Olympic Village & Southeast False Creek Updates Discussion

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

What about that article disproves what I'm saying?

It proves my point. The VSB was put in the difficult spot of closing the school and the parents sued them.

Enrollment estimates are notoriously bad. The City is going to grow but school aged kids will decline?

What part of "an entire school dedicated to seventy students" makes the closure unnecessary? They're literally ten minutes away from Lord Kitchener, Southlands and/or QE proper - that's three other schools in the only part of Vancouver with negative population growth - but they'd rather have the VSB waste resources keeping it alive?

Again, they were arguing about its usefulness or lack thereof since I was in school - $300k/year over two decades could have easily paid for a lot of other stuff the VSB wants to do. Sometimes the projections are right on the money and it's just entitled suburban parents wasting the budget.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

What part of "an entire school dedicated to seventy students" makes the closure unnecessary? They're literally ten minutes away from Lord Kitchener, Southlands and/or QE proper - that's three other schools in the only part of Vancouver with negative population growth - but they'd rather have the VSB waste resources keeping it alive?

Again, they were arguing about its usefulness or lack thereof since I was in school - $300k/year over two decades could have easily paid for a lot of other stuff the VSB wants to do. Sometimes the projections are right on the money and it's just entitled suburban parents wasting the budget.

"Unnecessary" is a matter of money.

What I'm saying is the Province forces the VSB to do this before they'll think of funding the OV school. They make the VSB the bad guy in front of the parents.

These 70 parents now need to take their kids further, much like the 70 or so parents that don't get into a catchment school.

We aren't short one school, we're short several. Crosstown, immediately full. Coal Harbour will be immediately full when it opens. Henry Hudson will be full when Senakw starts occupancy if not further. Olympic Village will be immediately full.

The Province is dragging their feet on about half a dozen schools in Vancouver alone because the VSB isn't closing one school with 70 kids?

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

These 70 parents now need to take their kids further, much like the 70 or so parents that don't get into a catchment school.

Like I said, three other public schools (and several private ones) all around them. It's not like Dunbar's short of options or money.

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

The Province is dragging their feet on about half a dozen schools in Vancouver alone because the VSB isn't closing one school with 70 kids?

One example among many. Some schools should remain open, but maybe others shouldn't, and maybe the ones that shouldn't are hogging chunks of budget which could go to the unbuilt ones. It's not a coincidence that all the seismic upgrades have so far been for all the West Side schools; can't help but be reminded of how TransLink is forced to detour to this random strip mall or keep those useless stops/routes or study that dumb idea because of certain special interests.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

"Unnecessary" is a matter of money.

What I'm saying is the Province forces the VSB to do this before they'll think of funding the OV school. They make the VSB the bad guy in front of the parents.

These 70 parents now need to take their kids further, much like the 70 or so parents that don't get into a catchment school.

We aren't short one school, we're short several. Crosstown, immediately full. Coal Harbour will be immediately full when it opens. Henry Hudson will be full when Senakw starts occupancy if not further. Olympic Village will be immediately full.

The Province is dragging their feet on about half a dozen schools in Vancouver alone because the VSB isn't closing one school with 70 kids?

It's not one school - it's just an example.

In 2021 Vancouver schools had room for 57,989 students. "While the overall population of Vancouver has increased, Vancouver schools have experienced a decline in enrolment since 1997. In 2011 kindergarten to Grade 12 enrolment was 51,758 students and in 2021 the enrolment was 47,386." Enrolment was slightly up in 2022 over 2021, and again in 2023.

The quote is from a VSB report on enrolement, and here's the data on west side schools.



Birth rates are still falling, and while population growth from the Broadway Plan, Senakw etc will add people, they may not add a lot of children, (especially as Senakw doesn't have to match City guidelines on family housing, so has a higher proportion of studio and 1-bed units).

Until VSB sorts out how to reduce some of those under utilized spaces to something lower, it's unlikely that a provincial government will put much more money into new Vancouver schools after OV and the extra classrooms in the rebuilt Henry Hudson. The priority should probably be to finish the seismic program - over 25% of school spaces in the city are still at risk of collapse in a moderate earthquake.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

It's not a coincidence that all the seismic upgrades have so far been for all the West Side schools

No - there are more fully upgraded or rebuilt on the east side than the west side. Here's the 2023 map of completed projects. Here's the current program.

[WarrenC12]

So QEA's problem is that it's too small? Only 71 students but 72% capacity and "stable" for future predictions. Even the report quoted shows enrollment bottomed out in 2019 and was rising again and predicted to be at least flat for the foreseeable future.

Maybe you can understand why those families feel like they are being singled out.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

So QEA's problem is that it's too small? Only 71 students but 72% capacity and "stable" for future predictions. Even the report quoted shows enrollment bottomed out in 2019 and was rising again and predicted to be at least flat for the foreseeable future.

Maybe you can understand why those families feel like they are being singled out.

IMO it has been a hypocrisy thing. Vote for efficiency for thee, but not for me. Feel entitled to boutique level services for me, but deny even Costco services to others.

[officedweller]

Archetype

From Lawrence Black twitter today:


https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV/...30466179715114


https://twitter.com/LawrenceBlackTV/...30466179715114