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• Tinies-Advocate, January 22, 1997
Page 9
, „,
Your Views
Letters to the editor
Board's decision explained
"... we have to keep: salary and
other costs under control, while
also recognizing the value of
those employees who enable us
. • to do so."
• Dear Editor:
We wish to comment on an article by Heather Mir
in last week's Times -Advocate, addressing staffing
costs for the Huron County Board of Education.
The Huron County Board of Education did ap-
prove early payment of a pro -rated retirement gratu-
ity to one of our Superintendents. The reasonfor
this was twofold - first, over the last three years, it
has been done several times to allow early retire-
ment to reduce staff in areas where this is possible
and secondly, it was no secret the superintendent _
would be leaving to become a Director of Education
at some point, The decision was made to pay that
part of the gratuity already earned, which he would
have been able to collect in full in less thanbne
• year. Also, we have not moved to begin to look for
a replacement for this Superintendent.
As well, staff members have been partially re-
stored to their positions on the salary grid for years
of service which were delayed during the: three years
of the social contract over the last year, through con-
tract negotiations with union members and by board
action with non-union staff, in the interest of fair-
ness and equality.
Finally a few other salary changes have occurred
due to changes in job roles as we continue to down-
size and reduce total staff numbers.!
There have been and are no salary increasesfor
our staff since 1993, only movements through grids
for years of work, promotions or changes in job de-
scriptions. The Huron County Board of Education
remains and intends to continue to be, one of the
most frugal Boards of Education in Ontario. To do
so; we believe we have to keep salary•and other -
costs under control, while also recognizing the value
of those employees who enable us to do so.
. • Yours truly,
Allan Carter,Chair;
Doug Garniss, Vice Chair.
Huron County Board of Education
A week of confusion in Ontario
"... what will be the impact for the
students, parents, and
teachers of Huron County?"
Dear Editor• -
' ' The week of Janpary 13 to 17, 1997 will long be
remembered by the citizens of Ontario. It'was billed
as a "megaweek" of big announcements to "reshape
Ontario." There were big announcements about edu-
cation restructuring, property tax reform social and
public services...and the week ended with "big"
weather in Huron County. '
Surgery is being performedon the Ontario educa •
tion system.'The surgery is being performed using a
chain saw, rather than with a,scalpel. '
It is abundantly clear that the provincial govern-
ment wanted control of education. The Government
also recognized that whoever pays the bills has the .
Control; so it was prepared to take over the•funding" •
of the $4.5 billion now raised locally through prolS-
erty'taxes for education.'The immediate impact of
this move would be a significant decrease in proper-
( ty taxes with a corresponding significant increase in
, provincial, income taxes. That was certainly not go-
ing'tp happen fromthegovernment that promised a
30 per cent provincial income tax decrease. They
had to "off-load" about,thelsame amount of•,other
3•ervice costs to the municipalities.
The government is playing the,"old shell game."
• Iris shiftingrmdney and responsibilities around
quickly id the hopes that Ontarians become even
more confused. Itis all stroke and mirrors!
Financial obligations are being swapped with mu-
nicipalities. Government is making municipalities
pick up more than $5 billion in welfare, public
,health, co-op housing, child care, policing and long -
• term elder care costs. As well, $500 million is being
transferred in transportation,•library and environ-
-mental costs 'to Ontario municipalities. In exchange
for the transfer, the Harris government has taken
over $5.4 billion in.education funding by removing
education from the residential portion of property ,
tax hilts. = • • . ,
This is "slippery politics"! This strategy is clearly
intended•to provide cuts to provincial income taxes
as prqmised in the "common sense revolution". Fi-
nance Minister Ernie Eves -says that municipal taxes
won't ga tip. Critics say they will; and municipali-
ties must be concerned. It is'the municipalities that.
will be'painted as the bad guys when service cuts
are made or when municipal taxes go up.
The recent announcements from John Snobelen, .
the Minister of Education and Training concerning ' _
school governance and education finance reform..
has indeed turned the Ontario education -system up
side down. But what will he the impact for the stu-
dents, parents, and -teachers of Huron County? '
There'are certainly many unanswered questions re-
maining to be answered. Consider in your own
mind the questions that beginning with
"what?...when?...why?.:.where?...how?" I certainly
don't presume tb know the answers, butas,a Federa-
tion,president I may be involved in the rationaliza-
tion process to help to find some of the answers.
Effective January I, 1998, the Huron Public Edu-
cation System -will become the amalgamate Huron-
Perth Public District School Board. r
The Minister of Education, both by his actions
and his comments, certainly devalues the contribu-
tions of trustees and local educational leaders and
administrators. The sixteen local trustees who have
given excellent service to the Huron Public Educa-
tion System are being unceremoniously dumped.
The already -lean board office staff and senior ad-
ministrators will now work under a cloud of insecur-
ity. Parents will lose access to local and accountable
answers to their education questions and concerns.
On November 10, 1997 we will vote for possibly
four to six trustees for the -Huron share of the Hu-
ron -Perth District School Board. These elected rep -
1
resentatives will have•" respotisibility without au-
thority." The governance. of schools is gradually
being turned over to a group of parent volunteers in
Advisory School Councils. The Minister announced
that these schoolcouncils will have strengthened ad-
visory roles in program offerings, codes of disci-
pline and reporting on pupil achievement. There is -.
no indication the councils will have any money to
support their decisions. . •
The government promises a fairer and morc•cqui-
.table distribution of funds to support education. This
promise does offer some hope to a Huron Public Ed-
"ucation System which has been frugal and Under-
funded for years. The Huron Board.spends approxi-
mately $4500 on educational spending per
elementary student per year. Some boards spend
twice this amount, and it is significantly below the'
provincial average. The Board, the teachers along
with the Board's other employee groups have nego-
tiatedin good faith'to k t e quality of education
high and affordable in Huron .
While OPSTF has for years advocated for a great-
er share of education costs to be funded provincial-
ly, we have never supported the elimination of local
tax support, as such an approach undermines local
autonomy and accountability.
Rationalization and amalgamation with the Perth
Board of Education to form the new Huron -Perth
District School Board will be a monumental chal-
lenge and will require hundreds of hours of delibera-
tions. Board assets, liabilities, collective agreements .
with teachers and employee groups, board policy -
and procedures, school year calendars, school pro- .
gram offerings like Junior Kindergarten etc. must be
harmonized and rationalized. ..
Not only do we not have all of the answers...we •
are still pondering the questions to -ask! These ques-
tions and answers will affect every student, parent
and taxpayer in Huron County.
Paul Dyck,,
•' . President, Huron District,
Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation
Second-hand smoke a health risk
"Action begins with community
concern:
Dear Editor: -
National Non -Smoking Week, January 20-26, is
here with a focus on environmental tobacco smoke.
We -must continue to address the effects of this
alarming issue. The Canadian Cancer Society sup-
ports 100 per cent smoke-free public places. Why?
The health risks of second-hand smoke (SHS) are •
great. Second-hand smoke isn't _just a nuisance, it's
a killer! In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency classified SHS as a Class A carcinogen, a .
substance known to cause cancer in humans. There
are only 15 other Class A substances, including as-
bestos, radon and benzene. Did you know that in
one hour in a smoky room, a non-srnokerican
breathe as much of one cancer-causing chemical as
if he or she had smoked 35 cigarettes!
We also know that: •
• a burning cigarette releases more than 4,000 tox-
ins into the air and more than 43 of these can cause
cancer; •
• SHS is the third leading cause of lung cancer af-
ter active smoking and indoor radon;. '
• bar and restaurant workers have a 50 per cent
greater risk of lung cancer because of SHS •
'• SHS. is the third leading cause of preventable
death after active smoking and alcohol abuse.
Most Canadians - 70 per cent - choose not to
smoke. But we have no choice about breathing sec-
ond-hand smoke. This is one problem we can do
something about. From the smallest village to the
largest Metropolitan area,.every community will fol-
low a slightly different processto become smoke-
free. Action begins with community concern. We
need to let our municipal representatives know that
we support 100 per cent smoke-free public plac • -
es.Creating public awareness of the health risks of
SHS and showing our support for by-laws that elim-
inate SHS from public places is part of the Canadian
Cancer Society's work to protect health and save
lives. .•
Protecting non-smokers and•children against the
health risks of SHS will help to preventcancer, a
leading killer of Canadians. Eliminating SHS from -
restaurants and bars will help to protect food -service •
workers from serious health risks.
Public approval for smoke-free public places is
very high. While some people say they oppose
smoke-free by-laws; municipalities with 100 per
cent smoke free restaurants and barsreport strong .
public support. Speak out onsecond-hand smoke . .
and help to enact by-laws for 100 per cent smoke -
fret. public places in your community by writing or
phoning your municipal representative today! '
Ian Munro, President, Huron -Perth Unit, -
Canadian Cancer Society