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Radical ideas may cut school costs

Brain-stormers also

look at new revenue

By JENNIFER LANG
CLOSE MORE schools, move to a
four-day school week, and introduce
corporate sponsorship — those are just
some of the suggestions a special bud-
get task force has for cash-strapped
School District 82.

The district is grappling with an
anticipated $4-5 million deficit for the
coming school year, forcing a range of
cuts in order to balance the budget. _

Acommittee has come up with a-
list of more than 50 possible budget
cuts ~ and revenue generating ideas —
toexplore. | |

Ideas include reducing the number
of school’ trustees, dropping elective

courses, recruiting foreign students and
creating “magnet” schools for First
Nations students.

“The reconfiguration committee
was struck to gather, sugeest and
brainstorm as many ideas to look into
to save money,” chair Rob Greenwood
said. “This is the brain-stormed list.”

The group, which included students,
teachers, school staff, parents, admin-
istrators, First Nations reps and even
MLA Roger Harris, held an_ initial
brainstorming session in September.

And in October, the reconfiguration
committee grouped the ideas accord-
ing to category, Greenwood said.

Those ideas and suggestions have
now been referred to school district
standing committees for further review.

Last week, trustees agreed to the

“wLock and load _

TEAM POSSUM Ladge, led by Russell Seitenrich and Dr. Mi-
chael Feist, prepare to launch another hapless pumpkin into
orbit at the Pumpkin Fling Nov. 3 at the rifle range. Their giant
surgical tubing slingshot was the hands dawn winner of the
Rotary event. The Jack ‘o Lanterns routinely flew 80 metres
before blowing apart in a gooey orange splat. Competing

formation of additional ad hoc com-
mittees to investigate some of the sug-
gestions, including corporation spon-
sorship, user-fees for extra-curricular
activities, and selling value-added
products made in school classes.

The district’s operations commiltee,
meanwhile, will investigate the poss-
ibility of additional school closures
along with other potential cost-cutting
measures like getting rid of school dis-
trict-owned theatres, including the
R.E.M. Lee Theatre.

The committees will each report
back to the reconfiguration committee
at a special meeting in February,
leaving the district enough time to no-
tify people about school closures,
trustees say.

The board will have other difficult

against Possum were Skeena Valley Rotarians, who built a
trebuchet. The medieval-style siege weapon consisted of a
swinging iog powered by a 600-plus pound counterweight.
Sometimes it worked. Other times its sling hurled the pump-
kins straight up or backwards. Locals paid $1 each to see their
pumpkins flung and explode in a pile of pulp. JEFF NAGEL PHOTO

decisions to consider, as well,

One of the most controversial is
moving to a shorter schoo! week.

In September, the school district’s
education committee heard a presen-
tation on the pros and cons of the four-
day week from Caledonia Senior Sec-
ondary vice principal Cam MacKay.

Education committee chair Marj
Brown said teenagers tike the idea of
a three-day weekend so they can sleep
in or go to work but there’s no assur-
ance moving to a four-day school
week has any benefit at all for at-risk
students,

Brown told the board last week
there’s no data on the negative im-
pacts on students when it comes to a
four-day school week,

The option, tried successfully in

some American school districts and
launched this year in Grand Forks, de-
finitely saves money.

But there’s a lack of reliable infor-
mation on potential negative impacts
on students - and the communities af-
fected — parlicukarly when it comes to
so-called “at risk” students.

Parents with children who rely on
schools for lunch programs, for exam-
ple, may be reluctant to voice opposi-
tion to the four-day week, Brawn said.

“Often, these are the people who
are least able to stand up and say, '’m
sorry, I don’t have that much money. ]
can't afford to buy my kid lunch,’”

Brown also told the board it might
mean some students who now get on
buses as early as 7:15 a.m. might have
to be at the bus stop even earlier.

Gov't to take

| new bite out
of schools

By JENNIFER LANG
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
with dropping student
enrolment may see part
of their operating bud-
gets clawed back part
way through the school
year,

Coast Mountains
School District official
Rob Greenwood warned
trustees the education
ministry plans to take a
second enrolmeit snap
shot this coming February,
a move that’s just a trial
scenario for now.

But Christy Clark has
indicated the second en-
rolment snapshot may be
introduced permanently in
the next few years, said
Greenwood, who heard the
education minister speak
at an aboriginal education
conference Nov. 4.

Clark told delegates if
school districts lost stu-
dents during the year, their
budgets could be readjus-

‘ted to reflect the loss of
students,

School districts already
provide the ministry with a
Sept. 30 enrolment tally.

This official student
count determines how

City Olympic bid support |

much budget money a dis-
trict receives each year.
The B.C. School
Trustees Association says
enrolment in rural school
districts dropped by 6,000
Students this year - nearly

double expectations.

The current drop in en-
rolment has translated into
$130 million less for rural
school districts,

The Coast Mountains
School District lost about
450 students over the past
year.

It’s lost 37 students
since September, bringing
the enrolment count to just
6,563, which is down from
the 6,600 recorded on
Sepi. 30.

Greenwood is in the
process of tracking missing
students,

Of 66 students who
have left school, 19 have
moved out of the Coast
Mountains school district
entirely.

Another 18 moved to a
different school in the dis-
trict. But 29 have left
school entirely.

Greenwood plans to
provide a breakdown on °
those 29 students by the
next board meeting, He

‘hopes to determine how

many were adults, who
were high school students
and who were attending
school part time before
they withdrew.

With more data, the
school district may be able
to take steps to encourage
them to come back to
school.he said.

“They tend ta be fram
the senior highs,” he
added.

is up for sale, forum hears

By JEFF NAGEL
THERE was more agreement than argument on
many issues when candidates for city council
hit the stage to answer questions here last
week.

Around 140 people turned up for the Nov. 5
all candidates forum, sponsored by the Ter-
race Standard.

Most of the 10 candidates agreed council
should be prepared to support B.C.’s Winter
Olympic bid if Victoria gives a firm commit-
ment to put up money for the proposed multi-
plex or improve northwest roads.

“The provincial government is saying that
they want to give us something for us to go
ahead and say yeah we'll support the 2010
Olympics,” Ron Vanderlee said, adding he
hopes Victoria will put up money for the mul-
tiplex.

Lynne Christiansen said pledges of highway
construction money in the regions has so far
been vague, adding a “firm commitment” for
this arca is necessary; =. ae

“We have to make sure we're getting our”

fair share if it is going to happen,” she said.
Councillor David Hull was the only candi-
date to balk at trading Olympic support for
provincial cash.
“I really hope the provincial government

‘

Election coverage
m Council hopefuls want to tap
Alcan power, A12
m@ School trustee candidates de-
bate corporate sponsorship, A11
m Meet the school trustee and
mayoral candidates, AS

doesn’t run around British Columbia bribing
communities in order to put on a world-class
event,” Hull said. “The Olympics should be
built on their own merits.”

He said upgraded roads and railways in the

region: are a better way to boost the northern -

economy than investing in a two-week event

in Whistler.

Marylin Davies said she continues to ques-
tion Olympic costs, but says she hasn't come
out against the Games. “There’s only one
wallet,” she said. “If we are going to have ail
the things that Whistler wanls then what are
we going to lose? I just want some answers.”

Hull and several other candidates said cor-
porate sponsorship and private-public parlner-

ships should be used to.cut or eliminate the :

cost of the multiplex for local taxpayers.

Vanderlee said he’d cap the amount
charged to taxpayers at no more than half tlie
total construction cost. .

No candidate pledged a new referendum on
the multiplex to refresh the spending mandate
the city says it got three years ago.

They were also questioned on how they’d
handle the possibility of new big-box retailers
- such as Wal-Mart — coming here.

“Box stores kill the little businessmen,”

_ said Rusty Ljungh. “I would look at it very ser-

idusly before | gave my okay to anything =
~~ Continued Pg. A2

Don't forget to vote

THOSE WHO can't vote this Saturday can do so
today.

City hall is the place for an advance poll until &
p.m. for both city council and school district can-
didates.

Those people in Terraceview Lodge or in Mills
Memorial Hospital will be able to vote at those
two places this Friday, Nov. 15.

For everybody else, this Saturday, Nov. 16 is
the regular voting day with polls opening at 8 a.m.
and closing at 8 p.m.

Voting for city council and school district posi-
tlons takes place at Clarence Michiel School.
Rosswood Community Centre is also a location for
school trustee voting. ;

Voters in Thornhill and other rural areas can
choose their-school district trustee by voting either
at Thornhill] Elementary, Mount Layton Hotsprings
at Lakelse Lake or Anchor's Away Store in Usk.

Those who aren't on the voters list can register
the polls, but should bring sufficient ID with

them. Cs