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Our family is frustrated & demoralized tonight.
10+ years ago we chose a downtown Vancouver home specifically to start a family literally right across the street from where the new Crosstown Elementary school was to be built.
Across the street.
Now they won’t let him go there.
10+ years ago we chose a downtown Vancouver home specifically to start a family literally right across the street from where the new Crosstown Elementary school was to be built.
Across the street.
Now they won’t let him go there.
The downtown school across the street from us has a large catchment area, & other badly-needed schools serving the growing downtown kid population still haven’t been green-lighted. So the massive demand for Kindergarden spots was subject to a random lottery.
Our little boy lost.
Our little boy lost.
So instead of walking across the street to the school our little boy sees from his window, we’ll have to commute out of the downtown every day to school. Or ironically consider a private school that’s a close walk.
Bad for us. Bad for the public interest. Bad school planning.
Bad for us. Bad for the public interest. Bad school planning.
So our family planned EVERY home & work decision smartly (we’re both city planners) to avoid anything but short ACTIVE commutes, in a neighbourhood where city planning gives SPECIFIC priority to family-supporting design & amenities...
but school board planning continues to fail.
but school board planning continues to fail.
As I’ve been saying for decades before I had my own kids, we continuously UNDERESTIMATE the importance of school board planning & government school funding models on EVERYTHING we envision relating to complete communities, “15-minute cities,” walkable/multi-modal mobility etc.
We had big plans to participate in the school, & had built a shared community with fellow parents during the daycare years (maybe half will get spots) — feels like we’ve lost the foundation of our community. Like our school closed. But it didn’t. We’ll see it every single day.
READ THIS: I’ve been fighting for urban places that are good for families since LONG before I myself became a parent. In this interview with @drvox in @voxdotcom, I explain everything an urban neighbourhood needs, including the key importance of schools. https://www.vox.com/2017/6/21/15815524/toderian-families-cities
“If you already have a child in the school, you’re assured entry, as siblings get priority. If you don’t, you could live right across the street & still not get in.”
I know.
@pattibacchus in the @georgiastraight on “Vancouver’s Kindergarden crapshoot.”
https://www.straight.com/news/1323006/patti-bacchus-vancouvers-kindergarten-crapshoot
I know.
@pattibacchus in the @georgiastraight on “Vancouver’s Kindergarden crapshoot.”
https://www.straight.com/news/1323006/patti-bacchus-vancouvers-kindergarten-crapshoot
We got the news our son had been rejected, wasn't one of the lucky ones. We had a 10-year family strategy based on this school across the street. It felt like the school had closed. But it didn’t close. It’s just closed to us.
My @CTVVancouver interview: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/we-re-having-a-lottery-to-get-into-kindergarten-vancouver-kids-shut-out-of-new-downtown-school-1.4820950
My @CTVVancouver interview: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/we-re-having-a-lottery-to-get-into-kindergarten-vancouver-kids-shut-out-of-new-downtown-school-1.4820950
To transform the way we plan & budget for local schools, we need to think like smart cities think about public transit — NOT as just another public cost. They are INVESTMENTS that CREATE PUBLIC VALUE, & not only SERVE growth & communities, but also SHAPE growth & communities.
Local schools are critical for more walkable, healthy, sustainable neighbourhoods with less traffic, GHG’s & pollution. They’re also the bedrock of our sense of “community,” & a key centre of social life for kids AND parents. Watch my @cbcnewsbc interview:
The funding model from the province for building new urban schools continues to be broken. Urban schools don’t have the same flexibility suburban ones have to use portables. We need new schools, & in the meantime “urban portables.” My @NEWS1130 interview: https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/02/20/the-school-isnt-closed-but-its-closed-to-us-parents-frustrated-by-vancouvers-kindergarten-lottery/
What’s an “urban portable?” With vertical urban schools there isn’t the land to plop a portable down. As I’ve said in every media interview this week, find available office space or shopping mall space nearby to lease. For Crosstown Elementary, Tinseltown Mall is right next door.
If you think the school capacity situation means we shouldn’t have added more people living downtown — dead wrong. There are DOZENS of vital public interest reasons to add people downtown, including the kind of tax generation that MORE than justifies PROACTIVE school investment.
A response to #Vancouver’s downtown school capacity situation from my predecessor as Chief Planner, & original crafter of the downtown “Living First” Strategy. @LBeasleyyvr also calls for rapid construction of the 2 additional planned central area schools. https://twitter.com/lbeasleyyvr/status/1231756791471579136?s=21 https://twitter.com/LBeasleyyvr/status/1231756791471579136
“Last year, there were initially 269 kindergarten kids waitlisted at their catchment schools. In September, 115 children started kindergarten at a school outside their catchment area.” My @DailyHiveVan interview on downtown Vancouver schools. Read thread: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/crosstown-elementary-full
“For Toderian, the economic benefits of families living downtown far outweigh the costs of building new schools. The closer people live to their workplaces, the more economic benefits, like lower transport costs & better public health...” v/ @VanCourierNews https://www.vancourier.com/opinion/opinion-too-much-talk-not-enough-action-as-vancouver-schools-fill-to-capacity-1.24088273
“There needs to be a fundamental rethink of schools in urban settings.” — my conversation with @alexbozikovic in @globeandmail. Fixing #Vancouver’s urban & suburban school imbalance will take real, creative change. THAT will take SUSTAINED public pressure. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-downtown-crowding-and-empty-chairs-fixing-vancouvers-school/
My friend (& excellent urbanist) @jacobisonit took over Halifax school board planning a few years ago. In urban contexts his team is leasing commercial space, partnering on modular portable innovation, & using traditional portables.
Take note, @VSB39 & @Rob_Fleming. #innovation.
Take note, @VSB39 & @Rob_Fleming. #innovation.
