In the opinion of the Special Advisory Committee on Cultural Communities, these cuts will not only result in a devastating effect on the thousands of students and families who rely on these resources but will set Vancouver Public School education back decades. The Committee has grave concerns that the short term solution proposed by the Vancouver School Board will lead to very long term problems.
Education is more than reading, writing and arithmetic.
The City of Vancouver and its School Board have been proudly regarded as a model with progressive innovative programs stressing values that enhance the social and multicultural fabric of our city. The City needs more, not less pro active education programs aimed to contribute to more inclusive and harmonious inter relationships between all cultural groups. The highest quality of education and standards developed from the benefits of the professional input into these programs so vital to the well being of the City must not be put into jeopardy. The educational system can not work in a vacuum. We fear that the Vancouver School Board's short term solution to deal with its financial problems will leave our City vulnerable to increased fragmenting amongst various communities, the potential of increased proliferating of youth gangs and subsequent increase in crime.