The Citizen, 2002-07-03, Page 6FREE
BRAKE
INSPECTIONS
N/C estimates if work recommended.
FREE RIDE TO AREA SHOPPING AVAILABLE!
FREE DROP-OFF & PICK-UP SERVICE ,
Siall11.11GODERKii
346 Huron Road, Godench
524-9381 or 1-800-338-1134
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111,
a different way of banking
Irt MA 11, I V II
117:31.1 1-1-'01/
A SPECIAL
GENERAL MEETING
FOR MEMBERS ONLY
OF THE
CLINTON CO1VINIUNITY
CREDIT UNION LIMITED
will be held at the
Betty Cardno Centre
Highway 8 West, Clinton
AY THURSD JULY 18
6:00 PM
For the purpose of voting on a special
resolution to amend the articles Credit Union to
of
incorporation, changing the name of the
IMARTLAND
CO1VIMUNITY CREDIT UNION
LIMITED
A
light buffet dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m.
prior to the meeting
peter McFalls
SECRETARY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Graduation
YOU GO GIRL now that
you have graduated from
your Educational Assistant
course. Way to go Waneta,
I am very proud of you.
Love, Mom.
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2002.
Trustees de er budget decision
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
The proponents of filing a deficit
budget for the Avon Maitland
District School Board had a chance
to move a giant step closer to their
goal at a special meeting Thursday,
June 27, but ultimately let the
opportunity pass. Instead, a decision
on the budget was deferred until
another special board meeting,
scheduled for July 16.
"I think it may be the best
compromise for all concerned," said
Stratford trustee Meg Westley
following the meeting, at which
trustees were presented with a $131-
million budget which included $1.12
million in cuts to what are
considered key programs and
services.
Among the proposed cuts is the
elimination of the Tech 21 delivery
method for career-oriented Grade 7
and 8 science and technology
curriculum. Tech 21 involves
transporting students to centrally-
located learning modules, to be
instructed by specialized teachers.
According to Education
Superintendent Marjatta Longston,
under the proposed 2002-03 budget,
the programming would now be
delivered by classroom teachers,
who would be provided teaching kits
about the subjects and would be, in
turn, trained by a newly-hired senior
elementary science/math/technology
coordinator. That coordinator would
also go into the school communities
and seek out possible ways of
replacing the "module" experience.
"The expectation is that there
would now have to be some
reaching out into the community and
into the secondary schools" to
provide space, equipment and
expertise, Longston said, in response
to questioning from Stratford trustee
Rod Brown.
Brown persisted, eventually
eliciting agreement from all staff
members in attendance that
"students will be affected."
"It will certainly not be the same,"
Director of Education Lorne Rachlis
said tc Brown. "It will certainly not
provide the same level of
sophistication as the current delivery
method. But we believe that the
learning outcomes will be
acceptable and will have the
students prepared for a secondary
school environment."
According to Rachlis, the current
Tech 21 delivery method costs about
$900,000, with projected savings
from the proposed in-class
alternative equalling over $700,000.
"That was the one big thing
(administrative staff) was able to
cut, and we very much regretted it,"
Rachlis said in an interview, during a
break in the meeting.
A secondary recommendation,
made by staff in addition to its
request for approval of the budget,
called on Ontario's education
ministry to "provide additional
funding to enable the board to
reinstate" all things cut from that
key list of $1.12 million.
But trustees never advanced that
far
Not long into the meeting, the
content of the discussion made it
clear that, out of the eight trustees in
attendance, four hoped to pass the
balanced budget and the other four
intended to vote against it.
"I think having an investigator
,wandering around looking at what
cuts should be made would be
regrettable," said Central/East
Huron representative Charles Smith
at one point. He was referring to the
ministry's insistence that it will send
in an outside party to examine the
books of any school board which
delivers what the Conservative
government views as an illegal
deficit budget.
Westley, who has consistently
been the strongest advocate for
submitting a deficit, said she would
welcome an investigator. "Then it's
on their head that we make these
cuts. It's not us saying that these cuts
are valid or necessary."
Carol Bennewies again sided with
Westley, arguing that a number of
other boards • had recently hinted
they would join the Ottawa-Carleton
District School Board, which was
told to expect a ministry investigator
after passing the first 2002-03 deficit
among Ontario boards.
"Ever since I've been here, the
government has been stating all
these goals that they'd like us to
meet, and yet they've never given us
the economic means to fulfill those
goals," the West/South Perth trustee
said. "Since maybe this is the year
that everyone is taking a stand, we
won't have to be the David taking on
Goliath. You've got a bunch of
Goliaths out there to help you."
The possible key to defeating the
budget, however, was the
combination of the absence of North
Perth representative Don Brillinger
and a change of heart for West
Huron trustee Butch Desjardine. At
one point several weeks ago,
Brillinger said he would not support
any budget which cut Tech 21, yet
both Brillinger and Desjardine had
argued against passing a deficit
during a meeting in early June.
With • Brillinger away, that still
would have left Westley, Bennewies
and Brown representing three pro-
deficit votes against five on the
opposing side.
But early in the June 27 meeting,
it became apparent Desjardine
would not approve administration's
balanced document, possibly
creating a 4-4 vote. A tie represents a
defeat.
"I'm not so sure it isn't time that
we stand our ground to (the
government) and put the boxing
gloves on," said Desjardine, who
was particularly concerned about the
fact the proposed budget contained
no built-in capacity to provide any
pay raises to any employee groups.
He noted that even the board's
reserve funds — which have, in the
past, been used to tackle salary
increases — have been eliminated.
The tie vote scenario was
deflected,.. however, by. a 7-1
approval for a motion brought
forward by Smith. He called for a
deferral of the decision on the
balanced budget until July 16, when
Brillinger is expected to have
returned. Smith argued it's
important to have all trustees in
attendance for such a crucial vote.
All four trustees who would have
voted against the balanced budget
voted in favour of the deferral,
despite the fact Brillinger's vote
may tip the scales in favour of
accepting the budget as- it stands.
Westley noted, however, that they
may still have a chance, considering
Brillinger's as-yet strong stance
against cuts to Tech 21.
The only dissenting vote for the
deferral, meanwhile, came from East
Perth representative Wendy
Anderson, who argued the budget
needs to be in place as quickly as
possible so administrative staff can
carry out preparations for next
year's school calendar. Yet . without
the deferral, there existed a very real
possibility that the balanced budget
would be rejected, resulting -in
further time spent by staff in
devising a deficit budget, something
Anderson has consistently- argued
against. -
There was also one dissenting vote
— filed by Smith — when the board
voted in favour of_ officially
requesting a meeting with ministry
officials prior to the July 16 meeting.
Bd. looks at enrolment
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
At a regular board meeting
Tuesday, June 25, Education
Superintendent Bill Gerth delivered
a report on the accommodation
review process — a report he said
very briefly summarizes the board's
efforts over the past year and sets
out the challenges yet to come. It
includes projected enrolment levels,
a brief analysis of the effects of the
graduation of the so-called "double
cohort" due to the final
implementation of the province's
new four-year high school program,
and examinations of such
complicating factors as the use of
portable classrooms and the possible
effects of boundary changes.
Addressing enrolment declines,
Gerth suggested much information
has already been collected about that
issue. But he added that the age of
some Avon Maitland facilities is
also becoming a concern.
"When we look at a theoretical
model of our facilities, we're
speaking of a backlog of up to $19
million worth of work that needs to
be done," he said. "Understand,
however, that is a theoretical model
that, in fact, includes such things as
certain millwork that we would
never foresee replacing.
"Still, it's significant." -
Just four days earlier, Gerth and
several other board members had
joined the board's lawyer in a
Toronto courtroom, facing a
contingent fighting for a reversal of
the boards Feb. 26 decision to close
Seaforth District High School for
the 2002-03 school year. That
decision was part of the board's
current round of accommodation
review.
Following the hearing, a
Continued on page 7