DPAC and Public Education Advocacy Update
(as reported to January 25 Hudson PAC meeting)
There are several items to let parents know about, from both DPAC and the Parent Advocacy Network (PAN).
First, two dates to save:
Monday February 06 – 7:00 p.m. at SFU Woodwards, 149 West Hastings Street – the Public Education Network Society (PENS) is hosting an in-depth discussion on public education with a panel of speakers from PENS, Families Against Cuts to Education BC, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and PAN. The panel and participants will discuss public education, its current state and its future and how we can renew and focus on what is needed. All are welcome! This may be good preparation for informed questions to candidates in the provincial election campaign which is almost upon us.
Thursday February 09 – DPAC citywide workshop, Building Resiliance and “Saving Mother” — 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium at Sir Charles Tupper Secondary, 419 East 24th Avenue. The Vancouver DPAC executive invites all parents and guardians of children to this participatory workshop exploring First Nations’ experiences held by Crystal Smith and Jolene Andrew. It will feature a Fringe Festival play called “Saving Mother” which aims to bring about awareness and create change.
Second, an information resource:
PAN and FACE BC have together posted an explanation of the Supreme Court’s decision in the BCTF case, its consequences, and how it relates to the ongoing concerns with regard to the underfunding of public education in BC.
Take a read – http://www.panvancouver.ca/news/supreme-court-of-canadas-decision-in-the-bctf-case. As a result of the decision, the Vancouver School Board has received an additional $4.4 million in funding from the Province for additional teaching resources throughout the district this year. For details about how Hudson will be affected, please contact Principal Cannon.
Last, three opportunities for parent input:
1) The Ministry of Education is gathering input from parents across B.C. of children in Kindergarten to Grade 9 on report cards. There are two ways to participate: 1) by completing a parent feedback form either online or by printing a hard copy that can be completed and returned by mail, or 2) attending a community open house – the closest one to us will be Wednesday February 08 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Cambie Elementary, 4151 Jacombs Road in Richmond.
The parent feedback form will be open for response until February 28, at 4 p.m. and can be found at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/yourkidsprogress/en/home/?WT_cg_n=HootSuite
All of the input that is submitted will be summarized into an Engagement Summary Report, which will be published this June.
2) DPAC is in discussion with the Ministry of Education re the possibility of a meeting between the DPAC executive and Education Minister Mike Bernier to discuss concerns of Vancouver parents. DPAC will be circulating a survey to parents in the coming weeks to help prioritize issues; I’ll get this out to Hudson parents once it is ready.
3) DPAC is also interested in hearing parent feedback re the BC Hydro proposal. Here are the details from the DPAC blog:
The Vancouver School Board has informed the Vancouver DPAC of a proposal made by BC Hydro to build two new underground substations and decommission older power substations in the downtown area. One of the proposed locations for a new substation is the current location of Lord Roberts Annex. In consideration for allowing the new substation to be built there, BC Hydro has proposed to fund the construction of a school at Coal Harbour with a suggested capacity of 300 students. The Coal Harbour school would be completed in 2020, at which time Lord Roberts Annex would be closed and the catchment boundaries would be redrawn to reflect the dual changes. Following the closure of Lord Roberts Annex, construction would begin on the new substation. Upon its completion, a new school would also be funded by BC Hydro and constructed above ground on the same site. This new school would be completed in 2025 with a suggested capacity of 500 students.
The benefits of this plan are the guaranteed financing of two new primary schools in the downtown area resulting in increased enrollment capacity.
Possible concerns include the disruption of having the catchment boundaries changed frequently, any health and safety risks to children and staff of having a school built over an underground substation, and whether accepting funding from another entity (whether public or private) is a priori acceptable.
To learn more about the project, including dates and times of four community open houses between now and the end of February, see BC Hydro’s website at https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/seed.html.
The VSB timeline for public consultation and decision making can be seen at:
https://www.vsb.bc.ca/district-news/bc-hydro-proposal-use-lord-roberts-annex-land-new-substation
Feedback via the BC Hydro site is open until February 28. DPAC is also interested in hearing parent opinions and concerns and articulating them to the VSB – if you have comments for DPAC (or feedback on any of the above items), please let me (Alan Patola Moosmann, Henry Hudson rep to DPAC, apatola@telus.net) know and I will pass them on!
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We are the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) of a public elementary school located in the heart of Vancouver, BC.