Protesters target education cuts, stadium expenses: Child calls potential cuts unacceptable
Naoibh O'Connor, Vancouver Courier
April 21, 2010

… The rally site on East Hastings by the PNE highlighted the millions being sunk into a new roof for B.C. Place and construction of a temporary stadium at Hastings Park, while the school district faces a severe funding shortfall. "Students before stadiums" read some of the signs.

The band's music underscored the prospect of the district's elementary band and strings program being eliminated to help offset the $18 million shortfall. Shannon McLaren, an 11-year-old protester, fears that option. "Band is something that's really important to me. It's not acceptable that they want to cut what I love. I'm not an athlete, so music is where I find my joy," said the Grade 6 Hastings elementary student.

McLaren is equally worried about cuts to the district's counselling program--her father died when she was six and she used its services. Preliminary budget proposals envision reducing the number of area counselling positions from 30 to 23.

… Students from several other Vancouver schools joined the protest, including Eloise Haliburton and Mikaela Haeusser from Tecumseh elementary. They're enrolled in a multi-age cluster class, known as MACC, which is part of the district's gifted learners program.

The board is considering consolidating five multi-age cluster classes into four and cutting a full-time teacher from the challenge support centre at Brock elementary. The two girls are worried.

"It's not right that they're doing this. The ministers couldn't have got the jobs they have now if they hadn't got a good education," said 12-year-old Haliburton, carrying a "MACC matters" sign.

"Personally, I think it's a really important issue. If we don't speak up for ourselves, who'll speak for us?" added 13-year-old Haeusser.

Varied protest signs highlighted the breadth of proposed cuts, including, Save the Brock Challenge Centre: Invest in Children, Sauvez nos ecoles, Save our Band, and J'aime ma bibliotheque, along with those with general messages such as Schools First, Cut the Crap not the Kids and Hey Premier, leave those kids alone….