2006-07 background: After losing the Jeffrey Moore court case re North Van School District's failure to adequately serve a a student with learning disabilities, Education Minister Shirley Bond had to consider a response to comply with the court ruling, which in essence was that cost cannot excuse denial of needed supports. Her Deputy, Emery Dosdall meets privately with individual parents and groups fed up with special ed failures in the public system after a decade of cuts and inflexibility, to explore interest in creating their own specialized schools as a solution. Proponents approach the Vancouver School Board (VSB) about using empty or low-enrolment schools to house these special schools. Meanwhile, broader discussions are also underway in
Feb 13, 2007 Throne Speech: First public reference to provincial schools: "Amendments will be introduced to broaden the Education Minister's capacity to create provincial schools and offer more choice in learning. Provincial schools will offer new choices in curricula, new course content, and new demonstration schools better tailored to unique student needs."
Further: "Your government pledged to use underutilized school spaces as public spaces to deliver on public priorities. It will work with boards to better manage capital planning across all school districts. A new process will be put in place to ensure that schools or school lands are used for their highest and best use for maximum public benefit."
Feb. 16:
March 1: Georgia Straight: "Lack of pupils may close schools" announces that following an unexpected sharp enrolment drop in 2006/07, the VSB has too many underutilized schools. NPA Trustee Don Lee is quoted on options to avoid school closures: "...other possibilities include renting out facilities, using space jointly for daycare, and running classes for special-needs students in cooperation with nonprofit groups."
March 1:
(Note: behind the scenes, it emerges that this proposal is for a sister school to the existing
March 4: Christy Clark pitches her special school on CKNW and in the Province. The
March 5:
March 12: VSB's Special Ed Advisory Committee (SEAC) submits a budget brief documenting erosion of VSB's special ed services over five years, nixing provincial schools and urging VSB to work to restore services and find solutions for students who are being ill-served within its own public schools.
March 14: Deputy Minister of Education, Emery Dosdall, tells Provincial Education Advisory Committee partner groups that Minister Bond "floated" the idea of provincial demonstration schools after hearing from parents who want special autism programs. He sees up to 4 schools being established soon: autism, technology and environment. they would run independently of Districts initially, to test out different methodologies and pedagogies.
March 14: Ministry staff meet privately with VSB to discuss using available school space to house a provincial school for special needs opening in September 2007.
March 16: Canadian Press: "Groups call for minister to scrap disabled school idea" Special Ed advocacy groups and BCTF send open letter to Minister Bond denouncing the idea and urging inclusive solutions that meet the full range of special needs in public schools.
March 16: Ministry holds a hastily-called meeting with 20-odd handpicked autism parents/reps to discuss benefits, attributes and challenges of a provincial school for autism. Ministry staff explain the School Act currently has provisions for 4 governance models: public school boards, independent, home school and provincial schools. Formerly used for the old segregated special schools, this model is currently not used, but would provide the framework for new provincial demonstration schools that operate independently from School Boards, reporting directly to the Minister, perhaps with parent-run boards and non-union staffing. The reason is to offer more choice--the concept itself is not up for debate; the meeting is solely for input on "what" and "how" to do it. A request for a show of hands to indicate support for this model was rejected, but by the end of the meeting, major concerns were clear. One parent rep (me) was not permitted to convey the concerns I'd been asked to express on behalf of parents, so I outlined those in an open letter to the Minister and in a committee presentation to VSB (see Courier: March 28 "Meeting to discuss model school leaves parents of special needs students worried").
March 23: CBC: "10,000 empty desks in Vancouver" VSB launches a major facilities review, citing a report that claims Vancouver has 10,000 empty spaces and will need to consider closing schools, though not before 2008. The VSB Chair, NPA Trustee
March 24: CKNW: "Special schools - good or bad?" Vancouver COPE trustees call for full public consultation into plans for a province-run school for special needs students. Minister Bond says plans are still preliminary, she hasn't yet set up a full consultation process, but she plans to consult the public. She adds the model schools could also be used for technology and trades-intensive education.
March 26: Minister Bond introduces Bill 20 to amend the School Act, stating that "the legislation will broaden the Minister's capacity to consider creating provincial demonstration schools. The schools will provide students and parents with more choice and help B.C. develop the best educational practices that can then be shared with other schools throughout the province."
The current School Act states: Section 168 (2): "The Minister may make orders for the purpose of carrying out any of the minister's powers, duties or functions under this Act and, without restriction, may make orders... (f) establishing and causing to be operated Provincial resource programs and Provincial schools in
The proposed amendment in Bill 20 simply deletes the clause in bold, thereby allowing such schools to be used for any purpose.
April 2: Metro News: "VSB mulls autistic school". Under pressure from parents and district partner groups, VSB trustees unanimously pass two motions calling for more information and a full consultation by the province and at the local board before any such model school is approved.
April 4:
April 4: Courier:"VSB considering plan to school aboriginals separately" VSB reveals the Province is also proposing a segregated school for Aboriginal students, to open in September 2007. It calls for a separate school in a separate school building that would operate outside the governance of school boards. VSB hopes to be involved in the process, but cannot prevent the province from setting up models schools in the city.
April 10 - 17: VSB predicts another major enrolment decline for the coming school year and announces another round of budget cuts - $6 million - for 2007/08, largely targeting teachers and staff who support special needs, ESL and Aboriginal students. The VSB argues it has no choice but parent groups and SEAC argue that special needs enrolment is rising, that special ed has been cut for five years despite growing special needs enrolment and that the proposed cuts disproportionately target vulnerable groups, thus opening the District to litigation.
April 23: Minister Bond introduces Bill 20 for Second Reading in the provincial Legislature
April 26:
May 2:
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