Vancouver schools ‘in limbo’ after board rejects balanced budget

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Vancouver schools are facing months of uncertainty, with no timeline in sight for a budget, after the board rejected passing $24-million in cuts and the Education Minister said he might give trustees until June 30 to reconsider.

Teachers say that delay will wreak havoc on principals' ability to plan schedules for the fall – something that was supposed to start this week – and could mean the elimination of many high school courses if principals don't know how many teachers are available.

"We're all in limbo," said Rory Brown, president of the Vancouver Secondary Teachers' Association. "Student service is going to be reduced the longer this uncertainty goes on."

In addition, board staff are set to announce 12 proposed school closings in June, with Point Grey Secondary School and one east-side secondary school likely high on the list, along with 10 elementary schools, board trustee Patti Bacchus said.

That adds to the uncertainty, Mr. Brown said, adding he already hears stories of upset parents calling to check on whether their children's school will be closed.

Vancouver School Board chair Mike Lombardi is due to meet with Education Minister Mike Bernier on Tuesday to discuss last week's vote, when the four Vision Vancouver school trustees and one Green Party trustee voted to reject a budget with massive cuts. The four Non-Partisan Association trustees voted for the budget. The ministry has also asked the Green trustee, Janet Fraser, to be at the meeting.

"It will be a good chance for a frank discussion and to get past any misunderstandings," Ms. Fraser said.

But Mr. Lombardi was more definitive in advance of the meeting about what the board would like.

That includes avoiding making $16-million in cuts that would directly affect teaching and services such as small-group literacy interventions and support for gifted and special-needs students.

The meeting is in sharp contrast from what occurred in 1985, the last time a Vancouver school board refused to pass a balanced budget, when the trustees were all fired.

Mr. Bernier said on Friday he didn't want to make a quick or emotional decision, and that firing would be "an absolute last option."

Legislation passed last year gives the Education Minister more leeway in directing a school board, including issuing a special directive or bringing in an adviser.

But that go-slow approach could mean more confusion, since Vancouver is required to give its staff notice by the end of May if they are "surplus to needs," according to union contracts. The disagreement between Vancouver school trustees and the minister could become even more political than usual this year. Ms. Fraser, the Green trustee, said she decided to vote against the budget because she wants to see education become a provincial election issue.

"Education will be the highest priority for the Green Party in the election," said Ms. Fraser, whose voice trembled slightly after she voted against the budget and she received a standing ovation.

NPA trustees say they worry that Vision trustees are only focused on the election. "It serves Vision's purposes to focus provincially. But to me, the kids get used as a pawn to advocate for a change in provincial government," NPA trustee Stacy Robertson said.

But Vision trustees, as well as Ms. Fraser and trustees on many other boards, say that many districts in the province are suffering because of the long practice of underfunding the public-school system.

Those accusations will likely increase as Vancouver contemplates during the 2016-17 year which schools to close, in order to comply with a new provincial requirement that schools be 95 per cent full for a district to receive funding for earthquake upgrades.

NPA trustees, and even Ms. Fraser in the past, have said the board brought on some of its financial woes by keeping schools open, even though the district has 6,000 fewer students than it did five years ago.

Although no one knows which schools will be on the list, Ms. Bacchus said that Point Grey Secondary is close to two other schools – Magee, which has already been seismically upgraded, and Prince of Wales, which is due to get its upgrade soon. Point Grey, on the other hand, is a heritage building, which means it will be very expensive to renovate.

Ms. Bacchus said many students in that group of high schools come from outside the normal catchment area, so it likely wouldn't affect the distance students would have to travel.