Teachers get a cultural lesson PAGE 43 ; WV teachers reject 12.5% contract offer NEGOTIATORS FOR the approximately 300 teachers in == EC SERE West Vancouver's School District 45 have rejected a final , contract offer from the school board. The offer, which was rejected last Tuesday, included a wage in- crease of 12.5 per cent over two years. “The only thing I can say is that we are very disappointed,’” West Vancouver school board trustee Michael Smith said Thursday. **We thought we had made them a fair offer, but it was turned down summarily.’* West Vancouver superintendent of schools Bill! May declined to comment Thursday, saying he would instruct all those involved in the negotiations not to talk to the press. Kit Krieger, West Vancouver Teachers Association co-president, said Friday a news blackout prevented him from either confir- ming or denying whether an offer had been made or whether it had been rejected. He said negotiations were conti- nuing between District 45 and its teachers, But West Vancouver school trustee George Suart confirmed that an offer had been made to the teachers and that it had been re- s Reporter jected. Thus far in B.C. only teachers in Fort Nelson have signed a contract agreement with their school district. The Fort Nelson agreement calls for a 7.7 per cent increase over one year, starting July 1, 1988. The average teacher's salary iG West Vancouver is $38,700, but over 50 per cent of the district's teachers, because of their tenure or qualifications, are paid at the max- imum level of their respective sala- ry scales. According to B.C. Teachers Federation statistics, West Van- couver teachers have six salary levels ranging from $19,276 to $45,699 annually. Negotiations between North Vancouver’s Schoot District 44 and its approximately 1,000 teachers are progressing, District 44 school superintendent Dr. Leo Marshall said Friday. Monday is election day MONDAY, NOV. 21 is federal clection day, with a total cf 16 candidates for North Shore voters to choose from: sit candidates in the Capilano-Howe Sourd riding and 10 in the North Vancouver riding. Polls open at 9 aan. and close at 8 p.m. Residents not on the federal voter's list are not eligible to vote. Capilano-Howe Sound — voters who were enumerated, bur did not receive a voting card, should take their enumeration slip to the riding returning office located at 113 Kapilano 100 building, 100) Park Roval, West) Vancouver for con- firmation. They will then be eligi- ble to vote. : . Vancouver riding voters ve not received their cards their enumeration who should present slip at designated poiling stations. Program Squamish Elections Canada advises voters to bring one piece of identification and their voting card to their poll- ing station on election day. All polling stations ure wheel- chair accessible. For more information call the Capilano-Hewe Sound riding of- fice at 922-6803, or eo North Vancouver riding offiee at 983. 3302, rekindles tongue: 3 NEWS photo Neil Lrcente FIVE-YEAR-OLD Courtenay walks with mom Heather Reedman through the fallen : leaves. The two were oat for a stroil along a path by the Seymour River near Maplewood Farm in the District of North Vancouver.