E-mail:

Dec. 7, 2008

To all:

Please see the attached letter to Vancouver School Board trustees and staff, which outlines the PAC's concerns about the Seismic Mitigation process.  As we hear more about the process, the more it gives us concern.  Before we get to the stage that the Gordon PAC finds themselves in - presented with 3 options, none of which seems to truly meet the needs of the community - we wish to call for a review of the planning process that should precede any discussion of school facility options.

We are available to meet with you to discuss the planning process for the renewal of the school.


Marina Niks
PAC Vice Chair

James Burton
School Renewal Chair

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Letter attached to above e-mail:

Kitsilano Parent Advisory Council c/o Kitsilano Secondary School 2550 West Tenth Avenue Vancouver B.C. Canada V6K 2J6 2007 – 8 Elected PAC Officers: PAC Vice Chair Marina Niks Treasurer Megan Swail DPAC rep Jacqueline Stoekler-Shivonen Contact us: E-Mail: kitspac@hotmail.com http://kitsilano.vsb.bc.ca/Parents/

Kitsilano Secondary School Parent Advisory Council Friday December 6^th, 2007 VSB Trustee for Kitsilano Secondary: Shirley Wong shirley.wong@vsb.bc.ca VSB Trustee: Ken Denike ken.denike@vsb.bc.ca VSB Superintendent: Chris Kelly ckelly@vsb.bc.ca VSB Manager of Planning and Facilities: Henry Ahking hahking@vsb.bc.ca VSB DPAC rep. on the Planning and Facilities Committee: Steven Baker steven.baker@vsb.bc.ca VSB Secretary Treasurer, member of MoE Seismic Mitigation Program Advisory Committee: Brenda Ng bng@vsb.bc.ca On December 4th, the PAC Executive held a general meeting to consider, among other things, the ongoing seismic mitigation process for Kitsilano Secondary School. The attendees agreed that it would be premature for the Vancouver School Board to invite comments on seismic mitigation options for Kits at the upcoming Open House slated for January 2008. We heard from parents of Gordon School that the Gordon PAC was asked to respond to development options for the school site without the benefit of a community-needs planning exercise. The pattern for consultation with the Kits PAC appears to be on a similar path, and we wish to head it off now. A vital piece of the school planning exercise is missing: no comprehensive community-needs analysis has been done for the Kitsilano community in preparation for considering seismic mitigation options for Kitsilano Secondary School. Kits is a vital neighbourhood school whose near-100 year history qualifies it for careful consideration. To succeed, a plan for the school's renewal must recognize its integral place across communities of interest, developed in concert with City of Vancouver initiatives and goals for the neighbourhood. We request that any meeting focused on options be postponed until all stakeholders are afforded genuine participation in that preparatory analysis. The Kits PAC expects that the VSB would welcome a thorough community-wide needs-analysis process before options are discussed, and would also welcome the PAC’s effort to make the community consultation an inclusive process. Thank you. ______________________________ _______________________________ James Burton Marina Niks Kitsilano Secondary School Renewal Chair Kitsilano Secondary School PAC Vice-Chair Cc: Alex Grant, Principal, Kitsilano Secondary School agrant@vsb.bc.ca Kitsilano area school PACs Kitsilano Community Centre kitscc@vancouver.ca Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation: Korina Houghton korina.houghton@vancouver.ca City of Vancouver Planning Staff : Yardley McNeill yardley.mcneill@vancouver.ca James Boldt james.boldt@vancouver.ca Honourable Gordon Campbell, MLA: gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Education shirley.bond.mla@leg.bc.ca