--- title: "Put Students First at Vancouver School Board: the COPE plan | Vancouver 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/parties/cope/2026-platform/put-students-first/put-students-first-at-vancouver-school-board" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:00:29.512Z" meta: description: "COPE's School Board candidates would create a universal meal program for all VSB students, fund school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison..." "og:description": "COPE's School Board candidates would create a universal meal program for all VSB students, fund school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison..." "og:title": "Put Students First at Vancouver School Board: the COPE plan | Vancouver 2026" "twitter:description": "COPE's School Board candidates would create a universal meal program for all VSB students, fund school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison..." "twitter:title": "Put Students First at Vancouver School Board: the COPE plan | Vancouver 2026" --- ** COPE · Vancouver 2026 # COPE at the School Board: universal meals, counsellors in schools, open meetings COPE's School Board candidates would create a universal meal program for all VSB students, fund school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison officers, reverse cuts to student support programs and keep school land public. They would live-stream board meetings and take public questions. All 23 commitments [Read pages 20 to 21 of the PDF ](https://www.votecope.ca/s/Fight-For-Vancouver-COPE-2026-Platform-t7yf.pdf#page=20) [**12**Candidates](https://voche.me/parties/cope/candidates) [**9/10**Issues with published policy](https://voche.me/parties/cope/platform) [**7**Sources on file](https://voche.me/parties/cope/money) **9**Questions answered PUT STUDENTS FIRST AT VANCOUVER SCHOOL BOARD · PAGES 20 TO 21 ## Put Students First at Vancouver School Board: what the Fight for Vancouver says Section 3.7 of COPE's platform is its School Board platform, written for its candidates for Vancouver School Board trustee. COPE says classrooms and services for students come first. It would create a universal meal program for every VSB student, use school buildings for child care, arts, sports and school gardens, and reverse what it calls ABC and Vancouver Liberal cuts to programs for vulnerable students, naming the safe and caring schools program and the Britannia hockey academy. COPE would fund school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison officers, the Vancouver police officers who work in public schools. It would promote inclusive and safe schools, fund inclusive education for students with different learning needs, bring Indigenous teaching practices into school programs and adopt the BC Human Rights Commission's recommendations on racism, as the platform names them. It would also push back against attacks on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education. The party describes public education as a public service for everyone, including people with no children in school. On governance, COPE would hold open, moderated, live-streamed board meetings that take public questions, along with town halls and participatory budgeting, and would hold fewer private meetings. It would treat school land as public land and stop selling it to cover budget shortfalls. It would also oppose public money going to elite private schools; the platform's chart says one such school charges $37,000+ in tuition and receives $3,000,000+ a year in public funds. The School Board runs Vancouver public schools and approves the district budget, so it controls meetings, programs and the use of its buildings. School funding, class size money and grants to independent schools all come from the Province. For those items, including seismic upgrades and new schools, the board can only ask. A School Board decision needs a majority of the trustees, so COPE trustees would need support from others on the board. THE PARTY'S NUMBERS ## Figures in this chapter **$37,000+** Tuition the platform's chart gives for one elite private school it names (St. Georges) The party's figure, page 21 **$3,000,000+** Yearly public subsidy the platform's chart gives for that school The party's figure, page 21 **$666,758** Yearly property tax exemption the platform's chart gives for that school in 2025 The party's figure, page 21 23 COMMITMENTS ## What the party says it would do 1. ### Put classrooms and services for students first COPE would make classrooms and services for students the first priority.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board approves the district budget and decides how it is spent.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
2. ### A universal school meal program The party would create a universal school meal program for all VSB students.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board runs the schools where meals would be served, while school funding is set by the Province.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
3. ### Use school buildings for child care, arts, sports and gardens COPE would use school facilities for before and after-school child care, for arts and sports programs for children and youth, and for school gardens.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board controls the use of its own buildings and grounds. Child care licensing is provincial.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
4. ### Reverse cuts to programs for vulnerable students The party would reverse what it calls ABC and Vancouver Liberal cuts to programs that support vulnerable students, such as the safe and caring schools program and the Britannia hockey academy.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board decides which programs the district budget pays for.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
5. ### Support arts and recreation for students COPE would support arts and recreation programs at VSB, including music and band, sports and recreation, theatre, and other extracurricular activities that let students build skills and express themselves.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board decides which programs its schools offer.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
6. ### Push the Province to repair, replace and build schools To promote environmental safety in schools, the party would demand that the provincial government provide more funding and approve faster builds for schools that need repair or replacement, and for neighbourhoods that need new schools.
Who has the power
Province Money for building and repairing schools comes from the Province, so the board can only ask.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
7. ### Renewable energy in new school buildings COPE would require renewable energy sources in all new school buildings and major renovations.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board plans its own building projects, while the money for them comes from the Province.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
8. ### An urgent plan for seismic and air-quality upgrades The party would put in place an urgent action plan for seismic upgrades, which protect buildings in earthquakes, and air-quality upgrades in schools.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board can set the plan and the order of work, while the money for upgrades comes from the Province.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
9. ### Fund mental health counsellors in place of school liaison officers COPE would put student safety and well-being first by funding school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison officers.
Who has the power
School Board The school liaison officer program is run jointly by the School Board and the Vancouver Police Department, and the board decides which staff its own budget pays for.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
10. ### Push the Province for more public school funding The party would push the Province for more public school funding, smaller class sizes, and tuition-free adult basic education (ABE) programs.
Who has the power
Province Public school funding and the funding formula are set by the Province, so the board can only ask.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
11. ### Treat school properties as public lands COPE would protect school properties as public lands and use them for public benefit, in place of selling them to cover budget shortfalls.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board owns its school sites and decides whether to keep them.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 20
12. ### Open, moderated, live-streamed board meetings To make the VSB more open and accountable, the party would hold open, moderated, live-streamed meetings that allow public questions.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board sets its own meeting rules.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
13. ### Town halls and participatory budgeting COPE would hold town halls, brainstorming sessions and participatory budget processes, in which the public helps decide spending.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board sets its own public consultation and budget process.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
14. ### Open oversight of the Superintendent The party would provide open and ongoing oversight of the Superintendent as the sole employee of the trustees.
Who has the power
School Board The trustees hire and oversee the Superintendent.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
15. ### Regular governance reviews COPE would review governance and operational policies regularly so that elected trustees are able to make decisions that improve public education.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board writes its own governance policies.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
16. ### Fewer private board meetings The party would hold fewer private board meetings.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board sets its own meeting rules.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
17. ### Oppose public funds for elite private schools COPE would fight against public education funds going to elite private schools. The platform says public funding for private schools is rising while working-class students face program cuts and school closures.
Who has the power
Province Grants to independent schools are paid by the Province at 50% or 35% of the local public school rate, so the board can only object.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
18. ### Inclusive, equitable and safe schools The party would make schools where every student can thrive by promoting inclusive, equitable, accepting and safe school environments for everyone.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board sets policy for its own schools.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
19. ### Properly fund inclusive education COPE would properly fund inclusive education for students with diverse learning needs.
Who has the power
School Board The board decides how it spends its budget, but most of that money comes through the provincial funding formula.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
20. ### Indigenous educational practices The party would bring Indigenous educational practices into school programs.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board decides how programs are delivered in its schools.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
21. ### Act on human rights recommendations on racism COPE would adopt recommendations from the BC Human Rights Commission, as the platform names it, to respond to and fight racism in schools.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board can adopt policies for its own schools.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
22. ### Defend SOGI education The party would push back against attacks on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education in schools.
Who has the power
School Board The School Board sets policy for its own schools.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
23. ### Align special education funding with needs COPE would align special education funding with identified needs, including per-student funding for students with learning disabilities and students who need moderate behavioural support.
Who has the power
Province Per-student funding comes through the provincial funding formula, so the board can only ask for changes to it.
Source
Fight for Vancouver, page 21
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT ## Where the power sits for this chapter School Board19 Province4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ## Questions about put students first at vancouver school board
What would COPE do at the Vancouver School Board? COPE says its trustees would put classrooms first, create a universal meal program for all VSB students, fund mental health counsellors in place of school liaison officers, reverse cuts to programs for vulnerable students and keep school land public (platform, page 20).
Does COPE want police out of Vancouver schools? COPE would fund school mental health counsellors in place of school liaison officers, the Vancouver police officers who work in public schools under a program run jointly with the School Board. The platform says this puts student safety and well-being first (platform, page 20).
Does COPE support free school meals at VSB? Yes. COPE would create a universal school meal program for all VSB students. Its platform also calls for a universal breakfast and lunch program in its section on groceries (platform, pages 14 and 20).
What does COPE say about private school funding? COPE would fight against public education funds going to elite private schools. The Province pays grants to some independent schools at 50% or 35% of the local public school rate, so the School Board can only object (platform, page 21).
Would COPE live-stream Vancouver School Board meetings? Yes. COPE would hold open, moderated, live-streamed meetings that allow public questions, hold fewer private meetings, and add town halls and participatory budgeting (platform, page 21).
Can the Vancouver School Board fund smaller classes on its own? School funding and the funding formula are set by the Province. COPE says it would push the Province for more public school funding, smaller class sizes and tuition-free adult basic education (platform, page 20).
Does COPE support SOGI in Vancouver schools? Yes. COPE says it would push back against attacks on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education in schools and promote inclusive, safe school environments (platform, page 21).
ON THE BALLOT ## The COPE candidates behind this ### School Board [304**Suzie Mah**Ballot 304 · Vancouver School Board trustee](https://voche.me/candidates/suzie-mah) [314**Melanie Cheng**Ballot 314](https://voche.me/candidates/melanie-cheng) [323**Derrick O'Keefe**Ballot 323](https://voche.me/candidates/derrick-o-keefe) [324**Gwen Giesbrecht**Ballot 324](https://voche.me/candidates/gwen-giesbrecht) ## Sources Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it. 1. [Fight for Vancouver: COPE 2026 Platform (PDF) ](https://www.votecope.ca/s/Fight-For-Vancouver-COPE-2026-Platform-t7yf.pdf#page=20)SAYS SO ITSELFCOPE · pages 20 to 21 · checked September 30, 2026 2. [Independent school funding ](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/program-management/independent-schools/funding)Province of British Columbia · checked September 30, 2026 3. [Vancouver Police Finally Reveal Names of School Liaison Officers ](https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/11/17/Vancouver-Police-Reveal-Names-School-Liaison-Officers/)The Tyee · checked September 30, 2026 ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.