Vote Vancouver on school food, sports, arts and music programs
Vote Vancouver would expand school nutrition programs with the Vancouver School Board, add food literacy and school gardens, share the cost of food programs and partner with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. It would also protect arts, music and physical education from budget cuts.
EDUCATION · PAGE 26
School Nutrition, Sports and Arts: what the Policy Priorities says
Two items on Vote Vancouver's education list deal with what students eat and do outside core lessons. On food, the party says Council would work with the Vancouver School Board to expand school nutrition programs and narrow the funding gaps between schools. It would add food literacy, cooking classes and school and community gardens as part of one framework for food and nutrition standards in every school. It would set up a shared way to pay for school food programs, so the cost does not land only on the city budget, single schools or non-profits, and it names the Greater Vancouver Food Bank as a partner. It would also review the Nutritional Standards Guide to check that children get the food they need to learn.
The second item is wider access to sports, arts, music and other activities. The party wants children busy with physical, musical, artistic and technical activities instead of time alone on screens, and it would protect core arts, music, physical education and enrichment programs from budget cuts. The Board of Education approves the district budget and runs school programs, so it decides on the activities and on food programs inside schools. The party puts the food plan as a shared effort with Council and outside partners.
6 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Council and VSB to expand school nutrition
Vote Vancouver says Council would work with the VSB to expand school nutrition programs and reduce funding gaps between schools.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The platform names both Council and the School Board, so the program needs both to agree.
Food literacy, cooking and school gardens
The party would include food literacy, culinary education and school and community gardens as one framework for universal food and nutrition standards.
- Who has the power
- School Board What schools teach and grow on their grounds is decided by the school district.
Shared costs for school food
Vote Vancouver would develop sustainable cost-sharing for food security funding, instead of passing it straight to city budgets, single schools or non-profit groups, and partner with groups such as the Greater Vancouver Food Bank to support school nutrition programs.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Cost-sharing needs agreement between the School Board, the city and the outside groups the platform names.
Review of the Nutritional Standards Guide
The party would review the Nutritional Standards Guide to make sure children get the right nourishment for learning.
- Who has the power
- School Board The board can review the food standards it applies in its own schools.
Activities in place of screen time
Vote Vancouver would expand access to sports, arts, music and extracurricular programs to keep children engaged in physical, musical, artistic and technical skill-building activities instead of unsupervised screen time.
- Who has the power
- School Board School programs and activities are run by the school district.
Protect arts, music and PE from cuts
The party would protect core arts, music, physical education and enrichment programs from budget cuts.
- Who has the power
- School Board The Board of Education approves the district budget, within the funding the Province provides.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about school nutrition, sports and arts
Does Vote Vancouver support school lunch programs?
Yes. Vote Vancouver says Council would work with the Vancouver School Board to expand school nutrition programs and reduce funding gaps between schools (Policy Priorities, page 26).
Who would pay for school food under Vote Vancouver's plan?
The party would set up shared funding for school food programs, so the cost does not fall only on city budgets, single schools or non-profits. It names the Greater Vancouver Food Bank as a partner (Policy Priorities, page 26).
Would Vote Vancouver protect music and arts in schools?
The party would protect core arts, music, physical education and enrichment programs from budget cuts, and expand access to sports, arts and music programs (Policy Priorities, page 26).
Does Vote Vancouver want school gardens?
Vote Vancouver would add food literacy, cooking classes and school and community gardens as part of a framework for universal food and nutrition standards (Policy Priorities, page 26).
What does Vote Vancouver say about kids and screen time?
The party wants to keep children busy with physical, musical, artistic and technical activities instead of unsupervised screen time, by expanding sports, arts, music and extracurricular programs (Policy Priorities, page 26).
Can the Vancouver School Board fund school food programs alone?
The board approves its own budget, but the funding formula is set by the Province. Vote Vancouver's plan calls for cost-sharing with Council and outside groups such as the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (Policy Priorities, page 26).
ON THE BALLOT
The Vote Vancouver 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.
- Vote Vancouver Policy Priorities SAYS SO ITSELFVote Vancouver · pages 26 · checked