Immersion in doubt

TERRACE — The high school
French immersion program here
-won't expand to Caledonia Sr.
Secondary unless at least eight
students enrol next September.

School trustees at last week’s
school board meeting approved
a series of minimum enrolment
levels for the program.

The French immersion pro-
gram's lead class consists of
eight students in Grade 10 at
Skeena Jr, Secondary School.
~All--eight- must remain in the
program for the classes to be of-
fered at a Grade 11 level.

- Trustees Kris Chapman, Stew
Christensen, Laurie Mitchell
and Mary Spooner voted in
‘favour of the new policy. Ter-
race trustee Wayne Braid, who
opposed it, saying more flex-

_. ibility must be built in to the

‘minimum enrolment levels in
case a student moves away.
“Look at these numbers,’’ he
said. ‘“One kid’s parents get
transferred to Prince George or
something and suddenly we've
_ got a major problem here.’
. Braid told the board the
parents of the French immer-
Sion students expect the pro-
gram ‘to. continue straight
through to Grade 12.
» “We really have never made
that commitment,’” Christensen
responded.

those parents and say you're not
going to?’’ Braid demanded.

“We made it very clear to the
parents that there jis no
guaranlee of continuation of
this program,’’ said Chapman.
“There never ever has been a
guarantee.’'

Assistant schools superinten-
dent Skip Bergsma told the
board there’s no indication any
of the eight Grade 10 students
will be dropping out of the pro-
gram~-or
Superintendent Frank Hamilton
said the number of students in
each class has to be
‘‘somewhere near reasonable.’’

In 1993-94 the same eight
students will have to 26 on to
Grade 12 for that level of the
program to be offered. The
minimum enroiment for
students a year younger will in-
crease to nine that year and will
climb to 10 in 1994-95,

Canadian Parents for French
local president Patty Barnes
said the parents have
understood the program would
run to the end of secondary
school.

“Our understanding was that
when they said guaranteed im-
mersion would go on_ into
secondary, that they meant
through the whole secondary
program not just the junior

~moving” away.

ei. rare sees

“Are you prepared to go to secondary," she said.

Trustee future uncertain

GORDON SEBASTIAN’ future as a school trustee is uncer-
tain after the Hazelton-area trustee missed his third con-
secutive school board meeting last week.

School board policy has been that trustees who are absent
for three consecutive meetings must resign. Minutes indicate
Sebastian’s absence at the December and January meetings.

But, according to administrators at the Feb. 11 board
meeting here, the issue can’t be dealt with by the board until
it’s raised by one of the trustees at a board meeting.

The last trustee to be removed from the board under similar
circumstances was Barb Johnson, who moved to Calgary in
early 1989, A byelection was called after she missed three con-
secutive board meetings.

Johnson was replaced in, the byelection by Wayne Braid,
who defeated two, other: contenders es

Theatre rent hike coming ;

USERS OF the R.E.M. Lee Theatre could be hit hard in the
pocketbook if school trustees approve proposed rental rate
increases,

Increases of as much as 25 per cent in theatre rentals were

recommended to the board by the theatre’s manager.

Bui trustees, expressing some concern about the severity of
the increases, tabled the iter to next month's board meeting
on Mar. 10, to allow the board to discuss the increase with the
users.

If approved, non-profit groups will see their single perfor-
mance rates increase from $200 to $250, with Saturday rentals
going up 33 per cent from $225 to $300.

Commercial rates and fees for conventions would increase
by roughly 20 per cent. Rental of the theatre lobby for con-
ferences and lectures would be hiked from $100 to $150.

Schools superintendent Frank Hamilton said increases in
past years haven't kept pace with escalating costs, and now
the theatre is forced to catch up with a single large rate in-
crease.

Specialized teachers hired

MORE SPECIALIZED teachers will be coming to the nor-
thwest.

Trustees voted Feb, 11 to join with five other northwest
school districts in the hiring of a teacher for the blind.

And the Terrace board also voted to immediately hire an
additional half-time speech therapist to work in the Terrace
area until June 30.

Mileage rate increase pondered

TRUSTEES WILL continue to consider an increase in the
reimbursement rate for the use of personal vehicles by
trustees and staff,

The finance committee recommended increasing that
mileage rate from 29 cents a kilometre to 30 cents a kilometre
effective Apr. I.

But Stewart trustee Kris Chapman argued that increase is
not enough, claiming other districts pay substantially more
than 30 cents per kilometre.

Trustees agreed ta compare the proposed increase with the
rates paid in other districts and sent the issue back to commit-
tee for reconsideration,

Budget requests considered

TRUSTEES WILL be reviewing various budget requests as
the board prepares to submil its proposed 1992-93 budget ta
Victoria.

Among the financial requests under consideration are:

® $100,000 for technology projects.

® $75,000 for more office workers in schools.

* $50,000 for replacement of school equipment.

® Hiring of a second atidio-visual technician.

* Hiring of two additional elementary school vice-
principals, and an extention of administrative time for two
existing elementary vice-principais..

Summer exchange approved

TWO LOCAL teachers will spend three weeks in Japan this
summer as part of an international teachers exchange.

The school board approved the trip to a summer school in
Kanazawa, Japan this July by Caledonia teacher John Chen-
Wing and Clarence Michiel teacher Audrey Cox.

SCHOOL NOTES.

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 19, 1992 — Page A9

Braid said the board must
take immediate steps to clarify
the board’s policy for parents of
children just entering the pro-
gram.

‘*Let’s not get kids started in-
to this program under an expec-
tation that might nat be there if
we’re not going to continue this
thing,’’ he said.

Braid says he knows what the
parents expect because his own
daughter is in the french immer-
sion program.

“We've been led to believe
the whole time that this is a pro-
gram that’s going to be offered
through the district right until
my daughier graduates,’’ Braid

added, Wayne Braid

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