As I read the recommended Vancouver school district budget cuts, one cut jumped out at me. Closing the Vancouver Early Childhood Center is short-sighted, with a long-term cost that will swamp the minimal savings. When my son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, we were able to work with the district to get him immediately enrolled in VECC. When first enrolled, he had limited verbal skills and almost no social skills whatsoever. Through the fine work of the employees at VECC, he is now able to participate in a standard classroom, with minimal assistance, and not disrupt the rest of the students.
If VECC is closed and this work is farmed out to six other elementary schools, there will be two probable outcomes: the 2- to 5-year-olds who need VECC will not get the attention needed at a young age and will therefore fall behind even more, causing increased cost in the later grades due to the need for more para-educators, etc., and there will be much more disruption in the six elementary schools designated as the VECC replacement schools. I see the $300,000 savings as being short term and eventually swamped by the long-term costs associated with not getting these children’s school lives kick-started at VECC.
Bart McManus
Vancouver
