8 - Friday, May 8, 1992 - North Shore News

MAILBOX

Demographics demand change

Dear Editor:

IJ am writing as a parent and
taxpayer to express my full sup-
port and the support of hundreds
of other taxpayers who have sign-
ed a petition endorsing the reloca-
tion of Hillside School to the
Caulfeild site.

We are reconfirming the deci-
sion made some two years ago.
Our support and the support of
many others has always been
there. It was just understood, and
rightfully so, that due process had
taken place and a decision had
been made.

A small group of critics is try-
ing to undermine the whole pro-
cess which has received majority
approval from its inception. For
these critics the ‘focus’? has
become the ‘‘fight.’’ They’ve lost
complete sight of the original in-
tent which is and always has been
to provide the best education
possible for our children.

I had an opportunity recently to
take a guided tour through
Hillside School. For any of you
who have been there, you realize a
guide is mandatory to find your
way through the myriad of halls,
stairs, nooks and crannies spread
throughout some seven levels.

We need updated facilities in
order to equip our children with
the skills neccessary to compete in
the future. Notwithstanding the
need for better tools, the Hillside
structure does not even provide
the basics such as seismic code
compliance, handicapped accessi-
bility, life-safety systems ... or
even a playing field to have home
games.

In the past the majority of the
school-aged population was east
of 34st, justifying the location of
the three post-elementary schools
in the ‘‘so-called core’ area,
within one mile of each other.

Now, and in the future,
demographics demand the devel-
opment of facilities in.the western
portion. The children of taxpayers
living west of 31st represent close
to 50% of the student population
already and deserve facilities in
their area. Remember, the ‘‘so-
called core’’ area still retains two
post-elementary facilities plus a
future site at Inglewood.

In the past school boards
depended solely on the
benevolence of the ministry. Now
and for the foreseeable future the
ministry is welcoming initiatives
to sell surplus property in order to
partiaily finance new schools.

Critics of the West Vancouver
School Board’s plan have com-
pared the proposed $13 million
school to a school currently under
construction in Richmond for $25
million. They are knowingly com-
paring apples and oranges, and
this is just one area where they
have grossly misrepresented the
facts. You have only to investigate
the Cambie Complex in Richmond
to realize that this community
school is being built to house
1,350 students, twice the size of
the proposed new Hillside school.
Not only has an older schoo] been
sold to nartially finance this, but
approximately 20% of the costs
are being provided by the
municipality in order to have rec-
reation centre facilities included.

This is a perfect example of
how well a school board,

municipality, and ministry can
work together towards the better
good.

The new Burnaby 2000 school
has also been partially’ funded
through the sale of an older
schoo! in order to be prepared to
implement the Year 2000 cur-
riculum. Why is this type of
endeavor applauded as fiscal re-
sponsibility in Richmond and
Burnaby, yet deemed by some
Fiscal Foolery in West Van-
couver?

There is always resistance to
change; however, we are currently
experiencing rapid changes which
cannot be ignored — substantial
changes in demographics, a sober-
ing change in our economic reality
and a necessary change in educa-
tion standards.

Let us not be held back from
making the necessary changes by a
single trustee and a small vocal
self-serving group whose main
focus is to keep a school at their
convenience.

Linda Mitchell
West Vancouver

West West Vanners should
make voices heard on issue

Dear Editor:

We are here! We are here! We
are here! (The new rallying cry of
western West Vancouverites.)

1 am reminded of Dr. Seuss’
Horton Hears a Who as | see
again the interests of eastern West
Vancouver overshadowing those
of western West Vancouver. It
seems the school board (just like
Horton) are the only ones who
know we are out here.

Fact One: 43% of children
presently of school age in District
#45 live west of 31st Street.

Fact Two: Only 20% of school
facilities and soon to be 0% of
recreational facilities are west of
3ist Street.

Fact Three: In a recent federal
government: Family Allowance
Study a five-year projection
showed the western West Van-

couver area growing by 221 stu-
dents, while eastern West Van-
couver showed a decline of 35
students.

We western West Vancouverites
need a middle school out here. We
must make it known loud and
clearly that the school is necessary
and the funds must be made
available regardless of the out-
come of consultants’ studies,
forecasted shortfalls and lobbying
by different factions on the
Hillside issue.

Other properties can be sold or
budgets re-allocated.

Remember the lesson of the
Whos. I[t was that last one small
voice when joined with the others
that suddenly broke through the
sound barrier.

Raeanne Steele
West Vancouver

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