A8 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 30, 1997 a) oe ce Bape 2a one 3 It’s a blast AN EXPLOSION near the south end of Lakelse Lake last Thursday was the result of blasting being conducted by a class of Northwest Com- munity College students. The month-long course, sponsored by Human Resources Development Canada, helped 14 unemployed people get train- ing as driller/blaster's helpers. “It's a great way to get your foot in the door,” said Dave McPherson, one of the students now seeking work in the field. That's instructor David Storey checking detonators set in a rock face, student dip is bad news THE SCHOOL BOARD has to deal with other matters in addition to a $750,000 budget shortfall. Assistant superintendent Skip Bergsma thinks the school district might be 100 students short of the miinistry’s projected figures when schools re-open this fall. If that happens, the district will lose another $300,000 in revenue, That’s because the government gives money to the district based on the number of students it has. “‘Mr. Bergsma has been pretty dam accurate every year,’ said Terrace tnistee Roger Leclerc. ‘He could show the ministry a thing or two about head counts,” In order to cope with the anticipated shortfall, Bergsma has drafted a contingency plan. Al the start of the school year in September, the district will hold off on hiring three teachers — one in Kitimat and three in Terrace, The district will also hold back 10 per cent of its supplics budget. Kitimat teacher’s union president Neil Worboys wondered why the board would opt to save money by reducing teachers rather than administrative staff. Bergsma explained that the four teachers in question hadn’t been hired yet, so no one would be laid off. ‘We're not talking about taking slaff away thal is com- mitted to specific schools,’ said Bergsma. ‘If the pupils show up, they may be hired.”’ g steak night in town! Royal Canadian Legion Branch 13 - Terrace First Friday of Every Month Juicy Steak - Baked Potato - Salad 5:00 p.m. servings BERR BEER ERR URE RRR ER Member & Bonafide Guests Welcome. 19 years and over only please. Check with Branch for Entertainment. y cy Ay Board ready for surgery to cut budget By CRIS LEYKAUF YOUR DAUGHTER’S favourite music program or planned computer purchases could be eliminated from her school next year. School board trustees have to slice about $750,000 in spending to fit the $51.8 million budget they've reocived from the province for the school year beginning this fall. This’li be the first big test for the school district which was created when the ones for Kitimat and for Terrace and points north were merged late last year. Trustees have given themselves until May 7 to come up with a plan. Making cuts will be difficult, says assistant secretary- treasurer Ron Bernt, as 83 per cent of the money already goes to wages and benefits while bussing, utilities and other necessities take a huge chunk of what’s left. ‘There’s not much in the way of discretionary monies,” said Bernt. ‘The government has not laid a particularly easy task on school boards,’’ Legally, the board had to submit a balanced budget to the provincial government by April 27. And technically it did that. But the work of actually deciding what programs will stay and what will go in order to get a balanced budget still has to be done. ‘The board is allowed to do this because a final budget for the 1997/98 school year doesn’t have to be submitted until February next year. But trustees want to make cuts as soon as possible be- cause decision have to be made soon about plans for the fall. They have to determine how many teachers will be needed, how many supplies will be bought for programs and what programs can go ahead, There are also contractual obligations — teachers need to be notified by a certain date if they're going to be laid off for the next school year. Yet trustees last week disagreed about how quickly deci- sions had to be made. Terrace trustee Stew Christensen suggested the May 7 deadline, bul Kitimat trustees Peter King and Linda Campbell disagreed. King suggested that rather than set a time deadline, the board could look at the old Kitimat board’s practice of is- suing a type of fake layoff notices to teachers to meet con- tract deadlines, Although no one was laid off, the notices provided insur- ance for the Kitimat board should it not need, or be able to afford, the numbers of teachers originally forecast. After debate, and irate comments from the audience — which included teacher’s unions representatives —- the idea was dropped, But after the meeting district superintendent Frank Hamilton said, ‘when the board does examine the budget there may be at some future date some layoff notices.’” Teacher wage increases already agrecd to in existing contracts and a decrease in the amount of money per stu- dent the province is giving the district are the two main reasons for the $750,000 gap. And the projecied deficit doesn’t include any of the items the budget advisory committee has recommended, Those are an additional elementary school counsellor at a cost of $85,000, a technology technician in Kitimat to maintain computer networks at a cost of about $60,000, resources for a. Punjabi language program — $2,500 and $25,000 in contractual increases for administrators, If those items are added to the budget, the deficit grows to over $900,000. *‘TE things continue on the same track they’re on now,” said secretary-treasurer Barry Piersdorif, ‘‘then we will be in deficit. We must make changes in operations.” USIVELT Fro, phil LBL Ors INCLUDES: © 4 days cruising from Vancouser lo Los Angeles on the Crown Princess (OUTSIDE CABIN} * 3 Nights secommodation in Disneyland including daily continental breakfast ® Translers in Los Angeles © Airfure from Los Angeles to Yanicouver on Canadian Airlines International Whistler Golf Package May 15-Oct. 12, 1997 mi AA. PRCLUDES: * Two nights deluxe accommodation © TWworounds of golf at the Nicklaus North Song of America Gol! Course and the Whistler Golf Club. * Pre-booking of Tee Times! 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