To the editor:

Re: "Cut to VSB's anti-homophobia job cruel and careless," Aug. 6.

While I agree with Tom Sandborn that cutting the hours of the Vancouver School Board's anti-homophobia consultant was ill advised, I assure him it was a decision that was made carefully and painfully, alongside also ill-advised cuts. This was a brutal and unacceptable budget, but the minister of education made it very clear that Vancouver needed to stop funding "non-core" services and balance the inadequate budget.

Walking in this year's Pride Parade with the VSB float was indeed bittersweet knowing that we've made so much progress, but we still have so much further to go to free our schools of homophobia and it's going to be more challenging than ever with the reduction in Steve Mulligan's hours, fewer counsellors, support workers and staff.

Patti Bacchus, chair,

Vancouver School Board