Our Mission
The Parent Advocacy Network for Public Education (PAN) is a non-partisan grassroots collective of parents and community members who share a commitment to public education. We are working to address the chronic underfunding and devaluing of public education in Vancouver and across British Columbia by creating a strong network of parents who support one another in advocacy.
The BC public education system has seen a long history of adverse policies and chronic underfunding. Parents feel the impact of cuts to resources and programs, lack of facilities maintenance, pressure to fund everything from books to photocopy paper, and in the growing inequalities between schools. In 2016 the government was pressuring the VSB to comply with the Ernest Young (EY) report and close the equivalent of 19 schools. In summer of 2017 BC got a new government, but the issues still remain. We invite parents from Vancouver schools to join our network to receive news on advocacy issues they can share with their PAC and/or fellow parents. For more information, please email us.
The BC public education system has seen a long history of adverse policies and chronic underfunding. Parents feel the impact of cuts to resources and programs, lack of facilities maintenance, pressure to fund everything from books to photocopy paper, and in the growing inequalities between schools. In 2016 the government was pressuring the VSB to comply with the Ernest Young (EY) report and close the equivalent of 19 schools. In summer of 2017 BC got a new government, but the issues still remain. We invite parents from Vancouver schools to join our network to receive news on advocacy issues they can share with their PAC and/or fellow parents. For more information, please email us.
About Us
We are a grassroots group of parents representing schools across Vancouver who share a deep commitment to public education and are extremely concerned for its future. We see an urgent need for schools to connect with one another through advocacy groups to share information and support one another. In addition to our Google Group, we maintain this website and hold regular face-to-face steering meetings and occasional public meetings to support individuals or groups that are already engaged in advocacy and we welcome other interested parents to join us. Together we can share research and information about public education and current policies that impact Vancouver schools as well as upcoming advocacy initiatives happening in Vancouver. In this way we see ourselves as supporting and complementing existing groups such as FACE, PENS, DPAC, and BCCPAC in the work they are doing.
Declaration in Defense of Public Education
On February 14, 2017, PAN along with 8 other parent and advocacy groups sent a letter to the government of British Columbia demanding they properly fund public education in order to fulfill their responsibilities laid out in the BC School Act and the BC Statement of Education Policy Order. Specifically we demanded that the provincial government increase K-12 public education annual operational funding by 20% to redress all of the current deficiencies and fully prioritize and revitalize our education system to ensure an equitable quality education for all children. (more information)