Richmond

Richmond parents warn of strains on Education System

The Richmond District Parents Association has issued a news release stating that the district’s Fall 2010 report on class size and composition highlights the increasing strain on our school system due to diminishing resources. The Vancouver Sun’s Education blog has a brief report and link to the parents’ statement. Read more

Richmond Board challenges Minister on funding

In an open letter copied to the BCSTA, local MLAs and local media, the Richmond Board of Education has taken the Education Minister to task for misleading the public by not giving out the full story on underfunding of public education. Read the board’s letter

Richmond approves revised calendar to cut costs

At its May 17 public meeting, the Richmond Board of Education approved a revised school calendar with a 2-week spring break to cut costs. Read the announcement

Richmond approves budget cutting 94 positions

 At a public meeting on April 19, the Richmond Board of Education voted to cut 94 fulltime positions to offset a $6 million funding shortfall.

More News articles

Richmond News: Vote your conscience, trustees

Tracy Sherlock, Richmond News

April 30, 2010

Our children’s education is taking a whopping hit and it appears no one is ready to stand up and fight for proper funding of education.

School trustees don’t appear able to fight. Richmond school trustee Donna Sargent said that if they didn’t pass the budget, the Ministry of Education might simply sack them and install a “puppet” trustee who would do their bidding.

Retired teacher Jim Rollins and educational assistant Linda Brooks urged the trustees to not pass the budget, but in the end, they did. Read more

Richmond News: Mom fears for her son’s future, safety

Alan Campbell

April 20, 2010

Like many kids his age, seven-year-old Ryan Yamada loves dancing, soccer and gadgets.

But the Grade 1 boy requires constant attention at school and drifts off into another world within seconds of his classroom educational assistant’s (EA) attention being diverted to another special needs student.

If he’s not supervised during playtime, there’s every chance he’ll run off if he sees a dog in the distance or…Read more

Vancouver Sun: Letter to the Editor

Giles Slade, Richmond

April 26, 2010

About 1,000 people demonstrated last week against job cuts in B.C. schools.

With significant cuts to schools’ staff, there’s solid public sentiment that our education budget hasn’t kept pace with municipal school board needs and that the $112 million of additional funding now allocated to prop up the public school system isn’t enough to sustain an acceptable system. Read more

Richmond News: It’s a sad day for students: trustee

April 21, 2010

Nelson Bennett, Richmond News

One Richmond school trustee was reduced to tears and two others pushed to acts of defiance Monday night, as the Richmond Board of Education approved nearly 100 job cuts as part of a $6-million budget reduction.

“I think today we are seeing student achievement decline in Richmond and it’s a sad day,” trustee Donna Sargent said just before breaking into tears. Read more

Richmond Review: School job cuts could affect 300 staff

April 20, 2010

Martin van den Hemel – Richmond Review

Some 200 teachers, parents and school support staff turned up at J.N. Burnett Secondary on Monday night as trustees voted to axe some 94 positions that could affect as many as 300 people.

The cuts were necessary to address a $5.89 million budget shortfall, and brings the total cuts over the past two years to more than $13 million. Read more

CTV News: Richmond School Board cuts almost 100 jobs

April 17, 2010

The Richmond School Board has axed 94 jobs from next year’s budget in order to deal with a $6-million budget shortfall.

 Eliminated positions include 15 educational assistants, 18 learning resource teachers, 11 custodians, eight teacher-librarians, five elementary school band program positions and 10 on-call teachers and staff.

 Board members are also mulling other cost-cutting measures, including extending the district’s one-week spring break to two.

 The board blames the book-tightening on a lack of funding from the province. Read report

News 1130: Big cuts coming to Richmond School District

April 16, 2010

RICHMOND (NEWS1130) – Richmond’s school district is expected to cut about 100 jobs in a budget to be released tonight.

The Richmond school board has had to move its meeting to Burnett Secondary school, expecting a lot of angry parents, students and teachers to show up. It’s too late for any last-minute appeals, but they can still ask questions. The meeting starts at 7pm. Read article

Richmond News: Venue switched to Burnett for expected crowd: budget cuts made public

April 14, 2010

A budget containing the elimination of roughly 100 positions in the Richmond school district will be made public Friday and will be set Monday.

And while it will be too late for parents, teachers, students or anyone else affected by the cuts to make any last-ditch appeals, they will have a chance to ask questions at a special meeting Monday.

The school board is moving its regular board meeting to Burnett secondary school in anticipation of a large turnout. Read article

Vancouver Sun: Pink slips for 100 Richmond staff to arrive at end of the month

April 3, 2010

Nelson Bennet, Richmond News

One hundred teachers, education assistants, administrators and other school staff in Richmond will start receiving pink slips at the end of April.

“These are bad,” Richmond school trustee Donna Sargent said at a press conference this week. “These are bad, bad cuts.”

“It will affect our service delivery and we have been very vocal about that,” added school board chairwoman Linda McPhail.

Richmond school officials have been warning for months that a shortfall in provincial government funding would result in layoffs, but were only able to arrive at a firm number this week. The shortfall for the 2010-11 year is estimated to be $6 million. Read article

Richmong Review: School district deficit could near $8 million

17 March 2010

Martin van den Hemel – Richmond Review

Richmond school trustees will have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks as it appears the district’s deficit will be in the range of $7 to $8 million, sources have told The Richmond Review.

While Richmond board of education chair Linda McPhail said Wednesday morning that district staff don’t have an estimate on the deficit after receiving numbers from the province on Monday, Surrey has already released its estimated deficit figure: $12 million. Read more

Richmond Review: Teachers fret about Budget 2010 

2 March 2010

Martin van den Hemel – Richmond Review

Richmond educators, school staff and trustees will have their TVs and radios tuned to a news station on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m., when the provincial budget is expected to be announced.

And with word that an “austerity” budget is on the way, that likely means bad news for teachers and school staff as boards of education throughout the Lower Mainland are already bracing for massive budgetary deficits for the 2010/11 school year. Read article

Updates

April 2010: Richmond to lay off 100 staff to help address $6 million budget crisis (see April 3 story under News articles below.)

Jan. 2010: Richmond’s District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) is sounding the alarm about a 5 to 9 million dollar funding shortfall in that district.

Contact Richmond MLAs

MLA Rob Howard, Richmond Centre (BC Liberal)

  • E-mail: rob.howard.mla@leg.bc.ca
  • Constituency office: 300 – 8120 Granville Ave, Richmond, V6Y 1P3, Telephone 604 775-0754

MLA Linda Reid, Richmond East (BC Liberal)

  • Email: linda.reid.mla@leg.bc.ca
  • Constituency office: 130 – 8040 Garden City Rd, Richmond, V6Y 2N9, telephone 604 775-0891

MLA John Yap, Richmond Steveston (BC Liberal)

  • Email: john.yap.mla@leg.bc.ca
  • Constituency office: 115 – 4011 Bayview St, Richmond, V6E 0A4, telephone: 604 241-8452