School closures, seismic upgrades, an elected school board and teacher bargaining all hang in the balance as B.C. waits for an election decision.
The Liberals campaigned on their education record, saying B.C. schools are among the best in the world. But they didn’t mention a six-week school strike in 2014 or a 15-year court battle won by the teachers last fall.
The NDP said they would provide $30 million a year for school supplies, as well as new technology, lab equipment, learning material and professional development for teachers.
The Greens, who may hold the balance of power, made some of the most ambitious promises — pledging to increase funding by $1.46 billion for education by 2020 and to provide 25 hours a week of education for preschoolers.
For Vancouver schools specifically, how the district will manage its space, education funding and the fate of school trustees loom large.
“There are a lot of things that feel like they are on pause,” said Rory Brown, president of the Vancouver Secondary Teachers’ Association. “We thought they were on pause until the election… [Now] we really feel like we are still in the writ period.”
As far as funding goes, it’s complicated.
The VSB was able to balance its budget this year, using some of a fund designed to pay for hiring teachers needed as a result of a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that reinstates 2002 rules on class size, class composition and specialist teacher numbers.
A possible $14.9-million budget shortfall was reduced to just $2.13 million, thanks in large part to that fund.
At first, the provincial government said VSB couldn’t use it to eliminate its deficit, but when asked a few days later, government couldn’t answer because the election writ had dropped.
“The changes to how the classroom enhancement fund could be used were very ambiguous and… the provincial government was changing the rules very quickly,” Brown said.
If the NDP-Greens are in charge, the rules may change yet again. If the Liberals form government, they will have to explain the budget shuffle.
When it comes to space, some schools — downtown or in the Cambie corridor — are so full they turned away neighbourhood kindergarten students. Other schools, in single family home areas, particularly on the east side, have lots of empty seats.
Last year, the VSB started a school-closure process that could have shuttered 12 schools, including Gladstone secondary, where more than 1,000 students attend class.
Suddenly, as heat from parents grew and the election loomed, the government removed a requirement that the VSB operate at 95-per-cent capacity. With that rule gone, the VSB decided to keep all of its schools open.
But now, school closures could be back on the table. Obviously, no party campaigned on a promise to close schools, but the challenges of excess space, tight budgets and the need to make schools safe in an earthquake remain.
The VSB has been operating without elected trustees since last fall when the board was fired for failing to pass a balanced budget.
In the months since, two investigations have found that trustees bullied VSB staff. One report said staff felt “attacked, humiliated and devalued” when hard questions were asked in public during the school closure process. The bullying was also linked to the dysfunctional dynamics of the board, which was split with four Vision trustees, four NPA trustees and a Green trustee holding the balance of power. (Sound familiar?)
The NDP and the Green party have said they want an elected board at VSB, while the Liberals, under former education minister Mike Bernier, said the official trustee would be in place a minimum of one year.
Brown says teachers want clarity on who will be running the VSB and the ministry of education.
“We need to know to move forward in the district. We needed to have an answer on May 9. Now we’re going to be waiting for those nine votes in Courtney-Comox,” Brown said.
Those nine votes could decide the fate of the province for the next four years. Whoever comes out ahead, much is at stake for students, parents and teachers.
Tracy Sherlock writes about education and social issues. Contact her at [email protected].
