VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – What could vacant classrooms at your child’s school be used for? That’s what the Vancouver School Board is asking, and it’s open to suggestions. 

Deputy Superintendent Jordan Tinney claims right now, the district has about 340 more classrooms than they need. It’s tough to keep schools open if they’re half empty, so he wants to know how you would you fill them.

“What if there was a dental clinic on site? What if there was a medical clinic on site? What if there were social services, in some respect, on site? What other core components of serving the community might a school provide, beyond just educating children?” asks Tinney.

Artists’ space, or a seniors’ drop-in centre are among the other ideas being floated.

Tinney admits renting or leasing the space could bring some much-needed money to the district. Commercial and housing development may be considered on some properties.

Anne Montgomery, a parent at General Brock Elementary, is open to some of those options.  

“The likelihood of commercial ventures that are used some of the American cities, like a pub or a hotel.. it’s not going to happen in these schools. However, that said, maybe a small coffee shop attached to a daycare,” she suggests.

Tinney looks to an example from California, where a school was re-purposed as an Urban Farm Centre.

“This has… a teaching kitchen, it has a produce market, it has a vegetable garden, it has all the cooking facilities and the preparation facilities,” he explains. “So, what was once a school, is now… I wouldn’t say a shadow of a school… it’s just a smaller version. There are only a few classes offered, and they’re specifically around food preparation and sustainability.”

Montgomery thinks there are even more possibilities for non-school properties owned by the district. They currently have many parcels being used for administrative offices and maintenance facilities.

The public can give their thoughts on the ideas at open houses which started Tuesday at Eric Hamber Secondary; others are scheduled for Kitsilano today, and Brittania next Tuesday.  

The school board is titling their facilities review “Our Future.” More details on the possibilities, and an opportunity to provide online feedback to the board can be found here.