Page A8 — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 31, 1990

Parents assail ©
massive change
in the schools

TERRACE — An education |
ministry spokesman fielded
hostile questions at a public
forum Friday from parents wor-
tied about the ‘Year 2000
changes to the public school
system, -

Several parents spoke out
against the dual entry
kindergarten, noting that some
school districts have chosen not
to implement it.

Diana Wold said thé change,
which results in’ some children
born late beginning school in
January, disturbs her so much
she will not put her child into
the public school system.

Education ministry
spokesman Barry Carbol
defended the Year 2000 pro-
gram, saying it corrects flaws in
the existing school system, |
which has failed to ‘‘pay
enough attention to the self-
esteem of children.”

He said the new program
recognizes that children’s emo-
tional and social development
can be just as important as their
intellectual development. That
recognition has led-to some of
the recent changes, including
the integration of mentally han-
dicapped students into regular
classes, the decision to eliminate
the practice of holding children
back a grade, and the decision
to discourage the use of letter
grades in evaluating children on
tests and report cards. .~

The failure to. previously
recognize the importance of
these areas, Carbol said, has
contributed to a “tremendous
drop-out problem”' in B.C.

Two parents voicing discon-
tent at the meeting debated
whether letter grades were
useful at the Grade 4 to 10 level.
Letter grades will likely be
eliminated from report cards at
those intermediate grade levels.

Parent Donna Burton said
she wants letter grades as a way
to:measure how well her child is
doing, ‘and because she said her
children work hard because they

want to get straight A’s and
make the school’s honour roll.

“He is motivated when he
gets an A,”’ she said. “‘Now he’s
never going to see an A because
you're going to take away the
letter grades,” ,

But Chris Clark, another
parent at the meeting, said she
agreed with the philosophy of

the new system that letter grades

are arbitrary numbers that
don’t necessarily - mean
anything. _

She said parents that put a iot
of stock in them may be deceiv-
ing themselves and using the
grades ‘as a convenient way to
avoid being more aware of their
child’s education.

Carbol said the changes
“aren't a matter of experimen-
ting with kids," and said fear of
the unknown is playing a large
part in the public’s skepticism
about the new system.

mation ‘explosion - are fércing
education to’ change as’ well.
“Things we've ‘never dreamed
of in our lifetimes are happen-
ing overnight, ” he said: -

Another parent at
meeting called for more’ teacher

accountability. ‘You guys are -

protected by your union,’’ she
said. of teachers, “There’ s no
parental input to say ‘You're
not doing a good job here.’ I

think parents have a right to

have some way of evaluating the
teacher’s performance in the
classroom: — ‘and™-we. don't.
That i is not being addressed.”
.. That . prompted © a teacher’s
union representative to stand up

-and reply that a system exists '

for parents to complain — by
beginning with the teacher and
working up the ladder from
there. “°

Several parents said many of
the Year 2000 issues are
monetary ones that could be fix-

“He is motivated when he gets an A,” said one
parent. “Now he’s never going to see an.A because
you're going to take away the letter grades.”

School board chairman Edna
Cooper told parents the Year
2000 plans finally change the
education system to make it fil
the child — instead of making
the child fit the system.

“There isn’t anything wrong
with the schools as they are,”
she said. “But the world is
changing around us.”

- “There is so much informa.

tion in the world today that we
can’t hope to teach our children

it all. So we have to adapt and.

prepare our children so they can
process more information,” she
said,

“I want you to understand
that ‘you’re partners with the
teachers in this. They’re learn-
ing too. We're all at the beginn-
ing.’’

Carbol added that changing
trends in society today — dif-
ferent types-of families, an age-
ing population, and the infor-

ed if the ministry supplied more.

money for the changes,

“T think -yoy’re giving
everybody the royal
runaround,” Burton said. ‘“The

trouble is your changes are hap- |

pening a lot faster than the
money's coming in so you're
changing things a lot faster than
the money’s coming in for
resources and materials and
smaller class sizes in the
schools.”’

“Are our children a natural
resource or not? I don’t want a
band-aid solution five years
from now if this thing falls
apart.”

The Terrace school district i is
implementing the primary pro-
gram — replacing kindergarten
to Grade 3 — this fall. The in-
termediate isn’t to start until at
least 1993, and the graduation
program would follow later this
decade. 4"

NS.

o

Coldwater

S

Thunderbird Forest Area

‘Scale 1250 000°

the

As your school board, we want y you to Know that we are ‘concerned with the present state of

negotiations with the Terrace District Teachers’ Association.

On March 15ih the TDTA presented the school district with some 300 proposals excluding
wage increases. The board's proposals, number 48.

After. 29 days of negotiations only 9 proposals have been resolved and the TDTA has
indicated the remaining items are all considered major issues. .

We're concerned not only with the slow prograss of our negotiations but with the ultimate
cost to you. Hefe are just some of the | reasons we ‘re worried:

| : (1) We estimate the ‘cost 6f the TOTA proposals, before they tel us ‘about tener ae . 2 7

increases, Is 6. 8 milllon doltars. S

(2): That 6:8: million dollars translates into. an equivalent 55. 6% increase in salaries “bio
consideting the TDTA's wage package... :

(3) “There are additional costs.in the TOTA proposal and the dollar value is ukiowin

Weare also coricerned with the type of issues s presented | inthe TOTA proposals. A few! ex- :

amples:

(1) Through the collective agreemerit, the TDTA seeks to restrict rights of parents quaranteed
under the School Act, to access information on their children. The TDTA proposes that
these confidential student files not be accessible to parents.

(2) The TOTA is proposing a decrease in the number of teacher days presently available to
students. Teachers now have 5 professionat development days and the TDTA is proposing
an additional 5 days away from the classroom for “curriculum implementation”. Another
day away fram the classroom would be added for administration purposes. This proposal
would drop the number. of school days the teacher Is available to your child from 190
to 184.

(3) The TDTA is currenily entitled to § ‘unpaid persona! leave days and now propose, that one

of those days be paid.

As a board elected to represent you, we are committed to the negotiating process and will work
at achieving a fair settlement. Our desire is to see an early settlement achieved without a work
stoppage and its inevitable interruption to education services. We believe it is is important for you
to know where we are in negotiations and of our concerns.

Kirsten Chapman.
Negotiating Committee Chairperson : Ue an is TBE,
School District No. 88 ee age cede fe Blane .

PUBLIC MEETINGS . o
; 3.A public meeting will ba held on January.17, 1991 to disolies a a list of planning, iesibs,

4k second public meeting will be held on March. 28; 1991 to: review the management 5

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
_ INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT :

PLANNING
THUNDERBIRD FOREST AREA

The Ministry of Forests, Kalum Forest District, in co-operation with B.C. Environment is
seeking public input Into the development of an integrated resource management plan for
the Thunderbird Forest Area. .

PLAN PURPOSE . :
_ The plan will recognize the importance of old growth retention; fish and widlife habitat;
commercial, residential, recreational and historical useage; as wall as timber management
within this section of the Lakelse River watershed. :

The planning process will lead to the selection of an optimum management plan for the
Thunderbird Forest Area.

HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE?
1.-The Project Facilitator will be contacting groups who may have. An, interest In this panning -_
process. -_
2. If you have not been contacted and want to be. Involved or want mora Information wt or
phone; Jim Culp, Project Facilitator a
Ministry of Forests, 200-5220 Keith Avenue,
Terrace, B,C. V8G 1L1, Phone: 6398-3290

- solicit further public input and identify steps to: formulate management options. -

options and receive public comment.
5. Public Meeting locations and time will be announced at a ater. date,

Lake

" . : Province of. vars
British Columbla
Ministry -
of Forests -