Britannia School fights to keep classrooms open

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Students, parents, teachers and staff of Britannia Secondary are gearing up to fight for their education as the Vancouver School Board (VSB) prepares to close up to 12 schools to save costs.

VSB estimates it would save at least $8.2 million by closing a few schools.

Save Britannia Committee chair Mike Evans says his group is meeting with school board trustees individually and want the board to understand the harm they would do to the East Vancouver community if the 108-year-old, historically multicultural school is closed.

“It’s also located in a low-income area and traditionally that part of our population isn’t heard as loudly as the upper middle class is,” he says.

VSB says they must comply with the Ministry of Education’s requirement for schools to have at least 95 per cent enrolment rates, and while Britannia’s enrollment is down, Evans says they don’t want to sacrifice one-on-one time with high-risk kids in the low-income neighbourhood.

“If you’ve got kids who struggle and are vulnerable, you don’t need a big school. The ideal is to have a small school, smaller classes, and more support,” he says.

Evans points to the City of Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodland Community Plan which expects to see up to 10,000 more people in the immediate area, including families who will need schools.

Britannia also provides International Baccalaureate courses, Evans says, and getting rid of the program would put otherwise motivated kids into less challenging classes or force them to travel great distances to go to school.

Evans suggests Mayor Gregor Robertson use the city’s budget surplus to fund schools in need, however cities cannot contribute direct funding to the provincially funded education system.

“Schools are in the city, the hearts of the neighbourhood’s and yet it’s odd to me that civic politicians, don’t intervene in the school system,” Evans says.

The school will host a rally at 6 p.m. on Sept. 8 at Aristino’s Ballroom.

VSB will narrow its decision on Sept. 15, with the final decision coming down in December after public consultation in October and November. The schools would close before the start of the 2017 school year.

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