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Zurich Citizens News, 1978-04-06, Page 1' :..............::: i....::.i+•:iiisi,:;::�:':::isvvisYi::j:;i::ss:::<::i3:ty:<>.'l,.::•i::ii:i:+:,::i��:>:�.'•''+.•i:�:::tiF jrS�y,};,;"?:: y �, y;ti FIRST VIOITFI LOCAL iNEwS T�IJRSL)Al',APRIL 6, 1978 Little response Price Per Copy 20 Cents Volunteers refused by school By JEFF SEDDON The Huron County Board of Education decided Monday not to get involved with the use of volunteers to oversee tutorials for Grade 12 and 13 students out of school because of the current secondary school teacher strike. The board decided to shy away from the volun- teers because of potential liabilities, a small number of qualified volunteers and the possibility that the volun- teers could be labelled strike breakers. John Cochrane, director of education, recommended to the board that the use of volunteers in the schools not be considered. He said that the effort to find the people willing to volunteer may not be wasted since the names of those people will be made available to senior students or parent groups looking to set up study groups. Cochrane told the board that one such group had already been established in Goderich and involved about 10 volunteers and 40 students, He said the groups met twice weekly in the basement of Knox Presbyterian Church in Goderich. The director said the volunteer project was authored by he and board chairman John Elliott. He said the two decided to "sample the water and see what the volunteer proposal would be like". He said the subsequent announcement from the board office resulted in 28 names of people with offers that they were willing to help where they could. • He said that of the 28 volunteers eight had the necessary academic background to be of any assistance to. Grade 13 students. He said that spread over firve high schools eight was not many. "When you come right down to brass tacks there were eight that probably could have been some assistance of Grade 13s, said Fear liabilities board Cochrane. much time thus far since the Cochrane said the small board had cancelled the mid - number of qualified term exams and little time volunteers combined with had been lost due to winter the possibility that they storms. He said that he knew could be construed as of two students that went to strikebreakers, that they another education system to would not be paid, that the • study and he was advised education act demanded that they were not that 'far they not be used more than behind. 10 days and the possibility of "But the clock is running," legal problems and liabilities he warned. "From here on prompted him to suggest time is important for many that the board leave the of the students. All I'm volunteer program to local saying is don't panic." groups like the one in Zurich trustee Herb Goderich, Turkheim asked why the five The director also told the secondary school ad - board not "to panic" about ministrators could not take lost instructional time due to up some teaching duties the strike. He said the during the strike. He students had not lost too suggested that the principals and vice -principals could be of great assistance to the Grade 13 students in a classroom environment. MODEL BUILDER WINNERS — The annual spring model building contest sponsored by Heimrich's Variety proved once again to be a success with a large number of entries. In the nine and under category, Mark Johnston (left) was the winner, Kevin Oke took the 13 and over competition while Kevin Lavery took the 10-12 competition. Brian Horner and David Smith received honourable mention. Staff photo Hay fails to support reserve fund for Exeter area fire board At the regular meeting of .Hay township council, Hay decided not to support the setting up of a reserve fund 'for the Exeter and Area fire board. Council instructed' clerk - treasurer Joan Ducharme to inform the town of Exeter of its decision, Arena donations H.O. Jerry Ltd. $ 25 25 Drennan Refrigeration Ltd. 25 B.M. Ross & Associates Ltd. 100 • Victoria & Grey Trust Co. 200 Municipal World Ltd. The township will advise Henry Vander Burgh and Donald Geiger that the township is in agreement with the issuance of a cer= tificate of compliance providing that the rules and regulations of the agricultural code of practice are met. The tender from Ross Scott Fuels of Brucefield for the supply of fuels during 1978 and 1979 was accepted. The township will support the establishment of county wide residency for the county's senior citizen's housing units. The county will be informed of the township's decision. A resolution from the township ofTurn�err h' that y called for municipalities. within Huron to support the board of education in their dispute with the secondary school teachers was passed. Council also authorized the issuance of a grant in the amount of $100 to the Far- mer's Union, Cochrane explained that the principals were not necessarily qualified to teach all subjects. He said they may hold a degree in history but that that wouldn't be much good teaching mathematics. "I've been given to un- derstand that secondary school teachers are qualified to teach anything," said Turkheim. John Elliott added that the principals and vice - principals are memberscof the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation and as such are bound by OSSTF regulations in the strike. He said the school administrators could only teach classes they taught before the strike and cannot expand their services to any other class or course. County councillors back school board By SHIRLEY J. KELLER By a unanimous decision, Huron County council agreed on Friday to support a resolution from Turnberry "township to support the position of the Huron County Board of Education in its current dispute with the secondary school teachers. The Turnberry resolution noted that in the past, the Huron board had been criticised for its spending practices. The resolution went on to say that since the board now appears to"desire to curtail their spending", it is important that the county municipalities support board members. Bayfield Reeve Ed Oddliefson said, "We are all concerned about what is occurring. We all feel that some solution could be arrived at. There does ap- pear to be some irrespon- sibility somewhere. I'm not saying where." According the Oddliefson, the resolution was approv,pd by council to "assist" negotiations. Warden Gerry Ginn said the people have known for sometime that a "stand has to be taken when people want more and do less". "This is a new era," said the warden. "Changes are going to have to be made, I strongly commend the board; It is a difficult but necessary stand." Board chairman R. J. Elliott was present at the afternoon session of county council, along with trustee John Henderson. Elliott declined to comment on the situation when invited by county council to speak. Likewekome si i ns, dispute financin.< By Shirley J. Keller Everybody likes the idea of signs saying "Huron County" at the 17 highway entrance points to the county, but there was some dispute over which budget should finance the cost of such signs at the March session of county council Friday in Goderich. The development com- mittee chaired by Reeve Bill Elston, Morris Township, recommended the road committee instal the signs on all county roads entering Huron, and pay the tab out of the road budget. Stephen Township Deputy - reeve Ken Campbell, chairman of the road committee, said he was not opposed to the erection of the signs, but felt the money could be better utilized for other purposes in the road budget. The cost of the 17 two foot by six foot signs has been estimated at $80 each, or about $1400. They are expected to last about 13 years, according to the county's development officer Spence. Cummings. -- Reeve Elston pointed out that if the signs were erected by the road committee, they would be subsidized to as much as 50 per cent through the road budget by the province. They would be strictly a county expense if the cost for the signs was borne by the development committee. Ed Oddliefson, reeve of Bayfield, was anxious that the signs should say "Welcome to Huron Coun- ty". He wondered why the present "Welcome" signs are being taken down. Council accepted the committee's recommend- ation for the road committee to instal and pay for the signs, but opposed the recommendation for the "Welcome to Huron" signs to be removed and not replaced as they deteriorate.