,” said Teresa Mccorisken, whose daughter attends Grandview Elementary.
It’s unlikely all the schools on the draft list will be closed.
The number will be whittled down by a formula that includes how much extra capacity each school has, how much seismic upgrading and maintenance the buildings require, and how much room there is in neighbouring schools to accommodate displaced students.
"Some school buildings may never be seismically upgraded in this district because the reality is, we have excess capacity that's expected to grow for the next 10 years,” said David Green, Secretary-Treasurer at VSB.
Over the last decade, attendance at Vancouver public schools has gone down by 4700 students and the district is expected to lose 1700 more by the year 2027.
But former VSB board chair Patti Bacchus, speaking out against the draft list, said the threat of closures will do more damage to enrollment at affected schools.
"It can put fear in parents right away and cause them to try to get into other schools that they think are going to be more stable,” said Bacchus.
Instead, she would like to see the board go to the provincial government and ask for more money to build smaller new schools to replace the seismically inadequate ones.
A document from the Ministry of Education does spell out the requirement for school districts to demonstrate they have “optimized the available space within the district to rationalize the need for a seismic upgrade or school replacement.”
Education Minister Rob Fleming told CTV News his government has earmarked $240-million dollars for seismic upgrading of Vancouver schools.
“Look, there’s absolutely no pressure or political interference from our government to look at closing schools in Vancouver or anywhere else,” Fleming said.
A final version of the VSB report is expected in April and then it will be up to the board to decide which of the schools, if any, get the axe.
At that point, the VSB’s official process for closing a school will begin and will include consultation with parents and other community members.
Final decisions are expected in September 2019 and with the schools scheduled for closure at the end of that academic year.
The public can provide feedback on the draft report via email: LRFP@vsb.bc.ca.
