Candidates’ Questionnaire Week 3: Specialized District Programs
Welcome to the third Weekly Issue Questionnaire in our series covering the 2026 Vancouver School Board Election.
Every week, we send questions focusing on key election issues to trustee candidates and publish their responses on our website.
Last week, we sent the following question to candidates:
If elected, how will you approach specialized District programs, such as gifted programs, mini schools, and programs for students with disabilities?
Below, you’ll find candidates’ responses, which were edited only for grammar. In the interest of fairness, the order in which political parties are listed is randomized, and, within each political party, the order in which candidates are listed is also randomized.
As well, we asked candidates to limit their responses to 250 words.
Please send any queries or concerns to ehnewspaper@gmail.com. Contact us If you have questions that you think we should consider asking candidates in future questionnaires.
ABC Vancouver
Preeti Faridkot
I believe strongly that one size does not fit all in education. My platform is about putting students first, which means recognizing that different students need different pathways, programs and supports to succeed.
If elected, I will fight to protect and strengthen specialized District programs — including Mini Schools, gifted and enrichment programs, programs for students with disabilities, and other alternative pathways. These are not extras, they are part of a strong public education system.
I have personally advocated for the Ideal Mini School to have a proper space that meets its students' needs, including a separate entrance, a separate space and all the resources they need, and I will continue to support the program. I have also advocated to keep the Britannia Hockey Academy because students should be able to pursue their passions while receiving a strong public education.
My priorities of students first, safe and inclusive schools, mental-health supports, transparency and responsible funding all connect to this. I will push for the staffing, spaces and resources these programs need and listen directly to the teachers, staff, students and families who rely on them.
If a program is helping students succeed, we need to fight to keep it, improve it and, where there is demonstrated need, make it available to more students.
My goal is clear - strengthen public education so families do not feel they have to leave the VSB or pay privately to find the right program or support for their child.
COPE Vancouver
Melanie Cheng
If elected, I will work to protect and strengthen specialized district programs, including gifted programs, mini schools, and programs for students with disabilities. Students have diverse strengths, interests, and support needs, and our public schools must provide meaningful opportunities for all of them.
I will advocate for equitable access across Vancouver, with transparent admissions processes and action to address barriers related to income, geography, disability, language, and access to information.
For students with disabilities, inclusion means more than being placed in a classroom. It means having the staffing, resources, accessible spaces, and individualized supports to participate fully in learning. I will advocate for more Education Assistants in both neighbourhood schools and district choice programs, and for a range of program options that meet students’ needs. Every student’s learning journey is different, and families deserve meaningful choices and consistent support.
Gifted programs and mini schools also need stable staffing, appropriate resources, and space to meet demand. I will oppose cuts driven solely by budget pressures and advocate for transparent evaluations that consider educational outcomes, equity, and student well-being.
Decisions about these programs must include the communities they serve. My priority will be to preserve and expand opportunities so every student can learn, belong, and thrive.
Derrick O’Keefe
I think our public education system needs to maintain specialized District programs such as the Hamber Challenge Studio program. These programs are important for meeting the diverse learning needs of the students in the Vancouver School District.
As a Trustee, I will always evaluate specialized programs through an equity lens. We want to offer options for students with diverse abilities and learning needs, and we also want to keep a focus on inclusive and well-resourced schools for all.
One interesting example of a specialized District program is the Britannia Hockey Academy, run out of Britannia Secondary and the Britannia ice rink. This VSB program provides opportunities for kids and for families who are not able to afford the outrageously high fees charged by private hockey programs.
Recently, ABC and Green trustees on the Board voted to uphold a one year pause on the Academy despite the pleas of parents and students in the program to keep it open for this school year. If elected, I will work with my COPE colleagues to reverse this decision and restore the hockey academy.
Suzie Mah
I fully support specialized District programs as not every student learns the same way. We should have programs that allow students to learn according to their special interests or passions, or that provide extra support in a smaller setting for students with learning challenges. Mini schools are programs that allow students to be part of a cohort which some students find desirable.
As a current trustee running for re-election, I have not agreed with some fairly significant decisions made in the past four years. The lack of consultation and transparency caused a huge disruption to the IDEAL mini program a few years ago. Similarly, there was pushback from parents and alumni about the closure of the University Transition Program (UTP). The 2024 decision to close the Middle Years IB program also caused backlash from parents and the community. More recently, the last minute decision to pause the Britannia Hockey Academy made the news as parents were upset they were told in June that the program would be put on hold. In this school year budget, there have also been cuts to social development classes in the district.
If elected, I would support a review of specialized district programs that involves parents, unions, students, stakeholder groups - including Indigenous voices and the broader community. Some district programs have not been reviewed for years. Trustees need to discuss and make short term and long term plans in order for stable delivery and longevity for these crucial programs.
Vote Vancouver
Mandy Potter
This is something I care about deeply because I know firsthand that the traditional school system doesn’t work equally well for every child.
I left school at 16, and that experience shaped how strongly I believe we need to recognize that children learn differently. Through my work and as a parent, I’ve also seen how different children can have very different strengths, challenges, and support needs.
If elected, I would advocate for protecting and strengthening specialized programs, including gifted programs, mini schools, and programs supporting students with disabilities. A student who is academically advanced deserves to be challenged and engaged, just as a student with a disability deserves the individualized supports and resources they need to participate and thrive.
I would also want to hear directly from students, families, teachers, and support staff about what is working and where the gaps are. We need transparent criteria, equitable access, and adequate staffing and resources so that specialized programming isn’t something families have to fight for.
I don’t believe we should have to choose between supporting students who need more challenge and students who need more support. Every child deserves to feel seen, supported, and capable of succeeding, and our District should be flexible enough to meet them where they are.
Tasha Doucas
These specialized district programs are critical to serve the needs of our students with varied learning needs and interests.
Taking an evidence-based approach to determine the landscape of enrollment in the last five years (along with those that have not been accepted), an assessment from the teachers with the success of the programs, and an understanding of the costs associated to delivering these programs will help us to initially measure progress if we are meeting the needs of our students.
Understanding gaps with enrollment, teachers' specific knowledge in these areas, and location demand allow us to target areas and specific programs to better focus our strategic collaborations and partnerships on many levels to fill in existing gaps and to expand on ones that need further growth.
Amarys Joseph
I strongly support maintaining and strengthening specialized District programs such as the ones mentioned above. Students do not all learn in the same way, and our public education system should not expect them to. Some students thrive when given additional academic challenges while others need specialized instruction, smaller learning environments, additional support, or programming designed around their individual needs. I feel that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, regardless of where they are academically or what supports they require. Inclusion also means recognizing that there is no single learning environment that works for every student. Sometimes a student will thrive in a regular classroom with appropriate support, while another may benefit a lot from a specialized program.
I support families and students being able to have meaningful options rather than being forced into a one-size fits all approach.We also need to properly support the people delivering these programs. Teachers, support staff, and specialists need appropriate training, resources,staffing and professional development. We cannot expect educators to meet increasingly diverse and at times complex needs, without giving them the tools and support to do that work successfully.
As a trustee I would listen closely to students, families, educators and specialists about what is working and where gaps remain. I would support protecting successful specialized programs while working to make them accessible and equitable across Vancouver, so that a child's neighborhood, family circumstances or individual learning needs do not prevent them from opportunities in education that could help them thrive.
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver
Kat Nystedt
As a mom, I believe every single kid deserves an education that helps them truly thrive.
When I attended Magee Secondary, our school hosted the SPARTS program, while our neighbours at Point Grey had a mini school. Even though I wasn’t in the program myself, I saw firsthand how those close-knit groups kept my peers deeply engaged and excited to learn. That experience is exactly why I’m so passionate about protecting specialized options for our kids today.
But we also need to make sure these programs work for modern families. I support flexible options like the Gifted Enrichment Centres so more kids can get enrichment without losing their neighbourhood school friend groups, but they should be in addition to, not a replacement for, Multi-Age Cluster Classes.
For students with disabilities, inclusion takes real, fully funded support. I will fight for more Education Assistants, and advocate for more dedicated spaces like the GOLD program.
Everyone learns at a different rate and students who need extra help should get it, as should those who need the challenge that enhanced learning can provide.
One size does not fit all. Equality is every student getting the same thing. Equity is students getting what they need. If elected, I’ll listen to parents, students and teachers to keep our Vancouver schools vibrant, supportive, and fair and assure no student is left behind.
OneCity Vancouver
Sherry Breshears
Education is not one-size-fits-all. Students have different strengths, interests, learning styles, and support needs, and some benefit from specialized programs that help them thrive. This includes programs for gifted learners, students pursuing particular interests, and those with disabilities.
A strong public education system should offer a range of high-quality educational pathways, but those opportunities must be accessible to all families. In recent years, the VSB has closed some specialized programs, including programs that support students with disabilities. While low enrolment is often cited as a reason, families cannot choose programs they do not know exist. Information about specialized programs can be difficult to find, and access is not always distributed evenly across the district.
If elected, I would support a review of specialized programs across the district to ensure they are accessible, well-promoted, and available to students from all communities. I would ask staff to identify and remove unnecessary barriers to high-demand programs, like mini schools, so that students from a wide range of backgrounds have the opportunity to participate. I would also prioritize protecting alternative education and programs that serve lower-income communities, students with disabilities, neurodiverse learners, and other learners who benefit from specialized supports.
Krista Sigurdson
A strong public school system should recognize that students have different strengths, interests and learning needs.
If elected, I would support a review of specialized programs across the district to ensure they are accessible, well-promoted, and available to students from all communities. I would ask staff to identify and remove unnecessary barriers to high-demand programs, like mini schools, so that students from a wide range of backgrounds have the opportunity to participate.
I would also prioritize protecting alternative education and programs that serve lower-income communities, students with disabilities, neurodiverse learners, and other learners who benefit from specialized supports. Cuts to alternative programs often go under the radar and we need to prioritize their protection to meet the needs of all learners.
Rory Brown
I'm looking forward to closely examining the role that choice programs play in the Vancouver School Board system. I am in favour overall of students and families having choice, voice, and agency in their elementary and secondary education. There are particular problems of equity that arise in the access and implementation of these programs and these problems need to be addressed. Many choice programs do not meet the current frame and philosophy of education that school system leaders promote -- that being differentiated instruction or Universal Design for Learning. My particular concerns arise from a lack of equity -- both from a disparity of access and from a cost perspective. Many choice programs have integral fees and costs that preclude full participation of children with more limited means to pay. This runs counter to my conception of some of the fundamental promises of public education: equal access and opportunity. The solutions to these problems are not cause to cancel or limit choice programs, the solution is to introduce structures that allow more access.
Steve Cardwell
A strong public school system should recognize that students have different strengths, interests and learning needs. My doctoral research at SFU focused on student engagement. Specialized and choice programs can provide important opportunities for students to be engaged and succeed.
I support mini schools and other choice programs and the distinctive learning opportunities they provide. We should examine access to ensure it is equitable and that admissions processes, location, transportation, costs or other barriers do not unnecessarily limit participation. Any review should be evidence-based and involve students, families and educators rather than begin with assumptions about the programs or students who attend them.
I have taught programs for gifted students and visited the UBC Transition program many times, meeting with students and staff. Gifted education is not simply enrichment. Gifted learners can have distinct educational and social-emotional needs, and I support appropriate identification and programming that provides the depth, complexity and challenge they require.
For students with disabilities and diverse abilities, inclusion must mean more than placement in a classroom. Students need timely identification and assessment, appropriate staffing, specialized supports, accessible learning environments and resources to participate fully and succeed. I have attended and presented at Inclusion BC conferences over the past two years. I would advocate for adequate provincial funding and ensure resources intended to support these students reach them.
Across all these programs, my starting point would be individual student needs and equitable access to high-quality public education.
No Response
The questionnaire was emailed to the following candidates and/or the contact email listed on their party’s website, but they did not respond by the deadline:
Darren Boidman (Vancouver Liberals)
Joshua Cameron (Vancouver Liberals)
Alfred Chien (ABC Vancouver)
Ishi Dinim (Vancouver Liberals)
Gwen Giesbrecht (COPE Vancouver)
Maria Kritikos (ABC Vancouver)
Matt Kroeker (ABC Vancouver)
Christopher Lee (OneCity Vancouver)
Alisha Masongsong (Green Party of Vancouver)
Noosha Mehdian (Vancouver Liberals)
Rob Nijjar (ABC Vancouver)
Isabel Ochoa (Vancouver Liberals)
Shirley Sio (ABC Vancouver)
Julie Strilesky (Green Party of Vancouver)
Lina Vargas (ABC Vancouver)
Bright Future Vancouver was given the opportunity to respond to the questionnaire under their party name, since they haven’t announced the names of any school board candidates, and they also did not respond by the deadline.