10-year-old petitions school board

A 10-year-old student is circulating a petition asking the Vancouver School Board not to take cost-saving measures that she says will rob her of time with her family.

The Vancouver School Board faces a $17-million budget shortfall and is thinking of shortening the school year by 10 days to save money. The proposed plan also calls for an end to half-day Fridays, for which the board must compensate teachers a full day's pay.

Since the start of her school career, Friday afternoon has been Robin Horner's special time to hang out with her mother.

"We go grocery shopping and then we get a coffee and then we go to the bookstore," Robin said. "We'd both be really upset if that time was cut because, like, it's really tradition that I've had since kindergarten."

The Grade 5 student is fighting the change — with her petition. By Wednesday afternoon, she'd collected 211 signatures.

"I've been rampaged and swarmed by kids who really, really … want to sign the petition," Robin said. "I've had some kids start to cry when I tell them [the school board plan]."

Karen Spears, Robin's mother, said that once her daughter got the idea, there was no stopping her.

"She marched in to the study and said, 'I'm going to start a petition.' So she got the computer going and she just started typing."

The school board said cancelling half-day Fridays, starting the school day earlier and shortening lunch hours would save about $1 million in salaries and operating costs.

But some parents fear a shorter year will cost them more.

"Of course, [there's] the issue of daycare for those parents that have children in daycare programs who already struggle, sometimes, financially," said Gwen Giesbrecht, head of a local parent advisory committee.  

A school board decision on the cost-saving measure is expected in a few weeks.