Frustrated families worry much-needed Olympic Village school faces new hurdles

Parents already scrambling because of the school space crunch in Vancouver's core are worried the provincial government is moving the goalposts on its promise to build a new school in Olympic Village.

According to Vancouver School Board planning documents, the Ministry of Education has requested a long-term investment plan from the board to further outline its spending priorities.  

"The District is being requested to work with the Ministry to develop a long-term investment plan which incorporates the recently approved Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP) information, seismic priorities, partnerships, public use of facilities and enrolment changes in communities, including Olympic Village," said the VSB.

The VSB documents note the long-term investment plan is a new demand, and no other school district in the province has been asked to do the same.

Olympic Village resident and school advocate Lisa McAllister said it's frustrating to hear another step is being added to the funding process.

'More hoops'

"It seems like the province is requiring the VSB to jump through more hoops that didn't exist previously and don't exist for other districts," she said. 

"It's just really disappointing for the hundreds of families who are going through this school stress in the downtown and surrounding area."

McAllister has spent the last year homeschooling her daughter after they lost out in the kindergarten lottery and wound up 50th on the wait-list to get into catchment school Simon Fraser Elementary. 

Olympic Village was built on former industrial land to house athletes during the 2010 Olympic Games. Its highrises are home to about 10,000 people. 

In an email to CBC, the Ministry of Education said, "the VSB is the only district being asked to submit a long-term investment plan to reflect information from their new LRFP, which will allow us to prioritize future projects that provide the best benefit for students in the community."

Both Vancouver-Fairview MLA George Heyman and Vancouver-False Creek MLA Brenda Bailey campaigned on the promise the NDP would "move quickly to build a new school in Olympic Village" if elected in 2020.

Bailey said she understands the frustration of parents in her riding, but believes a long-term investment plan will get "everyone pulling in the same direction."

"It helps us focus on what Vancouver really needs," said Bailey. "There was a long time where schools were not being funded to the level they needed to be, so the pressure on Vancouver schools is really, really strong."

False Creek resident Carly Carson said the crisis in area schools is consistently driving out young working families who moved to the community to embrace car-free, city living.

"We lost our neighbours last year to Nanaimo after their child was very last on the wait-list to get into False Creek [Elementary School.] Two weeks before school started, they pulled the plug on Vancouver and moved," said Carson.

"The government promised a school would be built [in Olympic Village] and the fact that it hasn't been funded is just so discouraging for families." 

The Ministry of Education said the government is committed to providing a long-term solution for Olympic Village families to send their children to a nearby school.

In an email, the Vancouver School Board said an Olympic Village school remains the first priority of its school expansion program.

In February, the City of Vancouver and VSB announced they were poised to sign a 99-year ground lease for the empty lot at 161 Columbia Street in Olympic Village, which was first identified in 2007 as a potential school site.