HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-12-20, Page 26HEAVENLY Al
PEACE TO YOU
AND YO
s unite this Christmas day et u
and share the precious gift
of His love. Deep appreciation.
BRIDGE MOTORS
Wingham
members with the involve-
ments of an Awareness Day
program. The Kitchener
branch of the March of
Dimes hopes to hold such a
day in Goderich early in the
new year.
Officers for 1979 are: Pre-
sident Pat Watson, Vice-Pre-
sident Bruce Scott, Treasurer
Elaine Townshend, Lunch
convener Bessie Townshend
and Secretary Phyllis Cox.
"Alpha Huron" meets
next at 8 p.m., January 23 in
Clinton Public School.
Blir.10:001.6 887•6611'
His birth illuminates the land with the
glow of happiness and love. A blessed
Christmas to you and yours.
M.L.WATTS' FUNERAL HOME
Brussels
May the true meaning of Christ-
mas dawn once again and bring its
blessings to the world and its
people. We wish you all the best
this holiday season.
OPNOTCH
TOPNOTCH FEEDS LIMITED
:1*HE BRU$SEL.S POST, DECEMBER 20 1978
Huron board will
Update vocational equipment
Huron•CoUnty Board of Education trustees
didn't want to get involved in a buy now pay
later scheme Kinday night because they
were concerned they wouldn't be able to pay
later. Trustees were hedgy about approving
a recommendation to set aside about $75,000
to replace outdated or worn out vocational
equipment in the county's high schools.
The recommendation was made by an ad
hoc committee set up to investigate com-
plaints from teachers that equipment in
vocational classrooms was badly in need of
repair or replacement. Complaints have
been coming to the board for two years and a
committee composed of four trustees, high
school principals, school .department heads
and teachers toured the classrooms and
came up with several recommendations for
the hoard.
Board members recognized the problem
and' agreed something had to be done about
it but couldn't agree on its priority. Some
argued that it would be foolish for the board
to decide now to spend that kind of money on
equipment replacement without knowing
what impact it would have on other expenses
in the budget.
They felt that if the board
made equipment replacement a top priority
it may find later in 1979 that another serious
problem exists in another subject area and
will not be able to deal with the situation
because of financial restrictions.
MONEY
"I agree with the recommendation but I
sometimes wonder if we're not making ,a
mistake pouring all this money into all the
schools," said Zurich trustee trustee He"h
Turkheim. He added that the board could tale
'a look at the problem and consider
concentrating its' efforts on Clinton .and
Wingham. He said the other shops may be
closed allowing the board to "do a better job
than it is now" by putting that much more in
the two schools.
The committee wanted the board to
recommend to the budget committee that $6
per pupil be set aside for purchase of
equipment in non-vocational areas.
The committee wanted vocational equip-
ment to include audio visual equipment,
furniture, offices, physical education,
science and other areas and also wanted the
board to meet its high school principal in the
future to discuss- budget concerns.
The recommendations would require a
total expense of $102,600. Of that $27,600
would be generated by the $6 .per pupil for,
mula and the remaining $75,000 would be
earmarked by the board:
Committee members, •Marion Zinn, of
Ashfield township. Eugene Frayne, seperate
school trustee, John Henderson of Seaforth
and Dorothy Williams of Clinton, reminded
the boardthat in 1978 $27,357 was budgeted
for capital expenditure and $30,790 in 1977.
It added that the $102,600 expense was
$35,700 less than the total value of
equipment needed to be replaced or re-
paired.
$6 PUPIL
Frayne told the board that because the
board normally spends at least the amount
generated by the $6 per pupil formula ii
really was looking at raising $75,000 over
and above normal expenses. He added that
the expense was not frivilous but was in fact
a necessity.
"To my way of thinking four schools have
vocational training and are loaded right to
the ears and there are other courses being
used a lot less," said Frayne. "In the future
the board could consider having courses like
Latin or Spanish at Seaforth where they
don't have vocational training, and having
vocational courses at other schools. I don't
see how a taxpayer in this county can object
to this board spending $75,000 in school so a
teacher can teach."
The seperate school trustee added that he
--"can't see spending money for a teacher to
stand up if fro, tof a classroom with nothing
to teach with.'
John Henderson said the committee
Wanted it.clear that the recommendation it
was giving the board's budget committee
was not to be changed without board
approval. He said a similar recommendation
wasmade last year and the budget committee
threw it out because' money was not
available. He said this year if money is tight
the committee wanted the matter brought
back to the board before any changes are
made it, the equipment replacement' pro-
gram.
Goderich trustee Dave Gower, a new
trustee, asked if the board's sanctioning of
the' committee report meant that the expense
automatically went into the budget. He said
that he appreciated the problem but pointed
out that many items of a similar nature
would come before the budget committee
and that until more is know about expenses
for 1979 it would not be wise to spend this
kind of money. He said he could support the
recommendations if they were just given
priority but he could not support them if a
final decision was being made now.
SIMILAR
John Cochrane, director of education,
explained to Gower
,
that last year a similar
request was given the budget committee and
tha committee "in its wisdom or whatever"
changed the amount in the recommendation.
He said this.year the committee wants the
recommendation to stand if possible and if
that is not possible] it wants the budget
committee to come back to the board with
any changes. He said the recommendation is
"not carved in stone", but means that any
changes will be made by the whole board.
Exeter trustee Clarence McDonald 'told •
the board that he couldn't see where the
money was coming from.. He said he felt the
budget committee would have to "sharpen
its pencil" 'without this kind of problem. He
said he didn't think the board. could tell the
budget committee it had to work this kind of
expense into the budget adding that the
board may have to look at amalgamating
courses.
Alpha finds
Frayne said that today nearly all the
courses taught in the schools are used by the
students but added that it "wasn't important
whether students put the knowledge into a
trade." "What's important to me is that the
fact that they can use it," he said.
He added that the principals knew that
they were not going to get everything they
asked for but told the board that "it couldn't
go on forever just putting it off." He said he
realized the figure was hefty but he couldn't
see how the board "can't provide equipment
for teachers to teach with and yet. can give
them a nine, percent raise to teach."
"If you're going to put a teacher in front of
the classroom you're going to have the give
him something to, teach with," he stressed
again.
Members of "Alpha
Huron" have been making a
survey of handicapped per-
sons who must rely on
elevators to reach the second
story of a building.
Elaine Townshend, Pre-
sident of Alpha, found that
Community and Social Ser-
vices at Wingham have 50
and 36 persons in South and
North Huron respectively,
who have this need. Added
to this are 25 to 30 who suffer
from heart -ailments that
make stair -climbing
hazardous. This' includes
only °people who are re-
gistered with C & S Services.
Dean Mellway, of the
March of Dimes at
Kitchener, said that 2.8% of
the population of Ontario has
some disability.
Mr. Mellway attended a
recent meeting of "Alpha
Huron" (awareness League
for Physically Handicapped
Adults) to acquaint the
A Post Classified will pay
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887-6641.'
86 in Huron can't
get to second stories