OneCity on the VSB: open meetings, protected arts and music, AI limits in schools
OneCity's School Board candidates say they would open board meetings with oral question periods, reverse recent cuts to arts, music, physical education and libraries, support Indigenous language learning, press the Province on special education, expand mental health services and limit AI chatbots to Grades 10 to 12.
BETTER SCHOOLS
Governance, School Programs and Student Supports: what the Our Plans says
The last part of OneCity's Better Schools plan, released on September 29, 2026, is about how the Vancouver School Board runs and what students get in class. The candidates say they would bring back public participation and openness at the board table. On governance, they would open meetings to the public, add chances for input such as oral question and comment periods, and publish information early. On programs, they would reverse recent cuts, set minimum service standards, and protect arts, music, physical education and school libraries as core parts of public education.
Two items concern particular students. The party would work with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) on Indigenous language learning, land-based education, culturally safe supports and accountability for results. For students with disabilities, it would press the Province on staffing, funding and training for educators. It would also expand mental health and substance use services in schools through a district-wide strategy. The page attaches no cost or date to any of these items.
On artificial intelligence, the party calls its approach harm reduction centred on learners: safeguards, AI literacy, privacy protection and age limits, with chatbot access limited to Grades 10 to 12. The party says human relationships and supervision would stay available at all times. The board sets these rules itself. The Province sets the funding formula the district budget depends on, which limits how far the board can restore programs.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Grades OneCity would limit AI chatbot access to
The party's figure6 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Transparent & Accountable Governance at the Board Table
OneCity would restore public participation, openness and democratic accountability at the VSB by opening meetings to the public, adding chances for input such as oral question and comment periods, and publishing information early and in public.
- Who has the power
- School Board The Board of Education sets its own meeting rules and public consultation.
Protected School Programs
The party would reverse recent cuts, set minimum service standards, and protect arts, music, physical education and school libraries as core parts of public education.
- Who has the power
- School Board The board approves the district budget, though the Province sets the funding formula that the budget depends on.
Indigenous Student Success Through Language & Culture
OneCity would work with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) to strengthen Indigenous language learning, Indigenous-led land-based education, culturally safe student supports and accountability for Indigenous student success.
- Who has the power
- School Board The School Board sets programs in its own schools and can work directly with the three Nations.
Staffed & Funded Supports for Kids with Disabilities
The party would focus its advocacy on the Province to improve staffing, funding allocation and professional development for educators who support students with disabilities.
- Who has the power
- Province The party itself frames this as advocacy, because the Province sets the funding formula for schools.
Expanded Mental Health & Substance Use Prevention
OneCity would expand school-based mental health and substance use services, strengthen prevention and early intervention, and improve partnerships with families, health providers and community groups through a district-wide strategy.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The School Board runs services in its schools, while health services are provincial.
A Nuanced and Cautious Approach to AI in Schools
The party would adopt what it calls a learner-centred harm reduction approach to AI, with new safeguards, AI literacy education, privacy protection and age-appropriate access limits. It would seek to limit AI chatbot access to Grades 10 to 12, with human relationships and supervision always available.
- Who has the power
- School Board The School Board can set rules for technology use in its own schools.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about governance, school programs and student supports
What is OneCity's policy on AI in Vancouver schools?
OneCity says it would adopt a learner-centred harm reduction approach to AI, with safeguards, AI literacy education, privacy protection and age limits. It would seek to limit AI chatbot access to Grades 10 to 12 (OneCity Better Schools plan, September 29, 2026).
Would OneCity restore music and arts programs in VSB schools?
Yes. OneCity says it would reverse recent cuts, set minimum service standards, and protect arts, music, physical education and school libraries as core parts of public education (OneCity Better Schools plan, September 29, 2026).
How would OneCity change Vancouver School Board meetings?
OneCity's candidates say they would open meetings to the public, add chances for input such as oral question and comment periods, and publish information early and in public (OneCity Better Schools plan, September 29, 2026).
What would OneCity do for students with disabilities?
OneCity says it would focus advocacy on the Province to improve staffing, funding and training for educators who support students with disabilities. The Province sets school funding, so the board can only ask (OneCity Better Schools plan).
Can the School Board restore cut programs on its own?
The board approves its own budget and can choose which programs to protect, as OneCity proposes. The Province sets teacher pay and the funding formula the budget depends on, so the board can only spend within those limits (OneCity Better Schools plan).
What does OneCity propose for student mental health?
OneCity would expand school-based mental health and substance use services, strengthen prevention and early intervention, and work more closely with families, health providers and community groups through a district-wide strategy (OneCity Better Schools plan, September 29, 2026).
ON THE BALLOT
The OneCity candidates behind this
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.
- OneCity's School Board Team Announces Better Schools: A Plan to Harness the Power of the VSB to Build More Childcare, Community Centres, and Homes SAYS SO ITSELFOneCity · published · checked