ADULT students who attend English language classes at Lucas Centre will be shuffled to night school at Carson Graham secondary and not the Balmoral campus, the North Vancouver Board of Education decided last week.
The fate of adult education at Lucas Centre has been up in the air for some time. The board decided May 22 to move the Lucas programs for secondary students to the Balmoral campus as part of the board's plan to consolidate all alternative programs. But the decision not to move adult classes to Balmoral came after a public outcry from the school's neighbours in early May. Area residents had concerns about parking and traffic congestion, said school district superintendent John Lewis.
School board trustees had nothing but kind words to say about Lucas Centre, which offers English language classes for adults, many of whom are immigrants. Currently 200 adults are enrolled in the courses.
But the board ultimately decided the $350,000 it would cost to keep the centre open would be better spent elsewhere.
Trustees Susan Skinner and Barry Fowler voted against the motion, saying they would rather see the classes continue at Lucas Centre. "It takes a village to create literacy," said Skinner, referring to the efforts of the Lucas Centre staff to create a supportive community for vulnerable immigrants. "Can we put a cost on the disruption to these families?"
The four options on the table included keeping the classes at Lucas Centre at a cost of $350,000, offering night school classes at Carson Graham at a cost of $250,000 and not offering adult language courses at all.
The board went for option three, a version of the night school choice in which fewer seats will be available, saving the school district $100,000. The night school courses will be offered starting in September 2012.
While Lucas Centre currently offers classes during the day, the new classes will run from 4: 30 to 7 p.m. The new timeslot concerned trustee Cyndi Gerlach, who pointed out that many of the adult students at Lucas Centre are mothers with young children who find it more convenient to attend daytime classes.
Skinner was also concerned that parents and students at Carson Graham secondary had not been consulted about the night school.
The school district is also facing funding issues with the K-12 adult education classes. It was already subsidizing the program to the tune of $200,000 a year, but recent changes to the way the ministry of education funds adult education has further strained the school district's ability to offer the classes, said Lewis. The ministry will now hold back 25 per cent of the funding for adults until the students have successfully completed their course, and plans to hold back 50 per cent of the funding starting next year.
Other options have recently opened up for adults who want to improve their English. The province announced in April that it would start funding students to take English language classes offered by colleges and universities.
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