Shantel Northgraves won’t enjoy a relaxing summer this year. She’s chairwoman of Graham Bruce elementary’s parent advisory committee. Bruce is one of 11 schools the Vancouver School Board is considering closing.

Northgraves was shocked to learn last week that her children’s school at 3633 Tanner St. in Collingwood was on the VSB’s pre-notification list.

“It’s at a horrible time. It’s summer. People have plans. This comes out of the blue—no advance warning. It’s a blindside,” Northgraves said. “So we’re working hard right now and getting things organized to be prepared to plead our case.”

Bruce is one of three schools in Collingwood eyed for closure—the other two are Carleton elementary and Collingwood annex.

Board chair Patti Bacchus told the Courier last week that Bruce’s enrolment is 241, but it has room for 345 putting it at 70 per cent of capacity.

Northgraves, who has three children at the school, finishing up Grades 3, 5 and 6, disputes those figures. “I would love for somebody to come through here and show me where that extra capacity is to house more students. I’m here every single day. I’m involved in my kids’ classes. I know what’s going on and there is not an empty space,” she said. “There really truly isn’t. It’s not like we have empty classrooms full of desks gathering dust or portables still on the grounds that are sitting empty—all of that has been removed.”

The parent group has launched a petition to save the school and plans to work through the holiday months building a case. It also hopes to work with parents at Collingwood annex and Carleton, but Northgraves recognizes schools across Vancouver will be competing to stay open. “How can you say my school is better than your school without causing hard feelings?” she said.

This summer, district staff will analyze each school and prepare a report for trustees by late September or early October, according to a letter sent home to parents and staff from superintendent Steve Cardwell.

At that point, trustees will decide which, if any, of the schools on the pre-notification list will proceed to public consultation.

If a school is still being considered for closure at that point, consultation will be organized so trustees can make a decision by Dec. 31 to provide affected schools with enough notice that their school will close at the end of the 2010/11 school year.

The VSB is creating a section on its website to keep the public informed about the school closure process.

“I respect that the prospect of school closure will be unsettling and that you will have many questions about what may happen,” Cardwell wrote. “While I cannot offer all the answers at this time, I can assure you that the school district is committed to conducting an open, and inclusive public consultation process.”

The Vancouver Elementary School Teachers’ Association has posted a message on its website acknowledging school closures are difficult and it’s a long list of schools being named at one time.

“It is indicative of the serious nature of the underfunding problem that this school district and almost every other school district in this province are facing,” VESTA states. “It will be important to avoid pitting one school community against another—a challenge, to be sure, because the role of the neighbourhood schools in our communities, and the value each community will place upon each of the schools in the list above.”

Meanwhile, the B.C. Education Coalition has also created a page on its site about the school closures at stopeducationcuts.org, under the Vancouver heading.

noconnor@vancourier.com