14 Fridwuy, January 34. 198600 North Share News WEST VAN SCHOOL BOARD | | Encrea 4 ial led 7 p prog : THE WEST Vancouver School Board would have to shifting real estate market in the education progruims and the tonships with all government \ School Board took a long monitor such diverse factors as the area, overall efficiency of special . cultivation of good working rela. agencies. hard look at its current ser- " vices und future needs for special education Monday night. | Ry TIMOTHY RENSHAW | George Stewatl. supervising principal of special education for a West Vancouver's Distrivt 45, tald ‘ the board and a packed meeting roam that special education in West Vancouver would have to grow and develop, “ Stewiert sand the inerease wits needed to meet the increasingly complex demands pliced on it hy modern social and learning pressures. SPECIAL, NEEDS Though the aumber of students inthe district hiah dropped tram 6,100 in 1979 to 4800 te POSS and the correspondine oo nmuiiber oot District 46 special education staff had increased trom f2 ro 23 aver the sane opetroad, Stewart siti diversity of special education needs placed ao higher demand on bath teachers and specih educunon = 4 statt, Piste AS curently dae 360 8 students designated its fequiininy: special cducations seretees A Sturther twas per cent oot the district's student popudatian fall inte othe fpres ated’ berwecss ministry special edaeation detine- tions and cepgtifar cdteattart ser- Vices, Stewart stitted, Stewart cold the board that pro- grams dealing with English as a se- cond language, the visually im- paired, the mentally handicapped and social adjustinent all required yl increased service in the West Van- couver school system. FUNDING CONCERN Of special concern in the 1986- 87 school year, he said, was pro- vincial government funding for speciat education, which will not be known until the end of Febru- ary. Currently 10 per cent of District 45°s $16.7 million school budget is allotted to special education. That percentage has doubled over the past six years. Stewart also voiced special con-/ cern over counselling, particularly at the elementury school level, where he said adjustment and learning problems can be identified and addressed before they develop into major behavioral . distur- bances. Staff cuts in 1985, he said, had trimmed the equivalent of 1.2 full-time special education staff” from elementary counselling and one person from = the district's three-man education assessment sual. : | IMPROVE EFFICIENCY . In order to improve the efficien- ‘ cy and convenience of West Van- couver special education, Stewart suid he wanted to. see the establishment of four special education resource centres in four District 45 elementary schools: Gleneagles, West Bay, Westcot and Ridgeview. He also outlined two major ini- tiatives planned for the coming year. The first, a special education program evaluation questionnaire to be distributed to parents, stu- dents and teachers; the second, development of the district's “Who Am I?" program. As to the rest of the decade, Stewart said the West Vancouver CORRECTION The Trolle: Pub’s address should have read 64122 Bay St. Horseshoe Bay, West Van. WARNING: Health and Welfare Canada advises that danger to health increases with amount smoked — avoid inhaling, Av. per cigarette: B&H King Size: Tar 13 mg. Nicotine 1.2. King Size Lights: Tar 10 mg. Nicotine 1.0. '