So here’s the deal, says the provincial government. The Vancouver School Board jacks up student capacity at its schools to 95 per cent by shutting down 21 or so schools, or the kids and school staff in the 69 seismically vulnerable buildings are at risk of being crunched when the big one hits.
Now, that wasn’t always the deal. Back in 2005 when Gordon Campbell was the Liberal premier, he said seismic upgrading of Vancouver’s schools would be complete by 2020. There were no strings attached.
Then Christy Clark became premier. She, by the way, was the Liberal education minister under Campbell who ripped up the teachers’ contract along with bargaining rights for class-size and composition, prompting a years-long legal battle that recently got the nod to make its way to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Clark appointed former Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender as her Minister of Education. Fassbender would later go on to do virtually nothing about the screwed up and undemocratic governance of TransLink during his time in charge of that organization.
But it was while Fassbender was still Minister of Education that he would change the deal on seismic upgrades. He would attach a string; some would say it was actually a rope the school board could use to hang itself by.
For one thing the date for completion would be extended another decade to 2030. And even that seems a bit wobbly now.
But, more importantly, he would tie money for the upgrades to the school board proving it had a 95 per cent enrolment level. Without teachers now able to push back on class size and composition at the bargaining table, it would be easier to insist school boards just pack the kids in any which way.
And, by the way, the capacity level of 95 per cent was never discussed with the board, let alone explained.
In fact, at Monday night’s Vancouver School Board meeting, where the board voted reluctantly to move forward with a plan, which over some 15 years might satisfy the province’s demands, the question was asked of David Nelson. Nelson was the board’s staff project leader of the “Long Range Facilities Plan.”
“I have,” he replied, “asked for clarification. But I have yet to receive their rationale behind that.”
What we do know is that classrooms, including six at Gladstone secondary school, are considered vacant classrooms, as are rooms used for art, music and computer instruction. Go figure.
Included in the plan is a staff proposal to “right-size” a number of vulnerable schools, particularly on the city’s East Side where buildings reflect a baby boom around the time they were constructed 50 or 60 years ago, but populations have since declined.
The proposal would have new, smaller schools built on the same school grounds before removing the old buildings. It would reduce capacity by about 1,000 seats. And it would mean that communities would not lose their schools.
It would also do something else. Seismically upgrading an old building would only make it “safe to exit.” Following a big enough shake, it would subsequently have to be demolished anyway. A new building would be most likely able to withstand the quake and still be usable.
But even if the board meets the province’s demands, it is most likely the Liberals will choose the cheaper upgrade route and not build a smaller replacement school.
In a moment of eloquence, Vision trustee Joy Alexander explained, with her 40 years of involvement with the Vancouver School Board, as a teacher and as a psychologist, what making the difficult decision and voting “yes” to the proposed plan would mean.
It would “interfere” with three dozen classrooms used for decades to teach art and music. It would devalue adult education, as well as special education, where classes are smaller. It would put childcare facilities at risk. They too are considered excess capacity by Victoria.
“I realize,” she said, “there is no sound educational reason for running a school district at 95 per cent.” But it seems it’s the only way to get funds for seismic upgrading. Without that capital “the children of Vancouver will remain in seismically unsafe schools even longer.”
Following the meeting, Green Party trustee Janet Fraser put it this way: “The ministry sets all the rules and has all the money.”
So that’s the deal.
@allengarr
