Here Are the Big Issues in Vancouver’s School Board Race

For voters wondering whether it’s worth the work to acquaint themselves with all the candidates and issues in this year’s Vancouver school board election, Carolyn Broady has a message.

“A good, strong public education system is at the centre of strong democracy,” said Broady, past president of the BC School Trustees Association, in an interview with The Tyee. 

Today’s students, she added, “are your future doctors, your lawyers, your elections, the people that are going to care for you in your future. And it’s really important to have a strong board in place, to actually support those children and families in your community.”

So even if you don’t have a child in school this is a chance to cast a vote that may affect your future. Deciding how is no simple task. But this article can help inform your choices.

This year there are nine Vancouver School Board trustee seats up for grabs, with 27 candidates in seven parties to choose from. Not to mention the independent candidates. And if you’re unsure of what a school trustee actually does, you’re not alone -- which is why The Tyee previously published this explainer.

Here are the main issues facing the Vancouver School Board and what the parties are promising.

QUAKE PROOFING AND DELAYED FIXES

Out of the 247 B.C. schools considered “future priorities” for seismic upgrading – meaning there are no plans to renovate or rebuild to be safe in an earthquake – Vancouver has the most schools, at 45.

Two of those schools have been closed. This leaves 43 schools, mostly elementaries, at risk of collapse in the event of a quake.

The school district says it will cost $1.4 billion to earthquake proof these schools – money the province will not provide before the district makes a business case for renovating or replacing each school.

The district has approximately $810 million in deferred maintenance costs, too. This includes everything from a working water boiler past its warranty, to a skipped paint job, delayed bathroom renovation, or a leaky roof.

This cost could be reduced through replacing or renovating the 43 schools. But the timeline to building a new or renovating an existing school is years long. And some of that maintenance needed to be done yesterday. 

So, what are the parties promising?

The platform for the incumbent ABC Vancouver, the party that won a majority of trustee seats in 2022 and is currently running seven trustee candidates, is silent on these issues. 

The Coalition of Progressive Electors or COPE, which is running four trustee candidates including incumbent Suzie Mah, is promising an “urgent action plan” for completing seismic and air quality upgrades. They will also mandate renewable energy resources in all renovations and new schools. 

The Vancouver Green Party, which has two trustees on the current school board, is running two new candidates. Current trustees Lois Chan-Pedley and Janet Fraser, who are not seeking re-election, faced criticism in the current term for frequently voting with ABC trustees.

The Greens are promising to put seismic upgrades at the top of the district’s capital priority list, and to lobby the provincial government to cover the costs. 

For maintenance and capital issues, the Greens will again lobby the province for long-term, sustainable and stable capital funding so they can plan multiple projects into the future. Instead of the current system where capital funding is considered on a project by project basis.

Long-term planning, the Greens say, means maintenance is dealt with as needed. The Greens will also collaborate with the city on capital projects where appropriate, and publicly report out on maintenance and capital needs.

Like COPE, the Greens want to improve school air quality, particularly during wildfire seasons, and control indoor temperature during extreme heat events.

OneCity, whose current sole trustee Jennifer Reddy is not seeking re-election, is running five trustee candidates. Their seismic-related proposal is to create a Tri-Board Facilities Coordination Table between the school board, park board and city council to track seismic upgrades, air quality and indoor temperatures.

OneCity is also focused on delivering new Britannia Secondary and Elementary schools. And they want to put solar panels on school roofs.

TEAM for a Liveable Vancouver, which is running just one trustee candidate, promises they will “demand” the province seismically upgrade the 43 remaining schools.

Vote Vancouver, running three trustee candidates, is a bit vague with their pledge to ensure “seismic renewal keeps pace with requirements for Vancouver’s high-risk seismic zone.”

Vote Vancouver’s trustees will push for an audit of elementary school grounds for current restrictions and upgrade needs; evaluate the costs of repair vs. replacement for maintenance and capital projects; hold community consultations on whether the coming Olympic Village Elementary should be  three or four storeys; and partner with the city and park board to improve facilities in high density and underserved neighbourhoods.

The Vancouver Liberals, running five school board candidates, are also promising to make seismic upgrades the top capital priority. They will “campaign relentlessly” for more funding. Like TEAM and ABC, the Vancouver Liberals are silent on maintenance issues.

Every party is promising to lobby the province for more school funding, after per-student funding was frozen at 2025/26 school year rates.

TEAM and ABC are promising to make sure Vancouver property tax dollars will go into Vancouver schools: that’s not how the provincial education funding formula works.

It was changed in 1990 from the prior model of school boards setting property taxes for school funding, because it favoured schools in wealthier, more populated regions. 

SUPPORTS FOR STRUGGLING STUDENTS

Almost seven years out from the COVID-era online schooling that isolated students from sickness and from their teachers and peers, the mental health impacts have not gone away. 

Nor have the other issues that cause kids and youth stress: social media’s impact on mental health and self-esteem; poisoned street drugs; worsening climate change; rising fascism; trying to get good grades; making and keeping friends; and meeting their parents' expectations.

The 2023 BC Adolescent Health Survey found nearly 20 per cent of young people could not access the mental health services they needed. A 2022 provincial NDP promise to put school counsellors in every public school remains unfulfilled.

At the same time, students with disabilities, particularly those who are neurodivergent, have behavioural issues or are developmentally different, continue to struggle to access supports in school. This includes school psychologists, who have years-long waitlists to assess a student for neurodivergence or a learning disorder.

People with disabilities remain more at risk of becoming victims of violence than being perpetrators. But B.C. teachers, especially in younger grades, are reporting high rates of violence from students whose support and education needs are not being met.

COPE is pledging to hire more school counsellors, and properly fund supports to ensure education is inclusive of all students. They promise to align per student funding with the actual cost of meeting their needs, though again the funding formula is a provincial responsibility.

ABC has no promises related to student mental health. But to meet the needs of disabled and neurodivergent students, they pledge to focus resources on teacher training and classroom and individualized supports for students. 

OneCity is promising a district strategy for mental health that strengthens school-based mental health and substance use services, and improves the districts’ partnerships with health providers, community organizations and parents. 

They also promise to lobby the province to improve staffing, funding and professional development to ensure there are enough teachers capable of supporting students with disabilities. 

TEAM doesn’t make pledges related to mental health supports. But they do promise to implement “inclusion policies” and track their outcomes for effectiveness. 

Vote Vancouver will advocate with the province for more funding for school counsellors and faster neurodivergence assessments. They promise to eliminate the gap between what supports are recommended in a student’s Individualized Education Program and their actual learning environment.

Vote Vancouver also promises to implement “executive function coaching, chunking assignments, sensory regulation, flexible learning demonstrations, and quiet testing environments.” And they will help families access the Disability Tax Credit for their kids. 

The Vancouver Liberals promise school counsellors and student well-being will be a “top budget priority”, and to lobby the province for the money to cover them. They will also protect “special needs, inclusion and learning supports” from budget cuts. 

The Greens are promising to lobby the education ministry for more per-student funding for mental health and disability support in schools, including more school counsellors. 

The Greens say they will improve physical accessibility in all new school builds. They will work to identify and fill in the gaps that prevent students from fully participating in school, as well as consider student accessibility in policies and programs from the beginning, not after implementation. 

The Greens, COPE, OneCity, Vote Vancouver and the Vancouver Liberals are all pledging some form of universal, nutritious school breakfast and lunch program.

The Greens, Vancouver Liberals, COPE and OneCity mention ideas for improving Indigenous students’ outcomes and Indigenous culture and ways of knowing education content in their party platforms. 

COPE has the least amount of detail, promising to “facilitate Indigenous education practices within school programming.” 

The Greens and COPE, meanwhile, are the only parties to mention support for LGBTQ2S+ students. While the Greens pledge welcoming and safe schools for LGBTQ2S+ students, COPE specifically addresses pushing back on attacks against the SOGI 123 program. 

SOGI 123, which stands for sexual orientation and gender identity, is an education ministry program providing optional, age- and curriculum-appropriate education resources for teachers that acknowledge and celebrate the existence of LGBTQ2S+ people. 

KEEPING OR CASHING IN SCHOOLS AND LAND

With a fluctuating overall student population, and changing neighbourhood demographics, the lease and sale of district schools and lands is a hot topic. 

The Vancouver School Board holds around $9.5 billion in real estate, including the land the Kingsgate Mall sits on. When budgets are continually strapped, the conversation about selling real estate for a short-term cash in is almost annual. 

The current school board has also clashed with parents upset at the prospect of closing a school, especially if new, family-friendly housing developments are promised nearby. 

ABC’s platform takes no position on the leasing or selling of school lands, or building new schools. However, they promise to work with the park board and province to open more childcare spaces and expand before- and after-school programs. Adding childcare to schools can justify keeping them open.

OneCity pledges to build a new school at the Kingsgate Mall site, part of a complex that will include childcare, before- and after-school care, a community centre and housing. They also promise to protect school district lands for future use. 

TEAM promises to reverse the closure of Sir Guy Carleton Elementary, as well as the lease of Fleming Elementary’s land and the disposal of Queen Elizabeth Annex. They will work with the city and province to ensure there are schools within walkable distance of every neighbourhood, and new schools are prioritized for new residential developments.  

TEAM also advocates for more childcare in schools, moving towards a district-wide three and four-year-old preschool program.  

The Greens promise to prioritize “lifelong learning” by supporting programs like “Strong Start, Ready Set Learn, and Welcome to Kindergarten,” as well as adult basic education, in schools. They will also expand after-school care programs. 

Greens don’t take a position on closing schools. But they do pledge to protect district property for long-term planning. And to work with the city to make sure school needs are considered in urban planning and land use decisions. 

Vote Vancouver will increase the utilization of schools for childcare programs outside of school hours and increase spaces in before- and after-school care programs. 

They take no position on closing, selling or leasing schools or school lands. But they do promise new housing developments will include access to public schools and childcare. 

Vancouver Liberals promise to open before- and after-school care in every school that can host it, and include childcare in every seismic upgrading rebuild. Liberals will prioritize an expansion of overcrowded schools, starting with King George Secondary.

As well, the Liberals pledge to work with the city and housing developers to ensure new housing means new schools or expanded schools can accommodate coming families. They will also work with the city and province to promote housing growth, and more funding for new schools. Finally the Liberals also promise to keep school lands in district hands. 

POLICE IN SCHOOLS

In 2022 ABC trustees were able to sweep the election, in part, because of their pledge to bring back the Vancouver Police Department’s School Liaison Officer program.

Dating back to the 1970s, Vancouver police officers were assigned to 17 of the district’s 18 secondary schools, and worked with their feeder elementaries. They filled roles like coaching sports teams, chaperoning field trips, delivering anti-drug education and liaising between police and the school – including on student discipline issues. 

In 2021 the Vancouver School Board opted to cancel the program, after public outcry about the program and district consultation showed that 60 per cent of Black respondents and half of Indigenous respondents had negative views of police in schools. 

All of this happened within the wake of increased public and media attention to the disproportionate police caused deaths of Black and Indigenous people in Canada and B.C. 

But the decision, and the consultation process that preceded it, were heavily criticized for lack of inclusion. Parents who supported police in schools for the perception that it kept their children safe wanted the program back, and voted for ABC trustees to make it happen.  

The program, which has been revamped to change the clothing police wear from uniforms to casual Vancouver Police Department-branded outfits, shrink and hide the weapons they carry, and change the cars they drive, was reintroduced to schools in September 2023. 

ABC has no platform position on the program, a 2022 promise they fulfilled. 

COPE promises to fund school mental health counsellors instead of School Liaison Officers. But while officers are provided with an office space, computer and internet at a school, it’s the Vancouver Police Department, not the school board, that pays for the program. 

OneCity does not mention the School Liaison Officer program, but they do promise an independent, organizational-wide review of the Vancouver Police Department. 

TEAM supports the program, as do the Vancouver Liberals. So does Vote Vancouver, with caveats: officers are out of uniform – which they already are – and paired with school counsellors, restorative justice programs and youth counsellors. 

As well, Vote Vancouver wants liaison officers to focus on early intervention and youth protection regarding drugs and gangs, but “avoid unnecessary criminalization” of students. 

The Greens, on the other hand, are calling for a review of the School Liaison Officer program and other school partnerships with police based on evidence – which the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner has been calling on the province to do so for years.

The Greens review will also consider student safety, community input and the board’s own education mandate. 

STUDENT AI USE

The Vancouver school board’s rollout of AI chatbot accounts for all students 13 and older began in late May and roused controversy. Although this was a district staff decision that the board did not vote on, parents who were opposed to the idea directed their ire over the poor communication and lack of consultation on the decision, at the board. ABC takes no position in their platform on the introduction of AI chatbots. TEAM, COPE and the Greens all promise to pause the chatbot accounts rollout until comprehensive consultations and reviews can take place.

COPE even pledges a district-wide technology audit “to create protocols and guidelines to address” risks, ranging from personal privacy and mental health protections, to environmental and education impacts.  

Vote Vancouver promises mandatory consultation with staff, students, teachers and parents before rolling out new AI tools. But it’s not clear whether that includes the current AI chatbot rollout. They would also establish clear AI usage guidelines for teachers. 

OneCity would limit chatbot accounts to students in Grades 10 to 12, take a harm reduction approach to any AI use for younger grades, and establish safeguards, AI literacy education, privacy protections and age appropriate access limits. 

The Vancouver Liberals will also create guidelines and parameters based on provincial and teachers’ union guidelines regarding privacy and data protection standards and age-appropriate access limits. 

Any expansion of AI use in schools will be subject to parent and teacher consultation before it happens. Teachers will be trained to use any AI tools before they are used in classrooms, as well.

TRANSPARENCY ABOUT DECISIONS

Much of the school board controversies on the ballot this year boil down to perhaps the biggest fight that underpins all non-funding issues in Vancouver’s public education system: the lack of adequate and transparent communication and consultation with the public.

A motion brought forward by current OneCity trustee Jennifer Reddy to make board meetings more transparent and accessible to the public was amended so beyond her recognition that she ended up voting against it.

ABC, whose majority on the board oversaw and supported many of these amendments, as well as an increase in the private meetings the board held, has no platform position on board transparency or community consultation.

COPE is promising fewer private board meetings, and more meetings that are open to in-person and online viewing. Parents would once again be able to ask the board questions during regular meetings, instead of the monthly delegation meetings they have been relegated to. COPE will also hold regular townhall-style meetings to “brainstorm” with the public.

OneCity pledges to build on Reddy’s original transparency motion, opening board and district standing committee meetings to in person public attendance. Committee meetings are not currently open to the public, and the online stream often ends when committees break out into discussion groups.