What's Next for Neighbourhood Schools?
Posted November 12th, 2008
While the Olympic Athlete's Village real estate deal dominates Vancouver's daily headlines, other important developments concerning neighbourhood schools are receiving scant attention in the last days of the civic election say community members.
For Think Schools activist Annabel Vaughan, neighbourhoods may undergo dramatic changes, if the Vancouver School Board's (VSB) plans for seismic upgrades continue to systematically downsize public school buildings across the city. For Vaughan, citizens need only look at the fate of Charles Dickens Elementary School to see how the wrecking ball reduced this vital community hub to rubble.
This past July, after concerted public effort, the communities of Mount Pleasant and Cedar Cottage failed to save Dickens 1913 – an 8,500 square foot building built in 1913 that was held in public trust by the VSB, the city's second largest land owner. As a result, the community lost a significant neighbourhood asset that could have provided much-needed programming, including daycare and arts education.
Dickens is not the only school facing such a fate says Vaughan. According to a VSB report published last fall, our city may only have nine of its 64 historic schools left still standing once the seismic mitigation process is complete.
Making matters worse, the provincial government announced a poorly-designed, $30-million pilot project in September to broadly consult with education and community partners about the best use of school space. To date no consultation has taken place and communities are once again having to seek information from whatever sources are available.
According to Vaughan, the lack of a coherent public process without clear goals or timelines for achieving vibrant and seismic-safe neighbourhood schools has created a fend for yourself culture among school communities. With thousands of hours spent by parents, teachers, staff and communities each trying to convince elected officials that their schools needs are critical, the current VSB seismic upgrade program, along with the newly-announced provincial neighbourhood schools initiative, have created a patchwork of solutions that have become become bogged down by their own design.
Vaughan believes the issues surrounding upgrades are complex and require strong leadership advocating for achievable timelines, an accountable, transparent process that engages the public and equitable dedicated funding across the whole city. The question on her mind is will the VSB's newly elected trustees be up to the challenge?
While the Olympic Athlete's Village real estate deal dominates Vancouver's daily headlines, other important developments concerning neighbourhood schools are receiving scant attention in the last days of the civic election say community members.For Think Schools activist Annabel Vaughan, neighbourhoods may undergo dramatic changes, if the Vancouver School Board's (VSB) plans for seismic upgrades continue to systematically downsize public school buildings across the city. For Vaughan, citizens need only look at the fate of Charles Dickens Elementary School to see how the wrecking ball reduced this vital community hub to rubble.
This past July, after concerted public effort, the communities of Mount Pleasant and Cedar Cottage failed to save Dickens 1913 – an 8,500 square foot building built in 1913 that was held in public trust by the VSB, the city's second largest land owner. As a result, the community lost a significant neighbourhood asset that could have provided much-needed programming, including daycare and arts education.
Dickens is not the only school facing such a fate says Vaughan. According to a VSB report published last fall, our city may only have nine of its 64 historic schools left still standing once the seismic mitigation process is complete.
Making matters worse, the provincial government announced a poorly-designed, $30-million pilot project in September to broadly consult with education and community partners about the best use of school space. To date no consultation has taken place and communities are once again having to seek information from whatever sources are available.
According to Vaughan, the lack of a coherent public process without clear goals or timelines for achieving vibrant and seismic-safe neighbourhood schools has created a fend for yourself culture among school communities. With thousands of hours spent by parents, teachers, staff and communities each trying to convince elected officials that their schools needs are critical, the current VSB seismic upgrade program, along with the newly-announced provincial neighbourhood schools initiative, have created a patchwork of solutions that have become become bogged down by their own design.
Vaughan believes the issues surrounding upgrades are complex and require strong leadership advocating for achievable timelines, an accountable, transparent process that engages the public and equitable dedicated funding across the whole city. The question on her mind is will the VSB's newly elected trustees be up to the challenge?