Dear Editor: To read with interest and concern the student. protest story relating to text books, and vour subsequent editorial. [I wonder if it is reasonable in our well-taxed: provinee, as your editorial implies, to sug- gest thar the responsibility for funding textbooks and other learning resources should lic with a parent volunteer group thar has no say in the disposi- tion of tay dollars? The PAC at Capilano ele- mentary school has funded, for example, the purchase of textbooks, libiary books, math manipulatives, science supplies, diagnostic tests for language studies, team uni- forms and musical instru- ments. I believe it is reasonable for parents to finance extracurric- ular events and projects, but surely the curricular items should be adequately funded and effectively managed by the ministry and the school board. If this process requires “micro-managing” —— some- thing the ministry has sug- gested it doesn’t do — per- haps it should start! Capilano has an enrolment of over 400 students. The NDP have indicated that the proper ratio of elementary students to computers is 6 to 1. On this basis there should More school news needed Dear Editor: 1 was thinking that your newspaper docsn’t show much interest about the schools or children’s opinions on certain subjects. Neither does your front page news seem to be good news. J ama kid and this bugs me a lor. Do something and show an inter- est in the schools please. Eschelle Holly Westwood, age 11 ; West Vancouver be 67 computers at Capilano: there are 16 “modera” Mac computers available to. stu- dents (these devices are between one and five years old). These computers were all financed through parent donations, fund raising and gaming revenue. The government has pro- vided no new computers to the school. The school has an addgi- tional 20 to 25 Apple [H-sryle computers that are so old they are no longer serviced by the school board and they won't run any new software. Gaming tunding is provid- ed to the school (upon appli- cation) with significant restrictions relating to how the money can be spent: com- puters are acceptable, text- books are not. north shore news MAIL Box Funds for learning tools NDP’s tax tales insulting Victoria's responsibility Perhaps the B.C. Gaming Commission feeis math text- books ought to be provided by the ministry. There are no computers in storage at Capilano, The school distrier told the PAC in 1997 thar the school would be cabled and connect- ed to the Internet using broad band ADSL technology as part of the PLN: (Provincial Learning Neework ) initiative. In the fall of 1998, 24 con- nections for an internal net- work were installed at the school and the PAC was informed that a shared 56K dial-up Internet. connection (over 20 times slower than originally promised) would be provided at some undefined future date. Kari Broughton North Vancouver THE CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF WEST VANCOUVER 750-17th Street, West Vancouver, BC, V7V 373 Telephone: 925-7101 RE: SHUTDOWN of CLEVELAND DAM Some West Vancouver residents, located south of the Upper Levels Highway and east of Cypress Creek, may have noticed a reduction in water pressure. This is because West Vancouver’s water supply has been switched over to the Seymour Reservoir while the GVWD performs work at the Cleveland Dam. The duration of the work is expected to be approxi- mately 10 weeks with completion approaching the end of March. Pressures wil! return to normal once the work is concluded. We apologize for any inconvenience these events have caused. Dear Editor: It didm’t take long to get over that warm fuzzy New Year, give them the benefit, goodwill ftecling, when 1 learned the Clark government is spending $600,000 to adver- tise tax cuts to faxes mostly of their making. Especially when (An udder idea! ” for Dairyland’s B special offer every Sunday in Classified Friday, January 29, 1999 - North Shore News - 9 in one instance, the empha- sized 11% small business cut over tWo years actually amounts to a minuscule 4% per year off the existing 9% tax. The NDP however, are not 3 . spinning it that way; they are just continuing to insult our intelligence at) mounting expense: ours Of course, Denis Mason West Vancouver a) eon” % Orchid Special offer valid until Ps 8/99 <7 different varieties starting from $24.99 : “p < Exansite Moments “8% Park Royal South Market Square across from SuperValu SS .925-0899 Birdseed Sale Now through February 22nd House Finch, Steller’s Jays and a Black-beaded Grosbeak risit our Supreme 202 Birdfeeder. Buy ali your seed now at the jowest prices of the season and we'll store it for you free using ear Seed Storage Program. And we'll have your next supply ready for you to pick up when you need it. 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