Dear Editor,
Re: “Richmond’s Pythagoras denied as it’s making profit,” Letters, Dec. 14.
Rather than saying this letter is deceiving, I feel that the letter might represent misconceptions.
Perhaps being an independent school may contribute to the image of profiting, perhaps being unaffiliated with any religious organizations may contribute to the idea of marketing to overseas families, or having a higher standard of education contribute to being a largely “commercial business”?
Many types of privately operated schools are available in Canada, but not all of them are for private profit. For a school like Pythagoras, it is independent, but not profit making. Tuitions that are paid would go towards funding the school’s operations such as salaries, utilities, rent, et cetera. With the minimal subsidies from the province, I am sorry to say, the school is barely breaking even, let alone “profit.”
And for the school “aimed at more marketing to more overseas families, and not on the education of their current students,” would you mind taking a look at the number of international students that are currently enrolled in our Richmond’s public schools.
One could almost be certain that, with such low marginal cost, and being funded by Richmond’s taxpayers, who is really profiting from the international market?
It is discriminating enough that a councillor would reject an innocent school for being non-religious, and worse for someone to accuse them of some multibillion money-making business.
Gwendolyn Lea
RICHMOND
