‘Clark, LAST WEER’S school board decision to close five schools across the district holds few surprises, Four of the five schools that will close ~ Copper Mountain and Parkside Elementary in Terrace and Kitimat’s Cormor- ant and Alexander schools — were named previously. Only the decision to close Ste- wart Elementary and not Stewart Secondary differs from a March 26 announcement on school clo- sures, . “Afterall that consultation, ~that’s~ the-only “difference,” Ter- race and District Teachers’ Union president Frank Rowe said refer- ring to Stewart Elementary. Teaching staff are feeling dis- appointed with the June ‘11 deci- sion finalizing schoal closures, “When you close the school building, it destroys the school community. It destroys trust and caring that has built up over the years. People are feeling that very deeply right now.” The. board was forced to re- scind its original decision in early April after it turned out the School Act still ‘requires a minimum 60- day public consultation period - despite assurances to the contrary from education minister Christy school board officials claim. “As outlined in the district’s earlier proposal, Parkside Ele- mentaty in Terrace will be turned into a permanent location for two - alternate high schoo! programs, Lakelse Junior High and the Teen Learning Centre. By JENNIFER LANG CLOSING SCHOOLS is just the start of what may signal a coming - revolution in public’ education. Longer school days, four day weeks, year-round schooling, and corporate sponsorship are just some of the possibilities the Coast Mountains School District is con- sidering in-a bid to chop costs from its budget. While school district officials are aiming for a balanced budget for the coming school year, much ofthe savings have come from . closing schools, increasing ‘class sizes‘ bind“ laying off staff.» 2. Closing’ schools saves the district as much as $2.27 million. The district dip- Newest school to sit empty Mountainview would be envy of the district By JENNIFER LANG fivei. élementary “ School math Trustees opted to chop five schools to save money. Now they face even harder numbers next year. The board has also deci- ded not to open brand new Moun- tainview Elementary at all next year, T he final deci- sion on school clo- sures comes wecks after the dis- trict issued layoff notices to more than 500 employees, including 161 TDTU members. The district began posting Marcel Georges rest of the $3.5 million projected deficit, secretary treasurer Marve! Georges said. Now Georges is warning of looming deficits in 2003-04 and the 2004-05 teaching positions Monday and was expected to finalize the appoint- ment of principals alate last week. Assistant Superinten- dent Rob Greenwood said about 38 layoffs have been. rescinded so far, He’s hopeful the district will be able to fill the remaining positions by next week - the end of the Frank Rowe ernment has promised to spend on education and health if the econ- omy improves, the Coast Moun- tains School District is bracing for a worst-case scenario. The district is school years. “You can save a lot of money if you projecting a Longer school days, four loss of 200 day weeks, schooling, and corporate year-round students each year and a shut down continued Fridays,” sponsorship are just some of funding freeze Georges said. the possibilities. from the pro- “There’s no vincial gov- busing, no ja- ernment. -nitorial staffs It adds. “Up “quickly.” Year-round schooling” ‘would “ dls6'-savé' money, iii part because * fewer schools would be needed, he said, Although the provincial gov- Georges ‘said’ thé: “education s ' ihinistry and’ provincidl govern: merit officials*hdve’ encouraged’ ° school districts to use all the tools available to keep‘costs down or generale revenue. school year. Secretary treasurer Maree] Georges said he will now be able to calculate a more accurate pic- ture of the budget impact. He's ‘projecting a balanced budget for the coming year, but the actual budget’ impact can’t be calculated until he knows which employees-will return’ in Septem- ber so he can figure out what their salaries are. ‘Closing schools will save the district $2.27 million, he said, Even so, the district was foreed lo use its surplus to balance the budget. . ~The. district. had faced a 33.5 million deficit for the coming school ‘year, - District officials blamed the shortfall on declining enrolment and provincial underfunding, in- cluding -a legislated wage in- crease ‘for teachers that the edu- cation ministry ‘isn’t paying for, rising. benefit costs, and changes in the ministry’s funding formula. “There's a sense that the board of trustees did not stand up to the government to defend education in this district,” Rowe said, refer- ring to calls for the board to turn in a deficit budget based on need, even if it meant being fired and replaced with an appointee. “Td like to know what the in- sensitive, cold bureaucrat would do that they didn’t do,” Rowe. said. The district is facing an’even larger deficit of $4.9 million in the 2003-04 school year - and that’s after closing schools and increas- ing class sizes, he added. “What are they going to do now?” Rowe wondered. Many options mulled to save money The school district recently for- med a strategic advisory commit- tee to look at some of the ways that could happen, including long- er school days and corporate sponsorship. The committee will meet in July. “Normally we don’t meet in the summer months but in light of the situation in the district finan- cially we thought we should start early,” Georges said. Other options could include sharing services, with, other school; . -districte:te "6 aT 5 h Me~he! thinistry’ nay even_forge us to regionalize,” he said. “Maybe that's their goal. ] don’t know.” ~tiful. WORKERS who were installing the sprinkler system outside the nearly-completed Moun- tainview Elementary School last week were - disappointed to learn the $3.2 million. building may never open. At-a closed meeting June 11, school "trustees voted to deiay the planned opening of the new elementary school for one year. “That’s.a shame,” said an employee for one ‘Vancouver-based sub contractor who toiled in 35-degree heat. ’ The school had been under consideration for closure since March, when trustees announced five other schools, including two in Terrace, : would be closed, ‘Trustees found it difficult to justify opening a new school when three communities were losing schools. ” Meanwhile, work on the school continued. “It will open,” project manager Ken Sasaki af Wayne Watson Construction said during a tour of the site following the board’s June 12 : announcement. Trustees now say they will re-evaluate the Mountainview decision in one year, ‘At a small sed-turning ceremony just one S ‘year ago; superintendent of schools Randy ~.. Smallbrugge predicted the new elementary “ would be the envy of other schools in the dis- > etriet. ‘ Mountainview Elementary — named follow- ing a district-wide contest amang schoo! child- | -ren earlier this year — is built to current seis- ~~ -anic standards and is energy efficient. “The nearly-complete building is also beau- Skylights and high ceilings brighten, the 7 -open-concept main corridor .and practical. but... - attractive round windows in some office walls -- eréate a feeling of continuity inside the build- - ing, the first new school to be built in Terrace * in 30. years, “Crews continue to put the finishing touches * on the building despite the announcerient, Landscaping around the school, located in a : new nection. of the Mountain Vista subdivision, DRYWALLEA Sean Lindstrom takes a break from work last week on the naw $3.2 mil- lion Mountainview Elementary. The school won't open next year. JENNIFER LANG PHOTO will proceed as planned, even though no stu- dents will be attending this September. “The money's there from Victoria,” district secretary treasurer Marcel Georges said. '|. He's encouraging. the board to open thé.’ ‘school as originally planned, a political dect- sion that would be made by elected officials. Georges said closing five schools and not opening Mountainview Elementary will save the district $2,277,000. ‘He ‘said there will be a small cost to: heat Mountainview 50 tt willl remains in good con- dition. ae a The provincial government has promised to increase funding to education and health if B.C.'s economy rebounds. “IF things change and improve we have “every intention of opening that school,” Georges said. ‘It's too bad. At one time we had the intention of keeping it open. Parents ‘decided against it.” The school district had originally looked at closing E.T. Kenney Primary school in the ‘Horseshoe ared in order to prepare for Moun- _ tainview Elementary’ 8 planned September = 2002 opening. . . The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 19, 2002 - AS CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag — Knowledge is power Dear Sir: Re: Drug Awareness, A Job for Parents, letter to the editor from Anne-Marie Stiff, June 12, 2002. While 1 agree that parents need to take an active role in educating their children on various issues, especially issues as damaging as drug and alcohol use, I must disagree with Anne-Marie. There are many parents that can’t or won’t inform their children on this dangerous and potentially deadly issue. She states that va ot and: teachers cannot be held responsible for al of the social ills facing us today” and she’s right. They’re not wholly responsible but, doesn’t it take a community to raise a child? As a mother and an educated individual, I've taken workshops and courses in al¢ohol and drug use. Do I know it all? Certainly not. Would I want my son to partake in the DARE. program to receive any additional information that may help him make healthy choices? You bet! The more information and frank discussion parents, teachers and community members can bestow on our valuable kids can only better their chances at a successful future. As they say: knowledge is power. : Crystal Hamar ‘ Terrace, BC Drug program worthwhile Dear Sir: Gail Murray and Anne-Marie Stiff are sure quick to point out the bad points of DARE and the RCMP’s involvement in the program (Mail Bag, The Terrace Standard, June 12, 2002), But what about the knowledge of drug and alcohol abuse our children will be learning about? The pressures that will come to them in their teens? I would think most parents would rather their children learn about this abuse from them or programs like this rather from other kids on the street. As a mother of two young boys, I am very happy that there is a program out there that will help me in my fight to prevent them from drug and alcohol use. I know of some young adults who have taken the program and have come out more confident with themselves and have the strength to deal with these pressures. I work for Scotiabank who proudly supports and sponsors this program. My oldest son attends a private school in Terrace where this program will be available to him in the future. I and many others will support the DARE program as long as it takes. Shannon Demelo Terrace, BC Why not DARE? Dear Sir: In response to your recent article on the DARE controversy, { think it’s an absolute shame qualified police officers are being discouraged by the TDTU from teaching the DARE program. Having been “through the*DARE! program: ‘at~“Clarente Michael Elementary, 1 find that having a police officer come into .a.class room. (presumably .not.paid by..the, sahool district, this should be considered as proactive policing to deter reactive means) is a learning tool in itself. It helps to create rapport between the students, at a young and impressionable age, and the police on a good level, and makes students aware of the different kinds of drugs that are out there, and why they are dangerous. The funding is there, and the police are willing to do it, without any more training? Where is there a problem in that? Diandra Oliver New: Westminster, B.C. Kyoto vote opposed Dear Sir: I was disappointed to read that the Kitimat-Stikine regional district voted to oppose Canada’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming (‘They’re saying ‘no’ to Kyoto”, The Terrace Standard, June 5, 2002), Not only is this very shortsighted, but it is based on assumptions that are demonstrably incorrect. It is unfortunate that what we are starting to experience is called global warming because that brings up pleasant images, while - serious consequences are ignored. Global climate change * would be a better name and we are already starting to see the effects of greenhouse gases in the unusual weather happening all around the world. We can expect more unusual weather and more weather extremes, such as hurricanes, droughts, and floods. Our food crops are dependent on relatively consistent weather patterns. As temperatures change, wind patterns change. This changes rainfal] patterns, which affect groundwater sources such as rivers and lakes as well as crops. I say the assumptions of the Kitimat-Stikine regional district are incorrect because it is possibis for companies to change to meet the Kyoto Protocol standards in a way that reduces their costs. The Alberta company, British Petroleum, is a good. British Petroleum has made changes beyond what is being asked for in the Kyoto Protocol and has increased its profits at the same time. A further assumption is that the people of this area would be against ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. That may or may not be so — but northwest politicians didn’t ask to find out. An Alberta poll showed 75. per cent support for Kyoto. If this information is correct, the government was not representing the population. On a balance sheet, the costs involved in meeting the Kyoto Protocol standards are minuscule compared to those likely to be incutred if global warming : continues. With a little creative problem solving, ; there could even be an increase in profits in the affected businesses. Let’s rethink this one, OK? Pat Carson Terrace, B. C, About the Mail Bag The Terrace Standard welcomes letters. Our address Ia 3210- Clinton St., Terrace, B.C. V8G 5R2. You can fax us at 250-638-8432 or e-mail us at standard@kermode.net. No attachments, please. We need your name, address and phone number for verification, Our deadline Is _ noon Friday or noon Thursday If it’s a tong weekend, |