Vancouver School Board: Sophia Woo

Ken Denike Dept: Particularly hard-hit would be students who are partway through diploma or certificate programs, and immigrant and working parents, who can only afford to go to school at night, said trustees Sophia Woo and Ken Denike, according to Vancouver Sun. The recommendation comes from a PricewaterhouseCoopers report for the Vancouver school board, completed last month, which suggests such programs are offered elsewhere and are not part of the board's core mandate. "It is difficult to stay market competitive as other organizations provide similar programs as part of their core services and charge less than VSB," the report said, adding the board could gain as much as $910,000 in revenue by shelving the program and renting out the space and a Vancouver school board budget proposal to axe the continuing education program in September is drawing criticism from trustees and students who argue it provides a valuable and irreplaceable service in the community. Closing the program - which loses about $100,000 each year and offers courses in every-thing from Thai massage to human resources management - would save about $250,000, according to the board's 2012-13 budget proposal document. The proposal is one of 11 cost-saving measures the board will put to a vote on April 30. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.