TERRACE — School board
trustees cut $390,000 last week
from the school district”s provi-
sional budget to avoid having to
hold a tax referendum this spr- .
ing. -

The move came March 27,
just before ihe budget deadline
for school boards. :

School distiict ‘officials said
trustees reversed a committee
recommendation the previous
week to-hold’a referendum for
more money, and instead cut
several proposed and existing
programs to bring the budget
within © government-imposed
spending limits.

Under changes introduced
earlier this year, school districts
are limited to budget ‘increases
of around six per cerit. To spend
more than that they must get
approval from local taxpayers
in a referendum.

The changes allow School
‘District 88 to spend $30.28
million this budget year, and
district officials say the
$33.5-million budget approved

| Wayne Braid

last week is within the limit. The
additional $3.3 million includes
items exempted from the limit,
such as debt payments,

“We were reluctant to go to
referendum this year,’’ trustee,
Wayne Braid said, noting local

taxpayers already face a proper--

ty tax hike that comes into ef-

‘School spending slashed
to avoid tax hike vote —

fect in July as a result of last:
year’s school board budget.
“Who wants to pay increased
taxes? It would be a tough one
to sell right now."’

He said the board still feels it
can offer top-quality education
within the spending limits im-
posed.

Secretary-treasurer Barry

Piersdorff said trustees cut in .
the following areas’ to. reduce

the budget by $390,000:

* $100,000 from current
spending for teachers’ aides,

* $50,000 from current spen-
ding for programs for gifted
students, reducing that Program
by roughly half. -

® $105,000 for proposed in-

creases to learning assistance
positions.

© $80,000 Tequested for. a
proposed music program,

® $30,000 for proposed jin-
creases to busing for extra-
curricular student:travel such as
Sports and band trips.

* $25,000 from a propased

Gitksan native langage Pro. =

_ Salary figure release -

~ upsets local teachers

‘TERRACE — School District
88 has angered local teachers by
publicly releasing the amount of
money budgeted for teacher
salary increases.

Under the rules of labour
‘negotiations, such a release
without first putting it on the
‘bargaining table constitutes
“bargaining in bad faith,” Ter-
race District Teachers’ Associa-
tion (TDTA) president Greig
Houlden said last week.

He was reacting to informa-
tion released at a press con-
ference by school board of-
ficials.

The school board has
budgeted for a six per cent in-
crease in teachers’ wages and
‘benefits this year.School district
“officials said the budget also in-
“cludes - money for already
negotiated increases, including
a five per cent wage hike for
CUPE workers, and a 4.5 per
cent increase for administrative
‘and other non-union staff.

The school district has never

a =, 3202 Munroe Streot al

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ak he! 7

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before made its budget alloca-
tions for teacher raises public
while contract negotiations are
underway with the TDTA,.

School board spokesman
Wayne Braid said the board
decided to tell teachers how
much was budgeted in the in-
terest of getting a speedy and
fair settlement.

“We're just being
straightforward with them,” he
“They need to know
what's in the budget, and we
might as well tell them now.”’

Secretary treasurer Barry
Piersdorff said the six per cent
figure is fair considering public
sector increases are now runn-
ing around 3.5 to four per cent,

_ and private sector increases are’

averaging 5.5:to six per cent.

“If the negotiated settlement’

is higher than the six per cent
budgeted, it obviously has to
come from some other area of
the budget,”? he said, That
would mean trustees identifying
more programs areas in which

to cut, or else rolling. a deficit

into the following budget year,
he explained.

‘ Houlden called the board's
stance '‘a take it or leave it posi-
tion”’ and said that coupled
with program cuts in the budget
highlights the inadequacies of

the province’s new system of .

financing education.

Because the overall budget is
up by about 6. 7 per cent, he said
the board is skimming money
from salaries — which make up
more than 70 per cent of the
budget — to get more money
for programs and services.

“That indicates the

‘employees are expected to sub-

-Sidize:the programs’ that are to

bé'offered: in the-district i int the

““upsoming Year.) 4 ;
" Houlden said at least a 6. 7

per cent increase should have
been allocated for teachers’
raises, and it should have been
put on the bargaining table

. before being made public.

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until late the night the budget

| A $100-million gold exploration and development effort is under way in the -

gram.

.\ Despite cuts to some existing
‘programs,’ ‘Braid noted none -
have been eliminated, No major
‘new Programs have been added,

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supplies, Piersdorff added. .
“'This is a hold-the-line type .
of ,- budget,’ Superintendent ..

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’ Braid said. the decision. to. eae
make the cuts and avoid a
referendum passed by a 4.2
vote. “There are trustees who
are still adamant we should
have gone to referendum," he |
noted.

The debate didn’t finally end

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was adopted, Piersdorff added.
“The door wasn’t closéd until
literally the eleventh hour.”

The cost and uncertainty of a
referendum were also factors in
the trustees’ decision, he said.

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