Proposals to cut $8.4 million to balance the school district's budget have been greeted with a mixture of relief and frustration.

The budget proposals, drafted by senior management, may be revised based on feedback in coming weeks before the board's final vote on May 5.

Debbie Pawluk, president of the Vancouver Secondary Teachers' Association, said senior management made a "real effort" to keep cuts away from the classroom.

"You know $8.4 million is a challenge whether it's a cut to facilities or resources or transportation or whatever. It's going to affect the efficacy of the organization. But it's a bit of a double-edged sword. We took a big hit this year particularly in non-enrolling [teachers] so we were actually very relieved to see that the cuts have been kept as far away from the classroom as possible," she said.

Gwen Giesbrecht, chair of the District Parent Advisory Council, said even though the proposed cuts have largely been kept away from the classroom, and may not be fully felt initially, they represent the ongoing erosion of public education.

She's also troubled by the prospect of a $25 user fee being attached to the band and strings program, which operates in 37 schools. More than 3,400 students participate in what is considered an extracurricular program. The fee would generate about $90,000.

Giesbrecht said some courses were once considered part of core instruction, but that's not the case any longer.

"For instance, instruction in music at the elementary level has in the past been considered part of a balanced educational experience, as was art and library/resource use," she wrote in an email to the Courier. "These are areas now with limited availability. If there is to be a trend of fees applied when they are offered, the equity for participation is further compromised."

Giesbrecht added that parents often have to fundraise for enrichment activities, which is more difficult in less well-off areas of the city. Her son's East Side school used to stage an annual musical production, but the teacher who coordinated it is no longer able to do so because of her workload. "Meanwhile, I heard of a West Side elementary, staging their musical production this week. How were the teachers at that school able to find the time to organize? Well, presumably they weren't, as the parents there contributed $8,000 to hire an outside consultant," she said.

Policy states students who can't afford such fees won't be denied enrolment, but Giesbrecht points out some families will be reluctant to ask for the fee to be waived.

Paul Faoro, president of CUPE 15, said the budget proposals need to be tweaked, arguing the Vancouver School Board can't absorb any more cuts to frontline services. The union local represents about 1,200 support staff at the VSB, including clerical, administrative and technical staff, special education assistants and multicultural workers.

Faoro insists provincial education funding must increase and says Premier Christy Clark, who was once the education minister, has "her fingerprints all over this, as the original architect of the current funding formula."

"It is demoralizing, for staff and for parents, to be in continual chaos due to chronic provincial underfunding. It is a sad statement that so much energy and creativity that should be channelled into improving educational programs and services is sucked into the vortex of managing annual funding crises," he said.

noconnor@vancourier.com

Twitter: @Naoibh