Vancouver School Board claims cash crisis
Sep. 10 2009
ctvbc.ca

The Vancouver School Board predicts it will fall $25 million in debt by the end of next year if the provincial government does not fully fund public education and reinstate its annual facilities grant.

At an emergency meeting Wednesday night, trustees passed a series of resolutions urging the province to fund the school districts so B.C. schools can afford everything from H1N1 control to seismic upgrades….

Among the resolutions passed, the VSB is asking for the province to restore all cancelled or reduced grants, fund increased employee MSP premiums, and fully fund all-day kindergarten. It's also asking to grant partial Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) rebates to school districts.

"This is not really the way we want to be starting a school year," school board chair Patti Bacchus said.

Big changes…

The VSB was hit hard Tuesday by news gaming grants to Parent Advisory Councils would be slashed by 50 per cent -- a funding reduction of $500,000….

Parents will be expected to dig deeper to pay for supplies, field trips and sporting events, as a result.

"Parents are burnt out. We're tired of bake sales to fundraise for the simplest things, when there is so much money being thrown at the Olympics," Julianne Doctor of the Vancouver Parent Advisory Council said.

"And we're struggling just to make sure there is going to be soap and water in the washrooms."

District parent advisory councils are asking citizens to complain to their elected officials about the cuts.