ee tw kere caer tee : Expansion in doubt Plans made for school growth Stories by CRIS LEYKAUF and DAVE TAYLOR _ THE AVERAGE PARENT must be pretty con- «one -Ramhace ePeanas ces aeac fused. First money for a new junior high is announc- ed. And then this money mysteriously dis-' appears. In another school in town, parents are advised to enrol] their children as soon as they’re bom, in order to secure a spot for kindergarten. - Just when it seems the school district has enough problems parents hear it is to amal- gamate with Kitimat. And the biggest issue seems to be who will run the darn thing. Granted that’s important, and will have a big impact. Butsome pretty big items have been put on the backbumer while trustees try to resolve this conflict, With 4 school board election coming up, it’s important also to look at the future of schools in Terrace, and what to do about a growing com- munity. The school board recently released a five-year plan, and it’s unclear at this point how much of it might actually come to fruition, Student numbers are growing steadily in two areas of town — Thombill and the bench. The city predicts growth in these areas will be between 3.5-4.25 per cent annually for tbe next five years. And that makes a new elementary school for the bench area in particular a high priority. That’s a project the district would like to receive planning monies for next year. The school district has placed a higher priority on a new elementary school than the replace- ment of Skeena Jr. Secondary. The province promised about $1 million for the replacement schoo] this spring. But then the government put on a freeze on that money, pending a review of all capital projects. That freeze puts a damper on the capital growth plans of the district. The school board had hoped for nearly $36 million from the edu- cation ministry over the next five years, for new schools, upgrades and additions. However, district superintendent Frank ‘Hamilton says nothing in the board’s five year plan was unreasonable. “3s certainly not pie in the sky,”’ he said. “We asked for what we feel we can justify. We're hoping to keep the board’s commitments _ lo parents.” But at the same time Hamilton admitted the board had to be realistic. “Only projects that are absolutcly necessary for accommodation of pupils will be accepted,’* he said of the current financial situation. Since the feared overcrowding at Uplands didn’t materialize this year, that makes the odds of getting money for a new bench elementary school slim. And Hamilton doesn’t foresee the planning monies for Skeena coming through this year. Other projects the school board wants to ac- complish next ycar are a new portable class- room for Cassie Hall, renovations to the music room at Caledonia and the replacement of elec- tric heating at a number of local schools, The wish list totals to about $4.5 million for thatyear, In the 1998/99 school year, the school board has ambitious plans, It hopes to complete con- struction of a new bench elementary school, and the new junior high. It also plans an addition and renovation to Cassie Hall, and wants to con- tinue with the program of replacing the electric healing in schools, Projected expenditures are $23.5 million. The next year two more renovations are planned, this time for Thomhill Elementary and Clarence Michiel. Those would be finished off over the next year, along with renovations to the district’s maintenance building. Private schools explore options WITH HOT DEBATES going on in the public school sys- tem, it’s easy to forget there are private schools here as well. One school —- run by the Seventh Day Adventist Church —— has recently moved into a new bullding on the bench. Two other religious schools are planning additions and possibly new buildings. Centennial Christian School, located off of Sparks in the horseshoe, serves a student population of about 250, from kindergarten to grade 10. Its board is currently studying the issue of whether or not the school should expand to grades 11 and 12, “We're keeping an eye on enrollment,’’ says principal Frank Voogd. About six years ago the school expanded to include a prade cight. Grade nine was added the next year, followed by grade 10 four years apo, Students of all Christian faiths attend Centennial, al- though about one quarter of the school’s studenis come from the Christian Reform Church — historically attended by the town’s Dutch community, ‘We can expand to higher grades on a temporary basis, but we would like to see a second facility constructed for a high school,’’ said Voogd, The school owns additional property off Eby, near the greenbelt on the edge of the Horseshoe. The school also still owes about $400,000 to $500,000 _ on its current building, which parents ; and the church com- © munity are working to pay off, That means the school’s board would have to make sure any further debt would be manageable, One way to belp pay for a new building might be te in- crease tuition costs, which on average are higher at Centennial than at other religious schools in towa. Families pay $335 in tuition per month, no matter if they have one child or five enrolled. Adding higher grades might mean a two-liered tuition plan — with a higher rate for high school students. But for parents who can’t afford the costs, the school also has a tuition assistance program. Centennial does not have an clitist attitude, says Voogd. The school is there for those who want a Christian edu- cation for their children, be said. Veritas school on the other hand caters primarily to Cath. * olic famities, particularly those from the Sacred Heart Church parish. However, unlike Centennial the school will accept chil- dren from non-Christian families. Over the last four years, the school’s population has , hovered around 210 students, from kindergarten to grade seven. About 90 per cent of those students are Catholic. This year the school is looking at expanding its library and compuler lab, to create a new multi-media centre, Principal Frances Nuyten estimates the project will cost around $400,000 and will give students more Intemet ac- cess and possibly upgraded computers, with older models going to the classroom. She'd also like to see all the com- puters networked. “There's more review for students who need it and more enrichment for students who could benefit from that” But nothing is set in stone yet, because Nuyten still has to see if parents will support the project, ‘We're ona really tight budget here,’’ she said. There isn't much money for extras, because the ‘church tries to keep the cost of tuition dowa, Tuition is $75 per month for one child, and rises for each subsequent child a family enrolls. Nuyten says the entire parish would bave to support the expansion project, before it could go ahead, The Seventh Day Adventist Church completed its build- ing about a year aid a half ago. The church and school relocated from a small building hidden away off Hwy.16 West to a modem brick building on the west side of the bench, across the road from North- west Community College. The school has a very smal) enrollment, which usually hovers around 15-20 students, from grades one to nine. Principal and teacher Angela Bishop says the school pro- vides a unique multi-grade environment. Students up to grade four are in one room, wilh those from grades five to nine in another room. Bishop said, explaining the concept behind the school. And it’s definitely harder for a student to fall between the cracks. “It's more to real life. You have to learn to live with people of different maturity levels,”’ she added. Students at the school also have to be independent learners and hard workers and usually do well when they transfer to other schools, said Bishop. The school is also apen to students of any faith, though it tends to be at least 50 per cent Adventist Tuition rins between $125-155 a month. Any plans for future expansion would keep the multi- grade concept. But Bishop would like to see grades splil into three groups, should enrollment increase, will support the school in Its plans tor expansion, skeena meeting delayed A PUBLIC MEETING on the replacement of Skeena Jr. Secondary probably won’t happen until the new year, predicts Terrace trustee Stew Christensen, When planning monies of $1 million dol- lars were announced earlier this year, parents Were worried there wouldn’t be enough time for discussions before a plan for the new school had to be presented to the education ministry. Now with a freeze on capital spending there seems to be plenty of time, and parents are asking for that mecting. But it likely won’t happen until after the new school board meets in early December. And with other issues to resolve, the mect- ing will probably be pushed it into the new year, What's at stake isn’t just one school. The replacement of Skeena will affect Thornhill Je. Secondary and Caledonia Secondary as well. One scenario is the possibility of making Skeena, Caledonia and Thornhill Jr. all grade 8-12 schools, Right now school board officials estimate it will cost about $20 million to replace Skeena. It will either be located on the current site or on the bench on the west side, If it’s built on the current site, the old school will likely need to be totally removed, or the present track will be “destroyed during the course of construction. However, it seems the replacement com- mittee is leaning toward a bench school. That’s because part of the building costs could be financed through the sale of the current Skeena site. It’s estimated the site contains about 60 city building lots. Another factor is that population growth on the bench is expected to be very high, compared to that in town, In anticipation of a decision, the school district has started the process to acquire 28 acres of land on the bench. There are a number of factors the board and parents have to consider, since over the next 40-50 years it is estimated that more than 10,000 students will pass through the Skeena replacement school. ‘And the impact will also be felt on the two other schools, should they become 8- 12, Obvious problems are the limited number of choices in electives three high schools might be able to offer. But there are other concerns. If the present Skeena sile is carved up into building lots, it means a joss of track facilities and fields for soccer and other sports. And if young families move into new homes in that area, it could create crowding problems at Parkside and Clarence Michiel. If all three schools became 8-12, then only Caledonia students would have easy access to the REM Lee Theatre and to PACES daycare, which helps teen moms stay in school. Another important concern is that Caledonia and Thornhill, built in the 60s and 70s, would become ‘‘have-not’’ schools, compared to the new Skeena. Sports future in doubt DIVIDING TERRACE secondary students up between three schools could mean major changes for athletes, say athletic directors. . But whether these effects would be detrimental or not is more difficult to delermine. Schools compete in sporting events based on population. Schools with large popula- tions have more students to choose from, anid so have a better chance of forming stronger teams, The idea behind putting schools into groups, titled A, AA and AAA is t even out the playing field, so schools with similar populations compete against each other, “Right now Caledonia is a AAA school,’’ says coach Dave O’Brien. ‘‘If the population was divided among three schools, they would all be or A schools,” That could have the effect of diluting talent, dividing skilled players into three weaker teams, but that ced not be the case. “Tt could also just bring more people out of the woodwork who wouldn’t otherwise play,” says O’Brien, ‘And it would definilely increase competition in the city.’’ O'Brien points out that schools can move up in their groupings, but not down. For in- stance, Ladysmith was the 1995 AAA High Schoo! Basketball Champions. Even though they were grouped as a AA school, they chose to compete at the AAA level.” Another point to consider is how the school division might affect the coaching odl. “It’s thin right now,’’ O’Brien says. “If you stretch it anymore, there might be holes.’' O’Brien points out that there are all sorts of variables involved, bath positive and negative, in the proposed change.” "Tt's hard 10: pin down what would hap- pen,”! he says, The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 9, 1996 - AS CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag Stand up and shout Dear Sin The ramifications of the government’s health care and hospital cuts as they relate to Mills Memorial Hospital is one of this communily’s best kept secrets. Not a word from the media or the public when major and ill-conceived changes occurred Sept. 18. The closing of the entire maternity and pediatric wing to finally reduce thé number of funded beds. to 33 officially occurred that day. This was accomplished. wilhout any structural or physical building alteralions, as previously identified as necessary, but rather by. relocating all patients, regardless of age or circumstances, to the main unit, formally known as Med/Surg. - At the same time the intensive: care unit had only two beds designated for use, Never mind that the number of births in Terrace is not decreasing as the population in- creases, Or that immediately following this reorganization, there were five patients requiring intensive care at one lime. Ironically, odds on having a bed as a psychiatric patient are greater with ten beds remaining in that unit Simplisticaily, here as elsewhere, the closing of beds really comes down to the reduction of staff as the primary means of saving money. This at the same time as we are being reassured that this government is committed to preserving health and education services. - The hospital board and management are compelled to function within the fiscal guidelines devised in Victoria, with further reduction in funding threatened as the con- sequence for non-compliance. In essence Victoria has determined haw many people in this area are authorized to be sick at any given time and for bow long. Apparently no allowances can be made for geographic location or population variables. There has long been gen- eral recognition amongst those associated with Mills thal, in practice, it functions as a regional referral center. Certainly more and more patients are traveling to Terrace where specialist services, accessible only before in much larger centres, are now available. Added pressure on bed occupancy must be a natural result. Despite this the government refuses to acknowledge our regional reality by changing the funding designation to reflect this and cover its costs. Complicating, the situation further are the practical issues of having the few remaining nurses, with greater patient responsibilities, move from their areas of experience, knawledge and specialty, to becoming generalists, as all things to all patients. Without adequate and appropriately trained staff there will likely be more medical traffic to Vancouver. The pos- sibility of a two-tiered Lealth delivery system takes another step closer to actuality, Ina moment of recent revelation I finally understood the incredible stories of gravely ill emergency patients in large centres being shuttled from hospital to haspital trying to find one that would accept them. To be in that position is a thinking person’s worst nightmare. Such situations are an abject lesson in the practi- cal outcome of the funding relationship between num- ber of staff and number of beds, Limited and harried “In essence Vic- toria has determined how SE A aso B..| hospital personnel, despite many people inthis STUDENTS AT VERITAS ‘school: Talght soon ‘be “doing computer assignments i in a new muiti-media centre. Staff at the school are hoping the Sacred Heart parish thelr bestiintentions, can’). ‘area are:.authorized not do the impossible in fo pe sick at any such circumstances. given time and for So what is to happen how long. ” here in Terrace when we refuse to become ill or in- jured according to the government’s numerical staffing formula and mandated occupancy limit? We have no choice or alternative. In- evitably during particularly busy periods we will experi- ence pressure to have patients already occupying beds dis- charged, ready or not. With the infinite variations on the human condition, and an excess of potential patients, how will priozitics be determined? And what will it take for us, the tax paying public, to truly internalize not only the local specific con- sequences, but also the bigger, long term picture. We may not be able to afford the level of hospital care ta which we have become accustomed, but we cannot ignore the implications of what we are being forced to accept. There is another issue of particular concern to me. Again it is based on politics and profits rather than on principles of best practice for patlent care. The notion of early malernity discharge has a fascinating genesis, Medical insurance companies in the United States are big business. They are driven to create ever widening profit margins. New mothers and infants became an easy cost- cutting target. Consequently only 24 hours of insured hos- pital stay became the norm for maternity patients. More and more infant problems and even deaths, related to this practice, have resulted in an American outcry. In response, many states are now legislating a minimum of forly-cight insured stay for post-partum patients, Then as now, there was no medical evidence to support sending new mothers home according to a funding formula as opposed to their individual condition, needs and readi- ness. Nevertheless here in Terrace, as elsewhere in B.C., many post-partum patients are experiencing perceived or real pressure to leave the hospital as carly as possible. The fact that clear criteria have been developed to identify those truly eligible to leave earlier than forty-eight hours and that the limit for an uncomplicated birth is still seventy — two hours is outweighed now by the demand for beds, given the already described arbitrary reductions, To add insult to injury these women are being en- couraged lo leave before 11:00 am to accommodate the shift organization of housekeeping staff, despite the fact that their bed is paid for from midnight to midnight. Without a doubt some new mothers want and need to go home soon after delivery. Others sustain long term benefits from more time, and more around the clock support, teach- ing and supervision. As always there is a balance to be struck in best meeting the needs of all concerned. For me part of the real tragedy is that his community has had a hospital of which we could be proud, Care was gen- crally progressive, personalized and appreciated. There remain at Mills many concerned, conscientious people trying to make the best of an impossible situation. At some point we must say this is unacceplable. We must support those working on our behalf locally and address the root cause rather than trying to devise ever more com- promising, coping stralegies. Victoria needs to hear clearly and convincingly and unceasingly from, ‘‘We the people’’. Please wake up to what has happened to our health care options while we slept. The alarm is loudly ringing, Paniela E. Straker, Terrace, B.C, More letters, Page A6