Vol. 3, Issue No. 48 * Nell DeJong, one of the many modals at a recent fashion show held at the Happy Gang Centre, captured the high fashion look with flattering fasults in this tastefully designed kaftan. Tailored for eye- catching comfort, deep shirring extands from the plunging V- py Gang Fall Fashion Show was org neckline to the stylish hem. The Hap- anized by Ma Cherle representatives . and followed a special Saturday luncheon. For more photos, see page 13. Legislative Library, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 30 Cc ENTS | Flawed. funding formula. for special education may boost local taxes TERRACE — — Rising costs anda. - growing . ‘humber of students enrolled in Special Education programs ‘have caused the Min-. istry of Education to “‘cap’’ its funding for the programs, and according to the Director of. Special Services Education, An- -drew Scruton, that may cost School District 88 taxpayers money. | Scruton said Special Services was once funded on an “‘ap- ‘proval basis’’, under which ap- proved programs were funded according to, the number of pupils enrolled. The Ministry has changed’ the system to a ‘categorically based pupil count’’ by placing a 3.5 percent “cap”? on the number of stu- dents funded in four categories - ~~ mildly mentally handicapped, severe learning -disabilities, severe behaviour«problems and alternate programs. ‘Seruton said this has created funding problems for School District 88in-two ways. Three and one-half percent was the percentage of students enrolled’ province-wide in Special Pro- grams prior to 1985, and the policy is therefore out of date and doesn’t reflect regional dif- ferences in enrollment. He ‘explained that since 1985, there has been an increase na- tionally in the percentage of handicapped children, primarily due to improved neo-natal care. ‘‘More babies are surviving who -would not have survived previ- ously, but with more handicap- ping conditions,”’ he said. Added to the problem of that increase is the unique situation in the Terrace area where up to one tenth (about 600) of the stu- dent population attend in- ~ RAFT announces drive “to enlist volunteers — TERRACE — - Responsible Ac- ‘tion For Teens (RAFT) volunteer, Pat Williams, says that a fresh approach in pro- ‘viding meaningful activities for Terrace youth will make RAFT , more .attractive to. both teens “. and volunteers, by Tod Strachan _ According to Wiliams, a ’ down-to-earth, realistic program has been developed that will be organized, managed and sup- ported by the young people in- | volved and as a result will offer teens the benefit of feeling the sense of accomplishment that can only be earned by dedication - and hard work while minimizing the load on volunteers. In discussing the RAFT pro- ' gram, Williams: said the first thing that needs to be done is to clarify its goals. According to -delinquents’’, impression don’t feel. ‘said ‘Williams, Williams, many residents have. the impression that RAFT is a program for ‘‘problem kids or and because of that they’re qualified to get involved. “‘But that’s not what we are,’’ “The kids we’re looking at are not kids that are really troubled because. we're not qualified to deal with that.’* ‘“‘We .are just ordinary people,’’ she explained. ‘‘So anybody on the street with a good heart can help,’’: Williams said the main thrust _ of the RAFT program is to help kids that are socially disadvan. taged. ~ “Parents don’t always have the money to put them into clubs with high annual fees, or maybe their home is not even an ideal environment to be around,” she explained. ‘‘And they want to have some time with their . somehow . where: friends outside of their home.”’ Williams continued by saying, “Lots of kids have a good heart and want to be good,: but sometimes, maybe because of.an environment that is not favorable to them, they can't channel some of the things that are available.’ — Williams explained that a suc- cessful RAFT program has to be a ‘positive environment open to all teens that wanted to be in- volved, and an environment teens can express themselves. She said.that because of these facts, RAFT organizers are aim- ‘ing the program at “ordinary kids’’ who “‘like a place to stay but don’t want to go to the pool halls’’, Organizers have planned a program that will be less for- mal -than last year and place _ continued on page 24 into © dependent Tather than public schools, ‘ Scruton explained that while these non-public school students don’t count when calculating the ministry's 3.5 percent funding formula, “‘A number of those kids come from those non- publicly funded schools into the public school system because of our services —- but they don’t count. . *‘Our cap is 3.5 percent of the district enrollment, not the.total area. And that creates a prob- lem.”’ “It should be the total enrol- ment you’re drawing your. spe- cial education students from, whether they’re in the public ed- ucation system or in other school systems,” he stated, Scruton said another problem that is unique to the Northwest is the high incidence of’ Fetal ' Alcohol Syndrome. . He said that, according to a study. done . by” -Dr. | Asante’ of Terrace, the “normal” iricedencé of Fetal Al- Kwadwo. cohol Syndrome in North Amer- ica: was 0.4 per 1,000 ‘popula- tion. But, said Scruton,. ‘‘In parts of. the Northwest and the Yukon, it rises as high as 25 per’. 1,000. Sixty times greater.’”” Scruton said that —fact is” ‘related directly to the abuse of. . alcohol in the north, and it is a fact which “thas to have an ef- fect on the number of special needs children you’ re going: to have to serve.’’ Because of this, he said, “We have a much higher incidence than normal of mildly mentally ‘handicapped children. But this is: one of the programs ‘that the province has capped.”’ In the past, these borderline children were placed in special-~ programs because they: needed the service, but with the 3.5 per- cent funding cap, the taxpayer will now have to carry the added financial burden. _ He explained that ‘District 88 currently claims about. 1,200. students..on the continued on page 21 Gerry Martin, this year’s Rotary Auction chairman, displays a child car seat, one of more than 300 Items to be auctioned off tonight and tomorrow evening on radio CFTK and TK cablevision Channel 10. For details see page 2. School Outside Dats HI L a Prec. ” Noy. 23 $060 7.0 mm rain 1.6 cm anow 7 1.2mm rain 23 mm rain tom snow 37.2 raln 1.0mm rain 3.48 mm raln Amm rain Nov. 24 Nov. 25 Nov. 26 . 1 Nov. 27 3 Nov, 28 - 5 Nov. 20° * 2 Forecast: Continulng mild and wet with ralny perlods, some cooling by the weekend. Highs of 6, lows of 2 in the early part of the week and highs of 2.3 and fows to -1 In the later part. 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