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Office, Editorial 985-2131

No theft or misappropriation
claims internal Sentinel study

AN INTERNAL West

Vancouver school

district ad-

ministration report, indicating that no misappropriation of
funds or theft was involved in the failed Sentinel Develop-
ment Fund, is being cailed ‘‘absolutely useless’’ by a West

Vancouver resident.

Clare Baillie, a self-described
concerned taxpayer, said she is
suspicious of what she calls the
school board and administration's
attempts to ‘“‘smooth over’’ the
situation.

“T would take what they have
done in that internal report with a
huge pinch of salt. ... People that
did it are not at arms-fength,’*
said Baillie.

She said an internal report by
the schoo! administration on an
external audit of the school ad-
ministration involves a conflict of
interest.

A West Vancouver School
District 45 press release states
school trustees received Wednes-
day an internal staff report con-
cerning the fund ‘‘which clearly
shows that there is no indication
of misappropriation of funds or
theft.”

Concerned parents pressured the
school board to launch an audit of
the fund.

Previous News reports indicated
the audit would be completed by
the beginning of November.

Now the audit, by Deloitie
Touche, will not be completed
until the end of November, fol-
jowing the school trustees election

- 20.

But said WVSB chairman Peter
Bradshaw, '*] decided to put out a
report before the clection because
there are rumors that there may be
some wrongdoing. ... Our staff has
accounted for all the funds. There
has been no wrongdoing.”

The school district came under
fire in September when a Sarurday
Night magazine article featured a
controversial article on the Sen-

PemneTt wae

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

tinel Development Fund and then
Sentinel principal Peter Lefaivre.
Actions by some administration
members were also presented neg-
atively in the article.

The Sentine! Development Fund
was faunched in 1991. It was
praised as an innovative fundrais-
ing project to obtain money for
school uses from private sources.

Bradshaw confirmed that the
fund is currently about $47,000 in
the hole. .

Alleged improprieties
surrounding the fund involve the
misuse of $88,000 worth of
foreign-student tutition fees that
went to the project.

Perks such as the purchase and
distribution of more than $5,000
worth of hockey tickets authorized
by WVSB superintendent Doug
Player were also revealed in the
article,

Bradshaw said the board has
passed changes to tighten accoun-
ting practices in the school
district.

But West Vancouver parent
Catharine Szibbo said the internal
report was irrelevant. She said an
audit is the only way to determine
possible mismanagement.

“Staff and administration
reports on this issue have histori-
cally been misleading. ... We don’t
need the staff to interpret the
audit for us. We already know the
project was mismanaged, we just
don't know the extent,"' charged
Szibbo,

Sve Reprimancds pave &

Today’s election menu:
evaluating the councils

THE ACHIEVEMENTS of a
council as a whole are as impor-
tant as the records of individual
council members.

Therefore as part of its ongoing
municipal election coverage, the
North Shore Mews examines in to-
day's edition the records of the
three North Shore councils und
how they have performed durine
the past three-year (erm

The three features were written
by the News reporters who regu-
larly cover North Shore councils.

Features on all 79 individual

REACHING EVE

candidates running for the 32
available seats in) the North
Shore's two school districts and
three councils have been presented
in previous News editions, oegin-
ning with the West) Vancouver
District 43 School Board in’ the
Nov. 2) News and wrapping up
with) North Vancouver District
Council in the Nov. 12 News.

Report cards for the incumbent
council members were also pres-
ented afong with the candidates’
biographies in the various News
editions,

ater

mi Ene aie

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NEWS photo Neil Lucente

Two injured in crash

A 1993 Toyota 4x4 sits on its roof after falling approximately 25 feet (7.5 m)
off a ramp at the Park Royal South Shopping Centre on Friday morning. A
West Vancouver Police spokesman said the vehicle approached the ramp at
Taylor Way, failed to stop, crashed through a concrete barrier and dropped.
See story page 5.

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