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

December 7, 2010

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
Table of Contents

Table of Contents......................................................................................................................................................... i

Section 1 -‐ Background............................................................................................................................................1
Educational Context...............................................................................................................................................1
School Closure ..........................................................................................................................................................2
Special Advisor’s Report ......................................................................................................................................3

Section 2 – Public Consultation Process...........................................................................................................4
Participation in the process................................................................................................................................5
Consultation Materials..........................................................................................................................................6
Meetings......................................................................................................................................................................6
Public Information Meetings: October 25 – November 1, 2010.........................................................6
Public Feedback Meetings: November 2 – 9, 2010...................................................................................7
Feedback received ..................................................................................................................................................7

Section 3 – Analysis...................................................................................................................................................8
Analysis of Comment Forms ..............................................................................................................................8
Question 1 – Schools of interest......................................................................................................................9
Question 2 – Access to other school/community programs ..............................................................9
Question 3 – Walking to school ....................................................................................................................10
Question 4 – Display board information (at meetings) .....................................................................10
Question 5 – Main concerns about closure .............................................................................................11
Question 6 – Impacts of school closure ....................................................................................................11
Question 7 – Unique characteristics of schools.....................................................................................12
Question 8 – Preferred school if current school was closed............................................................12
Question 9 – Other interests..........................................................................................................................12
Question 10 – Other comments....................................................................................................................13

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Section 4 -‐ Meeting Summaries by School....................................................................................................14

Carleton Elementary Public Meetings.......................................................................................................14
Carleton Elementary Comment Forms ................................................................................................16
Ideas Generated for Carleton Elementary ..........................................................................................17
Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................17

Champlain Heights Annex Public Meetings ............................................................................................18

Champlain Heights Annex Comment Forms......................................................................................19
Ideas Generated for Champlain Heights Annex ...............................................................................20
Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................20

Macdonald Elementary Public Meetings.................................................................................................21

Macdonald Elementary Comment Forms ...........................................................................................22
Ideas Generated for Macdonald Elementary .....................................................................................23
Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................23

McBride Annex Public Meetings .................................................................................................................24

McBride Annex Comment Forms............................................................................................................25
Ideas Generated for Champlain Heights Annex ...............................................................................26
Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................26

Queen Alexandra Elementary Public Meetings .....................................................................................27

Queen Alexandra Elementary Comment Forms ..............................................................................28
Ideas Generated for Queen Alexandra Elementary ........................................................................29
Summary ...........................................................................................................................................................29
Summary of Public meetings by school.........................................................................................................30

Other information ...................................................................................................................................................31
Comments requiring further clarification:..............................................................................................31
Independent school enrolment trends ..........................................................................................................32
Independent survey data.....................................................................................................................................33
Early Learning in British Columbia .................................................................................................................34
Personalized 21st Century Learning ..............................................................................................................35
Neighbourhood Learning Centres (NLCs)....................................................................................................36
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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

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Section 1 -‐ Background

Educational Context
It is clear, even during times of declining enrolment and dwindling resources, that the
district needs to continue to develop and finance plans to optimize opportunities to
improve educational programs and support innovative practices. Vancouver is known
for its wide array of programs and services to meet the needs of all children. The
neighbourhood school provides excellent support for these needs, but there are also
many specific programs of choice that draw students and families to schools outside of
their own catchment areas. For example, French Immersion programs, Montessori
programs, a new Mandarin Bilingual program, and a variety of programs for student
with special needs are available. In order to make these programs accessible, and to
expand opportunities for all children and youth, the District has been exploring
‘Neighbourhoods of Learning’ as a way to cluster schools and offer programs within
geographic areas across the city. The concept of Neighbourhoods of Learning also
contemplates and encourages partnerships with other agencies as well as the formation
of virtual learning environments to expand opportunities for all students.

The Vancouver Board of Education is committed to supporting schools to meaningfully
engage students in positive learning experiences. As we work to meet this core purpose,
the district has been building on many successful approaches to teaching and learning.
Inquiries into what constitutes best practice have been consistent and clear in
identifying certain conditions considered to be essential in enabling and supporting
learning. These include more choice for students, personalized and experiential
learning; and equitable accessibility to a variety of educational opportunities for all of
our students. These conditions are the hallmarks of modern-‐day learning and present an
educational direction towards which we strive.

Despite continued declining enrolment and annual budget reductions, the Vancouver
school district has been able to provide an enviable and enhanced level of service to
students in the public school system. Resources have been made available to ensure
school facilities and grounds are maintained to the expectation of the school
communities. As much as possible, financial support to special education, inner city
schools and curriculum and instruction has been provided to ensure that the most
vulnerable learners are supported. External audits of the school district financial
statements indicate strong fiscal responsibility and accountability. As required by the
Ministry of Education, an annual plan for student success has been established,
implemented and is constantly monitored. The district continues to work hard to
improve the educational outcomes of all students, but in particular Aboriginal students
and students with Special Needs.

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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.
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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.

Special Advisor’s Report

In her June 2010 Report on the Vancouver School Board to the Minister of Education,
the Comptroller General made a number of observations with regard to school district
facilities and recommended that, “the VSB revisit school closures” (p.43). The report
stated that, “Funds (saved through closure and consolidation) can be re-‐directed to
educational programs and services to support the learning environment where they are
most needed. As well, closing a school enables the district to relocate alternative
programs to the vacant site thereby reducing leasing costs. In addition, closing schools
could potentially create more revenue opportunity from lease or rental. Finally, smaller
schools with low enrolment may be detrimental to learning. They may lack the
resources, specialized assistance and economies of scale found within larger schools
that results in a higher quality learning environment” (p.60).

Among other recommendations, these findings resulted in the following
recommendation being made by the Special Advisor:

That VSB consider closing schools, followed by consolidation, where it is
warranted by enrolment and capacity data, and where it is clear that the
educational fit and physical condition of the building are no longer useful.

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Section 2 – Public Consultation Process

The VSB policy on school closure requires pre-‐notification of schools to be considered
for possible closure. This in effect precludes adding schools to the same list after the
fact. There are various factors and degrees of support for any schools to be included on
the preliminary list. The initial list provides the district with the necessary flexibility to
allow for further analysis of conditions, context and for the possible development of a
longer-‐term strategy. The decision to remove schools from the pre-‐notification list and
choose which, if any schools should proceed to the next step and perhaps, ultimately be
closed, is based on a more thorough and comprehensive review of the data with full
public consultation as per the policy. It is within the purview and responsibility of the
Board to make this decision. It is also the Board’s prerogative as to whether or not to
add or remove schools from the original pre-‐notification list.

On June 23, 2010, the Board passed a motion listing 11 schools to be considered for
potential closure. The Board requested a report from staff on this initial list. Facilities,
finance and educational staff used the time provided through the provisions of the
policy to review the potential school closure list in order to provide a report to the
Board on the named schools. The Administrative Report on Schools Considered for
Potential Closure was provided to the Board in early October. Given this more detailed
report, on October 5, 2010, the Board determined that all five schools listed below
should be included for further analysis and consideration through the next consultation
step in the closure process. In accordance with Vancouver Board of Education, School
Closure Policy and Regulations (FL and FL-‐R), the following five schools were
recommended to advance to public consultation for further consideration of possible
closure.

• Carleton Elementary
• Champlain Heights Annex
• Macdonald Elementary
• McBride Annex
• Queen Alexandra Elementary

In addition to other data, the following information was gathered: current capacities
and utilization, current and projected enrolment trends, demographic trends for the
city, confirmed and potential development information, school capacity and space
utilization and similar projections for neighbouring schools, in catchment and out of
catchment numbers (where students come from when out of catchment and where
students go to when leaving the catchment), enrolment and other data on specialized
programs including French Immersion, projected need for space for full day
Kindergarten, operational and utility savings and costs associated with closing a school,
facility size, age, condition and seismic risk, long term capital planning, community
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impact, educational programs and other related programs (StrongStart Centres,

community programs and childcare…), potential alternative uses, proximity to
neighbouring schools and possible revenue opportunities.

A separate report was compiled by a third-‐party organization independent from the
District. That report provides a record of the public feedback and outlines the
consultation and notification activities undertaken by the District as part of the school
closure process. Excerpts from that document are provided as part of this report to the
Board.

District staff will submit this final report and recommendations on schools considered
for closure at a Board Committee II/III meeting on December 7, 2010. The Vancouver
Board of Education will make its final decision on December 14, 2010.

Participation in the process

Public notification of the school closure process began on October 7, 2010 with letters
distributed to parents with students in schools advancing to the public consultation
phase. Dates, times and locations of the public consultation meetings were posted on
the District’s website, on school posters and published in various newspapers.
Advertisements ran between October 8 and November 8, 2010.

Newspaper Language Publication Dates
Advertisement
Vancouver 24HRS English October 8, 12, 14, 18, 25 and November 1, 8
Vancouver Courier English October 8, 13, 20, 27 and November 3
Sing Tao Chinese October 8, 12, 14, 18, 25 and November 1, 5
Thoi Bao Vancouver Vietnamese October 15, 22, 29 and November 5
Philippine Asian News Tagalog October 14 and 28
Contacto Directo Spanish October 21 and 28

Pursuant to the school closure policy, the consultation process must allow at least one
public meeting per school identified for possible closure, provide notice at least 14 days
in advance of the first meeting, and conclude with a public comment period of at least
14 days in length.

Committed to conducting an open and inclusive public consultation process, it was
decided that the District would hold two meetings per school identified for possible
closure and actively encourage parents and members of the community to voice
opinions, ask questions and state concerns throughout the consultation period. The two
public consultation meetings were held for each school considered for closure from
October 25 to November 9, 2010.
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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.

Public Information Meetings: October 25 – November 1, 2010

The first public meeting at each school began with an information session where
attendees had time to review the storyboards on display and speak with VBE staff.
Following the information session, the Vancouver School Board Superintendent of
Schools, with support of an Associate Superintendent, provided some opening remarks
and gave a brief presentation summarizing the facts provided in the comprehensive
administrative report that informed the consultation process. Parents and community
members had the opportunity to address the Vancouver School Board. At the end, the
Chairperson of the Board summarized what had been heard that evening.
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Public Feedback Meetings: November 2 – 9, 2010

The second meeting at each school provided an additional opportunity for parents and
community members to ask questions and provide feedback. Individual trustees were
available before the meeting to speak with the public. The meetings began with the
Board Chairperson providing some opening comments and a review of the feedback
received at the first meeting. Attendees then had the opportunity to speak and make
presentations. The Superintendent of Schools concluded each meeting with some
closing comments and a summary of the evening’s presentations.

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.
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Section 3 – Analysis

Analysis of Comment Forms

The following charts are based on comment forms collected by or submitted to the
District. Data for all schools were combined and represented accordingly to provide
District staff a general indication of feedback on a collective basis. Open-‐ended
questions were analyzed for major themes that emerged during the review. Themes
were identified based on frequency and overall consistency. Meeting notes by school
(and summaries provided to the Board) are listed in the school closure section of the
website.

Please note that comment forms were completed to varying degrees and the number of
responses for each question varies; however, all information provided was reviewed and
considered in the analysis.

The following graphs for questions one to four are represented in ‘number of responses
per school’ and corresponding percentage of total responses for all schools.
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Question 1 – Schools of interest

Note: Respondents were asked to identify which school(s) was of interest to them and,
if applicable, could check more than one school.

Question 2 – Access to other school/community programs

Note: ‘Other’ includes ESL, music, sports and super science club.

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Question 3 – Walking to school

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.

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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)


• School is like a second home
• Impact on at-‐risk children
• Psychological impact of moving schools
• Impact on special needs children

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Question 7 – Unique characteristics of schools

What characteristics do you think are unique about your school?

1. Heritage
2. Community environment
3. Teacher/administrator quality
4. Size and focus on individual students


• Multicultural diversity
• Safety
• Breakfast/lunch program
• Quality of staff
• ESL programs
• Arts programs
• First Nations education
• Building and facilities
• Strong Start and special needs programs

Question 8 – Preferred school if current school was closed

If your school were to close, which school would you choose to send your child to?

1. Uncertain
2. Other

Note: There were few responses to this question – less than half of the total respondents
answered this question. ‘Other' included responses such as private school, home school and
another district.

Question 9 – Other interests

Is there any topic related to school closures you would like more information about?

1. Future use/sale for the building/property if closed

Note: While there were few responses to this question, nearly a tenth of the total
respondents answered the question and the above was consistently the top theme.
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Question 10 – Other comments

Any other comments?

1. Don't close our school
2. Future housing developments

Note: There were few responses to this question – about a quarter of the total
respondents answered this question, and the above were the top two themes.

Major themes
Major themes that were expressed throughout the 10 public meetings are listed below:
• Do not close our school
• Our school is at the heart of the community
• Trustees are in a tough position
• It’s a done deal
• Stand by us; we’ll stand by you
• Impact on students and families
• Our teachers are the best

Ideas generated
Ideas generated to resolve challenges, seek additional revenue or funding fell into four
main categories:
• School programming
• Community services/partnerships
• Properties
• School boundaries

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Section 4 -‐ Meeting Summaries by School

The following section includes summaries of the 10 consultation meetings organized by
school. The summaries are based on notes taken at each meeting and any feedback
from notes posted on storyboards. The comment forms completed for each school were
also analyzed to identify the most common themes in the responses. In addition to
concerns about the potential school closures, people also provided ideas that could be
undertaken to generate additional revenue or funding for the schools.

Carleton Elementary Public Meetings

October 25, 2010

By the numbers
Attendees who checked-‐in: 389 + children
Speakers: 39

Key points from speakers
• 114-‐year history, heritage building
• Diverse culture, large immigrant population
• More housing developments are coming, leading to higher enrolment
• Concern about longer travel distance to other schools by students and
grandparents
• Concerns about crossing busy roads to reach other schools (e.g. Kingsway, Joyce, 41st
Street or Rupert)
• Stand up to the Provincial government
• Convenient location
• Children with disabilities should not be moved
• Impact on local business community
• Language instruction for children and adults – very important to community
• Increase in crime if building is empty
• Parents will send their children to: private school, Burnaby, home school
• Picking on schools on the east side
• Confusion about catchment boundaries
• Seismic condition of building

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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
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
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• It’s a heritage building

• Closing the school will not result in financial savings
• Strong music program
• 114-‐year history, heritage building
• The budget cuts are the fault of the provincial government
• Impact of closure on immigrant families

Common issues raised by speakers:
• Will VSB fund bus transportation to the other schools?
• If closed, what will happen to the building?
• What is the structure within the Board to address the ideas/solutions that
people are presenting?
• Where will the students go to school?

Carleton Elementary Comment Forms

In total, 230 comment forms were specific to Carleton Elementary.

Top themes from comment forms:
• Don’t close our school
• Heritage of the school
• Distance to other schools
• Stress on students
• Nearby schools are full

Some quotes from comment forms:
• It is a historical landmark precious to this community
• I just want the trustees to consider how many children would not be able to walk
as safely to school if they have to cross a busy street such as Kingsway or Joyce.
Many of the Carleton kids are walked to school by elderly grandparents. This will
be too far for many to walk.
• Where is my child’s stability in the education system?
• The closest school to Carleton is Weir and Weir only has less than 30 spots left.
400 kids to 30 spots is not a reasonable ratio.
• If we go to another location, it is not safe and we have to spend transportation
cost, it is a burden on our low income budget
• I believe Carleton is being targeted because of the enormous cost that its seismic
upgrade will involve. This was something promised at Carleton in the 2004-‐05
school year – we are still waiting.

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Ideas Generated for Carleton Elementary

In addition to concerns about the potential school closures, people also provided ideas

Main ideas include:
o Designate Carleton as a fine arts focused school
o Partner with the Collingwood Library, which is in need of expansion, to
create greater efficiency of space
o Create a partnership with Green Thumb theatre
o Allow healthy ads on building (i.e. Carleton’s gym faces Kingsway)
• Property
o Recommend partial seismic upgrades
o Sell the upper playground
o Sell the north field for additional funding
• Boundaries
o Redraw Weir’s catchment area to give Carleton a few of Weir’s city blocks
o Consider the natural boundaries of the area to establish Carleton’s
catchment
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.
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Champlain Heights Annex Public Meetings

October 26, 2010

By the numbers
Speakers: 20

• Excellent support for special needs students at the annex
• Children receive a higher quality of education at smaller schools
• Concerns about walking distance to Champlain Heights Elementary
• If the annex is closed, some parents would choose the neighbouring school in
Burnaby over Champlain Heights Elementary
• The annex has already been seismically upgraded

• New development in East Fraser Lands will result in an increasing student
population in the next 4-‐5 years, where will these children go to school?
• What will the Board do when you have to spend more money reopening schools
in the future when enrolment increases?
• Is there a guarantee that the land will not be developed in the future?
• Is there a plan to more fundamentally reorganize the school district system by
amalgamating under-‐capacity main schools? (e.g. there are three under-‐capacity
elementary schools in the southeast/Champlain Heights neighbourhood)
• Why are all the schools considered for closure in East Vancouver?
• If closed, who will take ownership of the property? (concerned about vandalism)
• Why doesn’t the provincial government transfer sufficient funds to the school
district to cover the necessary costs? If the government negotiates the wages of
employees, why don’t they cover the costs of the pay cheques?
• If closed, what do you intend to do with the school and property?

November 3, 2010

By the numbers
Speakers: 27

• Business case for Champlain closure does not make sense
• If closed, 31 families would send their children to a Burnaby school, resulting in
less funding for Vancouver
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• Annexes create a unique learning environment

• The school is the heart of the community
• One of few Vancouver neighbourhoods that has affordable housing
• VSB is not encouraging families to stay in this neighbourhood
• Concerned about distance/terrain to other schools
• Provincial government to blame for lack of funding
• Will cost more money to reopen the annex in the future
• Concerned about the visual impact of boarding up the school
• Impact of closure on special needs children
• Closing the school will negatively impact property values

• Where will the children from the future East Fraser Lands development go to
school?
• What will it cost VSB to insure the empty building?
• How much does the summer school program cost?
Champlain Heights Annex Comment Forms

In total, 42 comment forms were specific to Champlain Heights Annex.

• Benefits of a small school
• Value of Strong Start program
• Support for special needs children

• The kids feel safe in Champlain Annex. The school does not need to be
seismically upgraded like the other schools. When East Fraser Lands are
developed, those kids will need to go to Champlain Annex.
• Many people come to the Annex from down the hill. There is no bus that would
take them from Marine Drive to the Main School; the walk will be too long.
• As a single mom, the Annex has provided my children with stability, a strong
sense of community, as well as a safe place to grow and learn
• My son has suffered from separation anxiety and has just recently started to
enjoy it. He’s not used to being around a lot of people, and having him in a larger
school right now would be very difficult.
• Distance to Champlain Main School is too far. How can you tell low-‐income
families they must incur the extra expense of bussing or driving children to
school?

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Ideas Generated for Champlain Heights Annex


Main ideas included:
o Establish the annex as a flagship school for the Smart Board technology
o Establish relationships with community partners
o Use empty classrooms for adult education and other programs to make
money
• Property
o Lease the northeast corner as a revenue stream to support the operation
costs of the school, include daycare, retail and social housing

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
Macdonald Elementary Public Meetings

October 27, 2010

By the numbers
Speakers: 27

• Keeping the school open is an investment in the community
• The school supports more than the students; it supports the community as a
whole; it’s a place people come for help
• Safety concerns with travelling to the other schools that are further away
• The teachers work with and support the parents of special needs students
• Smaller classes help support the special needs students
• The inner-‐city school programs (i.e. breakfast/lunch, Aboriginal education) must
be continued
• Concern over increasing drop-‐out rate
• Concern about students becoming involved with drugs and crime
• The amount saved by closing the school is so small, it doesn’t make it worthwhile
• Most parents do not have cars, which makes travelling further to other schools
difficult
• Losing the school would compromise the opportunities for First Nations students
• Students need stability

• What will happen to the special needs students?
• Will the breakfast/lunch program be provided at other schools?
• Who wants the school? Are you planning to sell it?
• There is currently a baby boom in the area, are you considering that in future
enrolment?
• How can we be assured that the inner-‐city programs will be continued at other
schools?
• How much money does supported child development get?
• How much did the report, storyboards and handouts at the meeting cost?
• Property
o Relocate the VSB’s Aboriginal Education department to Macdonald to
save money on office space
o Use empty classrooms for adult education and other programs to make
money
o Rent out the parking lots

21
November 4, 2010

By the numbers
Speakers: 37

• Value of Aboriginal culture at the school
• Dispersed Aboriginal students will be at higher risk
• Closing the school goes against the Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement
• Catchment area should be larger to attract more students
• Concerned about impact on special needs children
• The school is a home to the students
• Concerned about maintaining the breakfast and lunch programs
• Concerned about distance to other schools and safety of children
• Concerned students won’t get enough support at larger schools
• Opportunity to partner with local Aboriginal groups who have access to funding

• Where does the funding go that you receive?
• Has any other district closed an inner city school? Is there a study on this?
• Could a proposal be prepared for our new government to defer this decision
until a better plan can be drafted?
• How will you ensure that the special needs students receive the same level of care at
other schools?
Macdonald Elementary Comment Forms

In total, 42 comment forms were specific to Macdonald Elementary.

Top themes from comment forms
• Stable environment for students
• Safety and distance to other schools
• Fist Nations support
• Breakfast/lunch program

Some quotes from comment forms
• Schools create community – not just for the students who attend the school, but
for their families as well. Closing this school would fracture a very vibrant
community. It is also very important to note that this school is in one of the
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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.

Ideas Generated for Macdonald Elementary


o Bring in additional programs to the school to attract more students
o Move the preschools into the schools
o Promote Macdonald as a schools for kids with anxiety
o Add a community centre to the school
o Partner with universities in the area
o Partner with the city on affordable housing agreements
o Host an Aboriginal forum on the impacts of the cuts on our most
vulnerable people
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.
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McBride Annex Public Meetings

October 28, 2010

By the numbers
Attendees who checked-‐in: 38 (no children)
Speakers: 8

• Fraser is the new Main Street (aka “Fraserhood”) – major growth will impact
future enrolment
• Concern of crime and problems on school grounds
• $170,000 is just a drop in the bucket
• It’s a done deal
• Burden of coming up with answers has shifted to the parents
• Need other options to generate revenue
• Feeling of disappointment and that there’s a systemic problem
• We have one of the highest vulnerability statistics and crime rates in the city

• What will happen to the school?
• Other annexes go up to Grade 4. Why not McBride?
• Why isn’t the Board responsible for coming up with answers?
• What’s going to happen to the building if the school is closed?
o Temporary closure vs. tear-‐down is very different
• If school stays, is $5,000 for security enough? What is the basis for this number?
What level of security would it provide?
• If our students go to a new school, will they take spaces from (or displace)
students who are not in the catchment?
• Will there be room in the new school for the Ready Set Learn program?
• What will happen if there’s junior kindergarten? How will it impact enrolment?
And class size?
• Why is Tyee over-‐enrolled?
• If we let them close our school this year, what will they (Province) do to us next
year?

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November 8, 2010

By the numbers
Attendees who checked-‐in: 78
Speakers: 18

• Main school cannot accommodate all of the students from the annex
• Population growth in the neighbourhood is occurring and will continue to grow
• Uneconomic and short-‐sighted to close the annex
• Children with special needs thrive at the annex
• Strong community/school spirit
• Need to offer more alternative schools to keep people in the public system
• Concerned about the impact of cross boundary enrolment and the ability of
younger siblings to follow older “grandfathered” students
• Modular classroom at McBride Elementary will be more costly than keeping the
annex open
• Value the small school size
• Vacant school could lead to increased crime

• When will the Board reach its final decision?
• Will you notify the parents by letter after the annex is closed?
• If the annex is closed, will the budget go to the main school?
• Is it reasonable accommodation if the younger siblings of “grandfathered”
students at the main school can’t attend because of overcrowding due to the
annex students?
McBride Annex Comment Forms

In total, 20 comment forms were specific to McBride Annex.

• Benefits of a small school
• Overcrowding at McBride Elementary
• Increase in crime/vandalism if school is closed

• Every student at McBride is unique. The magic that happens every day at our
school is unique. Our multicultural tapestry is unique. Our relationships are
unique.
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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.

Ideas Generated for Champlain Heights Annex


o Create the Edible School Yard program (www.edibleschoolyard.org)
o Tagalog immersion
o Market the public system to help promote our school
o Add Montessori programs
o Incorporate “Ready, Set, Learn,” “Mother Goose,” and seniors’
programming to increase funding
o Open a daycare which will help alleviate waitlist issues
o UBC’s Community Service Learning – UBC students from all faculties
would be encouraged to share knowledge and skills while fulfilling their
practicum requirements
o Partner with Multicultural Helping House to become a centre for new
refugees and immigrants
• Property
o Rent the facilities

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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Queen Alexandra Elementary Public Meetings

November 1, 2010

By the numbers
Speakers: 36

• Stability is central to the success of children
• Many parents don’t have cars to drive to schools further away
• Too far for grandparents to walk with children to schools further away
• Concerns about safety traveling to/from school
• Parents can’t afford bus fare to reach schools further away
• Closure would impact special needs children the most
• The school programs are integral to child development
• Need to maintain the daycare
• We stand with you in saying “no” to the provincial government
• You need to honour the Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement
• Value the breakfast program
• Value the sports programs
• KidSafe program must be maintained
• Historical value of the school

• Where will the children go who attend the daycare and StrongStart?
• What about the safety of children going further to school? Crossing Broadway?
• Will there be buses to transport the children to new schools?
• What will happen to the staff and children’s belongings?
• How can we get the same music programming at QAE at the other schools?
• Are you going to inform the mothers from our transition houses that they have
further to travel with their children?
• Are there other options like renting the school, fundraisers or becoming a
business centre?
• Can we be creative with the site?
• What will VSB do with the school if it’s closed?
• Why QAE instead of Grandview Elementary?
• If everyone from QAE wanted to go to a school like Laura Secord, will there be
enough room for everyone?
• Why are all the potential closures in East Vancouver?
• Have you discussed possible uses with the VCC King Edward Campus?
• What are the plans for 5/10 years in the future?
27

November 9, 2010

By the numbers
Speakers: 34

• Make it a fine arts school to increase enrolment (District Multicultural Fine Arts
School)
• 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?
Queen Alexandra Elementary Comment Forms

In total, 58 comment forms were specific to Queen Alexandra Elementary.

• Heritage building that should be preserved
• The school is a second home to our children
• Daycare

• If QAE is closed, then Vancouver will lose a valuable heritage
• For the students of Queen Alex and their families QA is so much more than a
school. It is “the” stable environment, “the” safety net, “the” secure place, “the”
support as well as the provider of education, which is the only true chance at
equality most of these kids have.
• The community is a low-‐income community. Additional bus fare will push
families more towards the poverty line.
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• Will affect the low-‐income students/childcare population, the most vulnerable

population
• Being a low-‐income neighbourhood QA is one of the few stable influences many
of these children have
• QAE is very convenient because they provide breakfast/childcare since 7:00 am,
so the parents are more at ease when they have to go to work early in the
morning

Ideas Generated for Queen Alexandra Elementary


o Make QAE a Multicultural Fine Arts school
o Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House is willing to be a partner in finding
solutions to help keep the school open
o Use the school for senior citizen programs or daycare
• Property
o Cost cutting programs like turning off unused lights

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.

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Summary of Public meetings by school

Pursuant to the Vancouver Board of Education School Closure policy and regulations (FL and FL-‐
R), district facilities should be regularly reviewed and assessed to ensure district resources are
being utilized for efficient and effective delivery of educational programs and services. Schools
may be considered for closure when such an assessment:

a) Identifies that the students could reasonably be accommodated in other local schools,
b) Those students can be provided with access to appropriate educational programs

Carleton Elementary School
With respect to Carleton Elementary School, both criteria can be met. In the case of
Carleton, the distribution of the student population to up to 7 other schools makes for a
very complex transition. The seismic issues at Carleton remain of significant concern.

If the Board chooses to retain Carleton, then considerable efforts need to be made to
seek rapid seismic upgrade to the facility. This school would be an ideal site to establish
a Neighbourhood Learning Centre.

Champlain Heights Annex School
With respect to Champlain Heights Annex, both criteria can be met. However, if the
Board chooses to retain Champlain Heights, then efforts should be made to seek options
for early learning and childcare and other community services to support the school and
surrounding community. This school also has a strength in the use of technology. This
could be expanded and broadened as a demonstration school.

Macdonald Elementary School
With respect to Macdonald Elementary School, both criteria can be met. Only one third
of students in catchment attend the school and, yet the school is central to the
Aboriginal community. If the Board chooses to retain Macdonald Elementary, then
efforts should begin immediately to work with the Aboriginal community to develop and
implement a strategic vision for the future of Macdonald with an explicit plan to
improve enrolment within the school’s current catchment area.

McBride Annex School
With respect to McBride Annex, both criteria can be met. However, if the Board chooses
to retain McBride, then efforts should be made to seek options for early learning and
childcare and other community services to support the school and surrounding
community.

Queen Alexandra Elementary School
With respect to Queen Alexandra Elementary School, both criteria can be met.
However, if the Board chooses to retain Queen Alexandra Elementary, then the school
should work with the community to develop a multi-‐cultural focus on personalized,
project-‐based learning through the Fine Arts.
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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.
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Independent school enrolment trends

The following table compares VBE and Independent student enrolment from 1999 to
2006. In preparation for the EFR consultation process, the district commissioned a
special enrolment study on independent schools. The consultant was granted Ministry
permission (in 2007) to access independent school student records and then geo-‐code
the records to determine how many of the students attending independent schools
located in Vancouver actually reside in Vancouver. The results of this special study
indicated that the VBE retains approximately 84% of elementary students (K-‐Gr.7)
residing within the school district.

Year VBE elementary Independent Combined total Percent of
school school Enrolment students
enrolment (K-‐7) enrolment in VBE + attending VBE
Vancouver Independent public schools
schools in
Vancouver
1999 32,488 5,569 38,057 85.4%
2000 32,728 5,678 38,406 85.2%
2001 32,545 5,824 38,369 84.8%
2002 32,248 5,956 38,204 84.4%
2003 31,947 6,003 37,950 84.2%
2004 31,859 5,927 37,786 84.3%
2005 31,746 6,096 37,842 83.9%
2006 31,257 6,228 37,485 83.4%
Source: Ministry of Education (2007)

Over the 1999 to 2006 timeframe, VBE elementary enrolment declined by 1,231
students whereas Independent student enrolment increased by 659. Although the
context of individual decision-‐making regarding school choice is not known, it seems
reasonable to conclude that Independent schools have enrolled some students that
might have typically attended a VBE school. However, based on these data,
independent school growth would not fully account for the decline in VBE enrolment
over this time period.

Overall student enrolment, by independent school, is reported on the Ministry of
Education website. Many independent schools draw from a wide geographical area.
The Ministry retains strict control over Independent student records. Therefore, the VBE
does not have the ability to conduct analysis on specific catchments.

32
Independent survey data

The involvement of parents and community at each of the public consultation meetings
generally reflected the size of the school populations. It was determined that further
input was needed from the wider Vancouver community since any decision to close or
not close a school has implications across the city. Most participants at the school
closure meetings were from the immediate school community under consideration for
closure.

A total of 500 telephone interviews were conducted by Ipsos Reid with a randomly
selected representative sample of Vancouver residents aged 18 years or older (91%
were age 25 and older). All interviews were conducted between November 12 and 18,
2010. Interviewing was conducted in English and Chinese. To ensure appropriate
representation from key demographic segments, quotas were set by gender, age, and
area of the city. Quotas were also set to ensure that more than 100 interviews were
conducted with those who have children attending a Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in
the City of Vancouver. The final data was weighted to ensure that the sample’s
age/gender and neighbourhood distribution reflects that of the actual population in
Vancouver according to the 2006 Census. Overall results are accurate to within ±4.4
percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error will be larger for sample
subgroups.

• 90% of respondents have children attending a public school in Vancouver
• 68% of respondents have children attending an elementary school in Vancouver
• 52% of respondents live on the East side of Vancouver (48% are West side
residents)
• 62% of respondents have lived in Vancouver for 15 years or longer

The survey results are summarized as follows:

• 76% of respondents were aware of the budgetary situation
• 37% support closure and 55% oppose closure (somewhat or strongly)
• 41% support closure to save money/help balance the budget
• 40% support closure due to low enrolment at schools slated for potential closure
-‐-‐-‐-‐
• 32% do not support closure because of the distance students will need to travel
to attend new school
• 17% do not support closure because there should be a revision of funding
structures instead of closing schools
• 15% do not support closure because of the belief that closing schools causes
overcrowding in other schools
• 13% do not support closure because of the belief that schools are important to a
neighborhood/community
33
• 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

Early Learning in British Columbia

There is little debate about the value of quality early learning programs in the
development of a prosperous society. Throughout the school closure process, calls for
quality childcare were heard not only as attractive additions to schools, but as essential
parts of stimulating vibrant communities. The government of British Columbia has
repeatedly sent very clear signals that schooling for three and four year olds is a very
strong desire. The introduction of full day Kindergarten and the expansion of StrongStart
programs are two examples of a government commitment that includes further
expansion to early learning.

If three and four year olds were to be accommodated in our schools, as signaled by the
February 2010 Provincial Throne Speech, this would place an additional requirement for
space. In 2009-‐2010, the school district had approximately 3,500 students in
Kindergarten. If there were a provincial requirement to provide services for 3 and 4 year
olds, this would add a need for 7,000 seats in Vancouver School District. While there has
been no clear provincial direction, the district needs to plan for the potential of
significantly expanding our early learning initiatives.

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Personalized 21st Century Learning

The Ministry of Education has clearly indicated that it is time for significant change to
the school system. The impact of globalization, technology, and changing demographics
is causing leaders in all sectors to re-‐think how students can be prepared for a rapidly
this changing society. Students educated in BC are competing with students from
around the globe for careers. Technology is providing unprecedented access to
information. The role of the school and the teacher is shifting from a place and site
where information is passed to the student to a place where teacher experts guide,
provide access and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills in support of
project-‐based learning designed to develop a range of learner competencies.

Children learn best when they pursue their passions and are permitted to explore new
ideas, investigate phenomena, and create with their hands and minds. This goes to the
fundamental principles of our public school system:

• Learning requires the active participation of the student
• People learn in a variety of ways and at different rates; and
• Learning is both an individual and a group process.

The pressures listed above are causing a need to reconsider how we define schools and
understand teaching and learning. Our schools need to blur the boundaries between the
home, school and community and to reach out and value learning that takes place in a
wide range of situations and locations.

The 21st century learning agenda has some powerful implications for the Vancouver
School District. If we are to reshape what we mean by schooling, teaching, and learning,
then we need to give strong consideration to how we view the nature of school and how
we can move closer to our communities in terms of offering school programs.

We need to help prepare our young learners for this changing global community. Our
students need to be highly creative, strong communicators, good problem solvers,
informed decision-‐makers, and have well developed research and inquiry skills. They
must be fully engaged in deep, personalized learning experiences so that they are
acquiring these essential skills and be active participants in this newly emerging
knowledge society. Students must be ready to enter post secondary education programs
in order to further enhance these attributes. They must be well prepared for exciting
new employment opportunities and ready to contribute to and compete in this rapidly
evolving and highly technical world.

Learning for many students does not come from a textbook or from a classroom lecture.
Hands on, self-‐ directed, but facilitated, problem-‐based learning is what truly engages
our students. It inspires them to want to learn more. It sparks, motivates and feeds their
imagination and creativity. It ignites their passion and intrinsic motivation to go deeper
35
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.

Neighbourhood Learning Centres (NLCs)

Building on the notion of 21st century learning is the concept that schools can play a
more central role in supporting their communities. In many cases, schools are stand-‐
alone entities that close after school, on weekends and during the holidays. As we move
towards a personalized learning agenda, schools need to model themselves more after
the notion of community schools or neighbourhood centres with formal links to other
service providers and agencies co-‐located in the school building.

Neighbourhood Learning Centres are being embraced and supported as a positive
direction to promote strong school-‐community partnerships that use school facilities to
better meet the needs of children, youth, families and the whole community. The
approach is to develop Neighbourhood Learning Centres locally through a collaborative
approach with the province, city and other agencies that reflects the unique needs,
assets and potential of each school and community. Neighbourhood Learning Centres
are defined as welcoming places where people of all ages can access health, education,
care, culture and services, seven days a week, twelve months a year – helping to
promote wellbeing for children, youth, families and the whole community.

Goals of Neighbourhood Learning Centres
• Expand the use of school facilities to accommodate a range of programs, services
and activities for children, families, seniors and all community members, seven
days a week, year-‐round.
• Enhance students’ academic achievement and overall wellbeing by engaging
parents and the wider community more directly in the life of every school.
• Build strong partnerships among schools, families and the wider community,
including Aboriginal peoples and other cultural groups.
• Provide opportunities for schools, families and communities to engage in
collaborative planning to determine which services and programs best meet
their needs.
• Increase collaboration among school districts, school personnel, service
providers and other community partners in the public, non-‐profit, volunteer, and
private sectors.
• Reduce barriers to services, maximizing accessibility for vulnerable children and
families.
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Section 5 -‐ Options, considerations, decision-‐making

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.”

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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.

38
Decision-‐making – an ethical dilemma

The Board in having ultimate responsibility for determining the pathway and choice to
take is faced with an ethical dilemma. Trustees must each weigh all of the evidence
placed before them and collectively come to a final resolution. Their thought processes
must pit the needs of the community for retaining a neighbourhood ‘school house’
against the broad needs of the school district for maintaining staff, resources and
programs.

It is difficult to ascribe the need for moral courage with this situation. In fact, traditional
definitions of courage involving danger and endurance do not seem to have a place in
this ethical dilemma. However, adding the third dimension of principle enables one to
see a connection. It is a principled position that will help describe a pathway to
resolution. This is a question of commitment to principle in the face of potentially
significant pressure over the needs of individuals versus community and the fiscal
responsibility for the appropriate use of public funds. In the final analysis this is not just
about the financial costs involved; one must also consider courage and what is right in a
moral sense.

• The first approach to resolving this dilemma is to take a utilitarian stance. This
“ends-‐based” thinking in short seeks to provide the greatest good for the
greatest number. The consequential outcome demands actions that serve the
greatest good or that maximize benefit.

• A second pathway to resolution is to use the “Golden rule.” In this philosophy,
the resolution comes from a care-‐based principle: do unto others what one
would want others to do to us. In promoting the interests of others ahead of
ourselves, we seek to place ourselves in the shoes of those affected. The intent
is to avoid double standards or ambiguous, inconsistent action.

• A third avenue to resolution of such dilemmas relies on rule-‐based thinking.
Here, one must seek the highest principle and demand universal application. This
pathway considers that duty-‐bound obligations be considered at the supreme
levels of conscience. Its detractors argue against this rigid, unbending direction
suggesting that such a strict approach can lock one into an untenable position
when there is conflict with other rules of higher moral ground.

However, there is another way…
39
Section 6 – Another way

In trying to reach a sensible and credible solution that balances the needs of the larger
community and those of the local school and neighbourhood, the either/or scenario
may not be the answer. In seeking the necessary resolution to the dilemma first posed,
in the final analysis, there may be a third way forward that provides middle ground for a
resolution. It still enables the greatest good for the greatest number. It comes down to
communication and dialogue. It is a compromise and it takes time. In the short term, it
potentially creates great frustration and further uncertainty. It requires the initiation of
conversation and debate among all members of the community. It depends on the
commitment and dedication of all who have a stake in the educational enterprise. It
requires the active participation of everyone who attended the public consultation
meetings – and more.

The solution proposed is to put a hold on all school closures for an interim period. It
calls on our respective communities to engage in a thorough and comprehensive
exploration, examination and analysis of the educational and physical plant
requirements for each sector in the city. It calls for a complete review in collaboration
with city planners, provincial partners, community members and school district
personnel.

The primary goal of such a review would be to align student program and space needs
with facility resources within individual sectors in the city and further align and co-‐locate
other city-‐wide community resources in these same facilities.

Critical questions may include:

What is the right amount and need for school space and programs required to
meet the needs of students living and learning within the sectors, and are the
buildings appropriate to meet the 21st century curriculum, instruction and
learning needs of today and into the future?

What additional space is required to meet any anticipated changes in enrolment
across the city for the next 10-‐15 years?

What partnerships can be developed with the city, communities and other
agencies to utilize existing school capacity, and which is not required for current
and future student space needs?

40

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

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
Section 7 -‐ Recommendations

1. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education not proceed with
further closure discussions with respect to the five schools under consideration of
potential closure planned for June 30, 2011.

2. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education place a moratorium
on proceeding with any school closure process until March 1, 2012.

3. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education direct staff to
immediately initiate a process to develop a comprehensive plan for sectoral reviews
across the school district. This draft plan of action should be brought to the
February Committee II/III meeting.

4. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education convene a meeting
with the City of Vancouver and other agencies to develop strategic partnerships to
broaden the community and school use of district facilities.

5. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education direct staff to
determine the feasibility of offering child care spaces within Vancouver schools at no
cost to the provider.

6. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education direct staff to work
with the Carleton community to create a Neighbourhood Learning Centre.

with the Queen Alexandra school community to strengthen and further develop a
project-‐based multi-‐cultural Fine Arts focus at the school.

with the Aboriginal community to explore a strategic direction for Macdonald
Elementary School.

9. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT the Vancouver Board of Education seek a meeting with
key Ministry of Education staff to explore further possibilities for Neighbourhood
Learning Centres, and the establishment of an agreement to form a Capital Assets
Project Management Office within the Vancouver School District to facilitate rapid
and coordinated action on approved projects, seismic upgrades and new capital
projects.
43
Section 8 -‐ Concluding Comments

Throughout the school closure consultation process, the Board of Education heard that
the public wanted to know about options other than school closure. There were calls for
expanding affordable childcare and for re-‐thinking the use of our facilities, their future
and centrality to the community. There were also many calls of concern that should a
closure occur, that communities would suffer and criminal activity could occur on
vacant, boarded up school sites.

Vancouver School District has one of the most complex, comprehensive and substantial
inventories of facilities in British Columbia. Many of our schools are considered to be of
high seismic risk and many are significant heritage sites. The future of the Vancouver
School District must consider detailed capital planning for our schools.

The district wishes to expand our current efforts on early learning; personalized learning
offers exciting opportunities to energize learning; and the ability to renew our existing
facilities to become true Neighbourhood Learning Centres presents a wonderful
opportunity for new and innovative partnerships.

To enable this vision to take shape and become a reality will require the collective
commitment of the Board, our partners and community agencies. There is readiness
and willingness to work together to redefine education in Vancouver. This is a bold
vision and a bold challenge that requires courage. It is one that is essential for the
future of our schools and for our city – and for our students.

There is another way and this will take great community commitment and support. The
promise of a great future for our students makes this a priority and essential direction
for our Board and our community.

Section 9 -‐ Acknowledgments

The senior staff along with the Vancouver Board of Education extend our sincere
appreciation to all who have participated in the public consultation process. Thank you
to our parent community. Thank you to our staff. Thank you to our community and
especially thank you to our parents and students who have endured a very challenging,
but necessary process.

The input, comments, questions and ideas clearly helped shape the outcome of this
process. We look forward to supporting the direction of the Board around this matter
and to continuing our support for public education. We especially look forward to
working with each of our communities as we move forward.

Steve Cardwell
Superintendent and CEO
44
45

Public Consultation On School Closures and Recommendations To The Vancouver Board of Education - December 7, 2010

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Table of Contents

Section 4 -­‐ Meeting Summaries by School....................................................................................................14

Champlain Heights Annex Public Meetings ............................................................................................18

Macdonald Elementary Public Meetings.................................................................................................21

McBride Annex Public Meetings .................................................................................................................24

Queen Alexandra Elementary Public Meetings .....................................................................................27

Section 1 -­‐ Background

Special Advisor’s Report

Section 2 – Public Consultation Process

impact, educational programs and other related programs (StrongStart Centres,

Participation in the process

Public Information Meetings: October 25 – November 1, 2010

Public Feedback Meetings: November 2 – 9, 2010

Analysis of Comment Forms

Question 1 – Schools of interest

Question 2 – Access to other school/community programs

Question 3 – Walking to school

Question 7 – Unique characteristics of schools

Question 8 – Preferred school if current school was closed

Question 9 – Other interests

Question 10 – Other comments

Section 4 -­‐ Meeting Summaries by School

Carleton Elementary Public Meetings

• It’s a heritage building

Carleton Elementary Comment Forms

Ideas Generated for Carleton Elementary

Champlain Heights Annex Public Meetings

• Annexes create a unique learning environment

Champlain Heights Annex Comment Forms

Ideas Generated for Champlain Heights Annex

Macdonald Elementary Public Meetings

November 4, 2010

Macdonald Elementary Comment Forms

Ideas Generated for Macdonald Elementary

McBride Annex Public Meetings

November 8, 2010

Common issues raised by speakers:

McBride Annex Comment Forms

Ideas Generated for Champlain Heights Annex

Queen Alexandra Elementary Public Meetings

Queen Alexandra Elementary Comment Forms

• Will affect the low-­‐income students/childcare population, the most vulnerable

Ideas Generated for Queen Alexandra Elementary

Summary of Public meetings by school

Independent school enrolment trends

Independent survey data

Early Learning in British Columbia

Personalized 21st Century Learning

Neighbourhood Learning Centres (NLCs)

Section 5 -­‐ Options, considerations, decision-­‐making

Decision-­‐making – an ethical dilemma

Section 6 – Another way

Section 7 -­‐ Recommendations

Section 8 -­‐ Concluding Comments

Section 9 -­‐ Acknowledgments

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Section 4 -‐ Meeting Summaries by School....................................................................................................14

Section 1 -‐ Background

Section 4 -‐ Meeting Summaries by School

• Will affect the low-‐income students/childcare population, the most vulnerable

Section 5 -‐ Options, considerations, decision-‐making

Decision-‐making – an ethical dilemma

Section 7 -‐ Recommendations

Section 8 -‐ Concluding Comments

Section 9 -‐ Acknowledgments