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2 — Sunday, June 28, 1998 — North Shore News

Funding a key issue

From page1

legislation).”

While Bird said province-
wide bargaining is generally nor
a bad idea, he takes issue wis!
the contents of the contract
that have been forced cu
school districts, not “ust
because the trustees weren’s
involved in drawing it up.

“One-size-fits-all Find of
agreement just doesn’? work,”
said Bird.

He said the inflexibility of
the contract, particniarly as it
pertains to class sis, sticks in
his craw.

“The biggest problem i is the
rigidity of th ment,” said
Bird. “We like io nave classes of
24 but ifwe hae a (extra) child
we'll go to 25 or 26.”

With the: ‘legislated adop-
tion of the cuntracr that tree-
dom has zn eliminated.

Schoo! boards around the
province have raised concerns
over the ‘possibility of having to

Future of

From page.

’ since. :
“We've not been able to

: figure. out, the cause so we

“can’t rule. out arson,” said
. Burgess.. “But when we got
there there was no indication
thar'it was (an arson). ”
Meanwhile .),Paine | co-
owner Andy Horne said the
future-\of the site remains
unclear, © :
: “We're “still negotiating.
: with the. insurance company

furce some children out of their
cwighborhood schools if class-
size restrictions cannot be met.

Bird said that trying to
operate outside of the con-
tract’s parameters would be less
than advisable.

“Jt’s not workable to have a
collective agreement — that
you’re breaking consistently
because you end up spending
all your time dealing with
grievances,” said Bird. “What's
going to happen is we're gonna
have to live with it aad try to
make it work.”

Bird pointed out the con-
tract provides for the hiring of
counsellors and librarians —
positions that West Vancouver
has protected when making
budget cuts in previous years.
However, most B.C, districts in
the province have already elin-
inated those positions.

“And now the government
is coming up with funds for
those special positions but we
won't get it (extra funding),”

said Bird. “We're being pun-
ished for prote.ting po: ‘tions
for the benefit of our children
and now there’s funding and
we can’t get it.”

Meanwhile in neighboring
North = Vancouver — School
District 44, board chairman Pat
Heal has her own concerns.

“1 don’t think any of us
have any problems with the
contract. per se,” said Heal.
“The point is is there money
there to honor the contract?”

Ramsey tried to ease fears
like those of Heal and other
trustees across the province
worried about whether the
school boards will have enough
money to pay for the imposed
contract.

“(The funding) is open to
some interpretation bur not to
the extent some trustees seem
to believe,” said Ramsey. “The
effect of this contract varies
from district to district ... we're
not asking them to hire anyone
we're not paying for.”

store site unclear

what they’re going to pay us
and depending on what they
give us is what we'll do,” said
Horne. “They're (insurance
company) nickel and diming
us.” .

‘The New Year’s Eve fire
gutted what was the city’s
premier hardware store.. And
while Horne: sounds a whole
lotiless optimistic about the
chances of reopening the
store than he did immediately
after the blaze, members of

‘North Vancouver City council

hope he finds a way and that
the building’s facade remains
a part of the city’s landscape.

“I sure would love to see
them. re-open again,” ‘said
North Vancouver City Coun.
Darrell Mussatto. “I think it’s
kind of an institution in the
city.”

The Aberdecn’ Block,
which houses Paine
Hardware, was built in 1910
and was the home of the post
office, and later North

“Vancouver City hall.

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District of West Vancouver
Gleneagles
Community Center
Proposal

TOWN HALL MEETING |

West Vancouver Council has been consulting ©
with citizens regarding a new community centre.
- Prior to making a decision on the size and site of. .
the centre, Council wishes to receive further |":
comments from the public on

Tuesday, 1998 July 7, 7p.m.

Gleneagles Elementary School.
6350 Marine Drive, West Vancouver

(Parking access from Marine. Drive)

District of West Vancouver
925-7200 —