panel. came to .Terrace, the
group issued a statement of con-

cern about their previous public

meetings being taken over by
representatives of the public
school system. The group, con-
sisting of two cabinet ministers,
the president of the Union of

B.C, Municipalities and a tax

reform activist, said the school
people had their chance during
last year’s Royal Commission on
Education and they wanted to
hear from ‘‘Joe Taxpayer”’.

in Terrace. Eight of the 14
presentations they. heard at a
three-hour meeting last. Thurs-
day came from teacher represen-
tatives and school trustees, some
of whom came from as far away
as the Bulkley and Nass Valleys.

Tetrace District Teachers’:

Association president Greig
Houlden - submitted the - first
brief, summarizing it by saying
the -TDTA supports the B.C.
Teachers’ ‘Federation position
calling for equal taxation rates
on all classes of property and a
return to local taxing authority
on non-residential property.

‘ “There has been a clear shift in
- burden between different classes

of property,’? Houlden told the

. panel, “The provincial takeover
of non-residential taxes and the..

continued restraint program has

precipitated a.- crisis“;in

taxation.” Houlden ‘suggested

‘school : boards should - have
|. ‘broader: taxation powers, with-

the province paying a flat 80 per-

cent of the truecost of education .

and the balance raised’ locally.
“If the province believes in local
autonomy, it must trust the

boards to set their budgets,’’ he.
said.:

The panel also heard analyses

An air of expectancy pervades
the primary schools in School
District 88 as pupils, parents and

teachers prepare for the coming
‘ gsehool year,

the expectancy
heightened by the promise of
changes to come in the whole
primary program as a result of
recommendations to the
Sullivan Royal Commission on

Education in 1987.

by Nancy Orr

‘During the summer, approxi-

mately 25 teachers from Terrace -
.. and District attended workshops *
sponsored by the Ministry of.

Education in Nanaimo and

_ Prince George to review in-
dividual and cooperative learn-
ing. A later group attended a

workshop sponsored by S.D. 52

. (Prince Rupert) on reporting

procedures and other practical

~ matters.

Jan Iverson, an experienced

- primary teacher, has been ap-
“pointed as special primary co-

ordinator for two years in S.D.

- 88 to assist in implementing the

~ few program, and a steering

- ‘-gomimittee of teachers, parents

- « “aind trustees has been assigned to
oe work-with her,

TERRACE — .A few: days
before ® the. provincial govern-
-ment’s Property Tax Forum

opening his. presentation in

‘Herbert Morven advised them

the Ministry of Education

have to-rise in order. to maintain
_. educational standards. |
Their request had little effect —

yas pon neseeath cede! been , a ce oe epee ce . ; .
Cymer ete Met Cie ORE. Re og TO Mae as LS trigpg WERT Rai TA a, Mag ne ila Ea ae ET Tiegh SBIR OEE eared pet wry Ladner Te I gu ntl De

| concer

of local problems created by the-

‘current school: taxation system.

After startling the panel by
Nisga’a, Gitladamix chieftain

that School District 92 in~ the
Nass Valley has fewer than 70

residential property taxpayers to

make up their local, share of the
budget. Kitimat trustee Joan
Ling pointed out the difficulties

of- having authority to tax only 7
. residential properties: when real ff

estate values drop, taxation rates

Finance ‘Minister Mel
Couvelier, who acted. as
moderator during the hearings,
defended the government’s
education budget by noting that

spending has increased. by 24
percent over the past three years.

The panel also heard other- oa
concerns about property. taxa- -

tion, most of them centering

‘around the tax notice form.

Bryce Barnwell, administrator
for the Skeena-Queen Charlotte
Regional District, said he spends
a lot of his time explaining tax
bills.to ratepayers. “‘If this type
of. bill .was presented by a cor-
poration, no one would pay it
because no:one can understand
it,”? he said. Oo .
Terrace ‘resident ‘Cecile
Schoenfeld..added ‘her, voice to
the complaints about the form,

- saying: the explanation of the

Home Owner’s Grant on the
reverse side of the form is illegi-
‘ble and incomprehensible.

Couvelier replied, ‘‘Redesign- -

ing the tax form is an annual ex-
ercise at which we fail every
year.”” He advised anyone con-

fused about their tax notice to.

contact the local office of the
B.C.. Assessment Authority..
District of Kitimat ad-

Teachers prepare for changes
in primary school classrooms

Two schools in S.D. 88 will be
piloting programs in the coming
*89/*90 school year — at South
‘Hazelton, the dual entry and
continuous progress (ungraded),
and at Thornhill Primary, four
classes have requested permis-

ma

on anes de a eo

ms c Terrace Review — Wednesday, September 6

ns dominate tax forum —

Finance Minister Mel Couveller and Municipal Affairs Minister Rita Johnston, flanked by
support staff, told a Terrace meeting on property taxes last week they wanted to hear from
“Joe Taxpayer”. Eight of the 14 presentations that followed, however, involved school
budgets and taxation. ~

ministrator Dave Morris told the
panel that the system could be
improved by allowing ‘‘wider
options for. local taxations”’
and, ‘again, simplifying: the tax
notice form. On a more positive
note, however, Morris argued
that taxation gives good value.
He pointed out that the average
residential taxpayer forks out
about $75.a month in property
taxes for ap array of. services,
and compafed. that to $40 a
month for::a. subscription, to
cable television.
-° The forum concluded with
statements from the panel
. members. ;

The property tax review panel
is expected to compile its report
later in the fall and is still accept-
ing written submissions.

sion to introduce continuous
progress.

In the coming weeks, more in-
formation regarding the changes
proposed and taking place in
local schools will be examined in
the Terrace Review.

%
mnemenem He w=

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