Vancouver School Board

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Vancouver School Board
Location
1580 West Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
District information
Superintendent	Suzanne Hoffman
Schools	119
Budget	$392 million
Students and staff
Students	56,567
Teachers	~1,600
Other information
Website	www.vsb.bc.ca

The Vancouver School Board (VSB; officially School District 39 Vancouver) is a school district based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A board of nine trustees normally manages this district that serves the city of Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands.

Demographics[]

The Vancouver school district is a large, urban and multicultural school district. As of 2019, the district provides programs to 54,000 students in kindergarten to grade 12, as well as over 2,000 adults in adult education programs.^[1]

In 2014, there were 1,473 international students in Vancouver public schools.^[2]

Seismic upgrading[]

The Ministry of Education launched a seismic upgrading program in March 2005 to upgrade schools all over British Columbia. The program is quoted to cost a total of $1.5 billion. The following schools in the Vancouver School Board are supported to proceed with seismic mitigation in 2015: Killarney Secondary, David Thompson Secondary, Maple Grove Elementary, Lord Tennyson Elementary, Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary, Eric Hamber Secondary, Point Grey Secondary, Renfrew Community Elementary, Sir Alexander MacKenzie Elementary, Waverley Elementary, Edith Cavell Elementary, Prince of Wales Secondary, Templeton Secondary, General Wolf Elementary, David Lloyd George Elementary, and Bayview Community Elementary.^[3]

Elementary schools[]

David Lloyd George Elementary School[]

David Lloyd George Elementary School is an elementary school in the Marpole neighbourhood.^[4] It holds approximately 427 students in grades K through 7.^[5] The school opened in 1921 and was named after David Lloyd George, the British prime minister from 1916 to 1922. The sports teams are called the DLG Hornets and wear blue. The school motto is "Remember the Four B's. Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Ready to Learn, Be Respectful."

David Oppenheimer Elementary School[]

David Oppenheimer Elementary School opened in 1959 and was named after one of the early mayors of the city, David Oppenheimer.^[6] It is located at 2421 Scarboro Avenue, at the intersection with Nanaimo Street in the Victoria-Fraserview neighbourhood. As of 2016, the current school principal is Rosie Finch; the school's sports teams are called the Orcas.^[7]

General Gordon Elementary School[]

General Gordon Elementary School is an elementary school that opened in 1912. It was named for British general Charles George Gordon, who was killed at Khartoum in January 1885. It is located at 2268 Bayswater Street, at the intersection with West 6th Avenue in Kitsilano. In September 2008, it was selected as one of three schools in a pilot provincially supported "Neighbourhoods of Learning" program.^[8]

Lord Tennyson Elementary School[]

Lord Tennyson Elementary School is a French immersion school opened in 1912, and was named after 19th-century British poet Alfred Tennyson, The 1st Baron Tennyson. It is located at 1936 West 10th Avenue, near Broadway and Burrard Street. As of 2015, the current school principal is Claudette Alain. Lord Tennyson is a feeder school for the nearby Kitsilano Secondary School, where graduates can continue their education in French Immersion.

Nootka Elementary School[]

Nootka Elementary School opened in 1959 as Lord Beaconsfield Annex, but a growing student population led to school status being granted in 1963.^[9][10] It is located at 3375 Nootka Street, near Renfrew Street. As of 2016, the current school principal is Monika Sanft and the Vice-principal is Megan Davies.^[11]

Queen Alexandra Elementary School[]

Queen Alexandra Elementary School opened in 1909 and was named for Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII. It is located at 1300 East Broadway, at the intersection with Clark Drive.^[12] It is near Vancouver Community College's Broadway campus, and is easily accessible from VCC–Clark station and Commercial–Broadway station on the SkyTrain. As of 2018, the current school principal is John MacCormack. TransLink BC has 3 routes servicing the school. The 9, the 22, and the 99 B-Line. The school has a population of 180 students from Grades K to 7. The school has been on the chopping block twice. The first time being in 2010 due to low enrolment levels. The second time being in late 2015–2016 due to the VSBs funding shortfall.

Queen Mary Elementary School[]

Queen Mary Elementary School opened in 1915. It is located at 2000 Trimble Street, at the intersection with 4th Avenue in the West Point Grey neighbourhood. As of 2020, the current school principal is Megan Davies.^[13] The school has a population of about 450 students from grade K-7. Queen Mary Elementary School is located close to Locarno beach and is upon a hill. It has two buildings, a gravel field and two playgrounds (one for upper school and one for lower school.) The main red building was a former Town Hall for the city of Vancouver. It is named for Queen Mary, the wife of George V.

Shaughnessy Elementary School[]

Shaughnessy Elementary School

Shaughnessy Elementary School opened in 1920 as Prince of Wales Elementary and Secondary School. In 1960, the current Prince of Wales Secondary School was opened nearby, and the school was renamed after the surrounding Shaughnessy neighbourhood. The school is located at 4250 Marguerite Street, near King Edward Avenue and Granville Street.

χpey̓ Elementary School[]

χpey̓ Elementary opened in 1906 as Sir William Macdonald Elementary School in honour of the Canadian tobacco manufacturer and major education philanthropist. Macdonald was unofficially rechristened "χpey̓" on October 24, 2017, following a 2-year VSB initiative to rename the school to better reflect "the Indigenous heritage and education history of the area" as well as "the District Aboriginal Focus School program".^[14][15] The name, which means "cedar" in the henqeminem dialect of the Musqueam nation, was nominated by Chief Wayne Sparrow and Musqueam council members.^[15] The change became official following a Musqueam renaming ceremony on June 1, 2018.^[16] Because of its low enrollment and high seismic risk, χpey̓ was shortlisted for closure in 2015, but Vancouver City Council elected to keep it open until at least 2020.^[17] χpey̓ is located at 1959 East Hastings Street in East Vancouver's Grandview-Woodland area, but since becoming a First Nations focus school in 2012, its catchment area has switched from local to district.^[16]

List of elementary annexes[]

Secondary schools[]

The VSB operates 18 secondary schools within Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands. Secondary schools in the district begin at Grade 8 and continue to Grade 12, where students graduate with their Dogwood Diploma.

Alternative program education sites[]

Special programs[]

• The University Transition Program is an early university entrance program that is located in University of British Columbia. Students of this program have access to most UBC facilities, and also possess UBC ID cards.
• TREK Outdoor Education Program
• International Baccalaureate programs at Britannia Secondary School and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School
• City School
• Aboriginal Education^[20]

Mini-schools[]

Mini schools are enriched programs for highly motivated students. Mini schools begin at grade 8, with approximately 500 total spots available. Each year over 1400 students apply for mini schools, with admission based on district assessment results, grade 6 and 7 report cards, applications, and interviews.^[21]

Mini schools in the district include:^[22]

• Britannia Hockey Academy
• Britannia Venture Program
• Byng Arts Mini School
• David Thompson Odyssey Program
• Gladstone Mini School
• Hamber Challenge Studio Program
• Ideal Mini School
• John Oliver Digital Immersion Mini School
• Killarney Mini School
• King George Mini School
• Magee SPARTS
• Point Grey Mini School
• Prince of Wales Mini School
• Synergy at Churchill
• Templeton Mini School
• Tupper Mini School
• Vancouver Technical Flex Humanities Program
• Vancouver Technical Summit Program
• Windermere Leadership

Transgender policy[]

In June 2014, the Vancouver School Board adopted a new policy regarding transgender children. It intends to support transgender and LGBTQ in allowing them be called by the name they identify with. They will also be able to use whichever washroom that they feel most comfortable in.^[23]

Board of Education[]

The Vancouver Board of Education is composed of nine elected trustees and a student trustee.^[24] Trustees of the Vancouver School Board are elected under an at-large system.

2018–present[]

As of November 2018, the trustees of the Vancouver School Board, listed by number of votes received during the 2018 Vancouver municipal election, are:

2017–2018[]

All positions on the school board were vacated on October 17, 2016, when the elected board was removed by provincial Education Minister Mike Bernier for failing to pass a balanced budget.^[26] A by-election was held on October 14, 2017, for all trustee seats. The trustees elected during that by-election, listed by number of votes received, were:

2014–2016[]

The trustees elected during the 2014 Vancouver municipal election served until they were removed by Education Minister Mike Bernier on October 17, 2016.^[26] Listed by number of votes received, they were:

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Vancouver School Board at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website