A committee representing parents from Dr. A.R. Lord elementary school is concerned that a flawed methodology for calculating capacity utilization may lead to the school’s closure.
The East Side school located across the street from the Hastings Community Centre is one of 12 schools targeted for possible closure next year to achieve a district-wide average capacity utilization of 95 per cent -- a ministry target for the district to receive funding for much-needed seismic upgrades.
Lisa Patterson, a parent and Save A.R. Lord committee member, said the Vancouver School Board’s calculation of the school’s capacity is skewed, making the school appear “empty” when it’s not.
A.R. Lord’s 2015 capacity utilization was assessed at 43 per cent, when in fact, Patterson said, the accurate capacity is 75 per cent.
“When I come to pick up my kids at 3 p.m., I can barely walk down the hall because it’s overrun with kids. I can assure you, there’s no way our school is half empty. There’s something seriously wrong with their methodology,” she said.
A secondary building on A.R. Lord’s property, used for the last five years by Templeton secondary school for two of its alternative programs, was counted in A.R. Lord’s capacity.
In addition, a computer lab, music room, and a reading room for at-risk children were also counted as “empty” classrooms.
To arrive at the 43 per cent capacity estimate, the VSB counted the Templeton outbuilding and the three other rooms as part of the school’s “capacity” to hold students.
The formula to calculate a school’s capacity, agreed upon by the Ministry of Education and the school board, is outlined in the VSB’s Long Range Facilities Plan report released in May 2016.
The Save A.R. Lord committee has compiled a fact sheet on capacity calculations for the school.
Patterson said enrolment at A.R. Lord has been steadily increasing; they expect the school will be at 97 per cent capacity in three years.
The committee has been writing letters to the school board and the education ministry, but hasn’t received a positive response yet.
School board trustee Patti Bacchus said the calculations done by VSB staff are based on the ministry’s formulas for utilization.
“The ministry requires us to count all spaces — even spaces we have leased out. All of those are considered in the capacity calculation,” Bacchus said.
Bacchus said she received the committee’s letters and shares its concern about how the Ministry of Education considers space utilization.
“I absolutely agree with the parents that rooms used for art, special education or as computer labs should not be counted as empty classrooms the way the ministry currently does,” Bacchus said.
“It’s a way, in my opinion, for the ministry to force school closures on us.”
The VSB passed a motion emphasizing the 95 per cent capacity rule is a ministry target and “did not reflect the values and goals of the board.” However, the board is required by the ministry to show how they can arrive at an average of 95 per cent space utilization in order to access more funding for seismic upgrades.
Bacchus added that A.R. Lord’s fate isn’t sealed yet — VSB staff will be working through the summer to provide reports on space allocation, building conditions, enrolment projections and other factors to consider.
“When we go back to our meetings in September, we’ll be looking at further staff reports on whether or not we should proceed with the closure of any of the 12 schools that were listed in June,” she said.
This story has been revised since first published.
@RumanaDsouza
