| Finger-pointing over fu From page ' Bur othe Ministry of Education says it allocated sufficient funding for North Vancouver to be able to cap class sizes for those grades at 23 students, thereby meeting the terms of year two of che agreement. North Vanconver School District superintendent Dr. Robin Brayne continued to lobby Victoria several days into the start of the new school year. He argued that a “flex fac- tor” agreement the school dis- trict had with the NVTA prior to the implementation of the provincial collective agree- ment in 1998 allowed for three extra children per class in kindergarten to Grade 3. The school — district’s staffing requirements, Brayne said, were based on this premise. _ Ministry of Education rep- resentative Maria Leroni said that funds were allocated to the North Vancouver School tion the district: provided to the province — and that the Ministry of Education did not feel that the school district was suffering fron: a shortage of teachers. “According to the infor- mation they gave us, they did not have a high teacher-pupil ratio,” she said. “They didn’t need to put three extra chil- drea in cach class.” The ministry agreed to give District 44 an extra $240,000 — enough to cover the salaries of four additional teaching staff — on Aug. 19. Deputy Education Minister Charles Ungerlcider declined to funnel additional monies into North Vancouver despite Rebin Brayne’s insis- tence that the school district was still short of 17 teachers. Ungerleider also said that an arbitration ruling in 1994 could not be interpreted as roviding the allowance of arger class sizes in North Vancouver, as the school dis- trict claimed. At the time of the ruling, Ungerleider said, District 44 had failed to provide “objec- tive proof of its inability to meet its class size obligations, failed to consider the cost of meeting its budget, and failed to consider other means of meeting its obligations to meet class size limits.” {In January 1996, the province fired the entire District 44 board of trustees because of financial misman- agement. The board was replaced with one government- appointed trustee, former Lions Gate Hospital CEO Bob Smith — a man who Cowan said “had no interest in education. His goal was simply to save moncy.” At the time Smith was appointed, the school district was running a $5 million deficic. By the end of the 1996-97 fiscal year, Smith had managed to achieve a bal- anced budget for the schoof district. His superlative accounting skills, however, also meant an increase in class sizes, and the loss of 70 full-time District 44 staff. A new District 44 board of trustees was elected in November 1996. Ungerleider said North Vancouver had received “per- pupil funding according to the same formula as every other district in the province.” While for educational rea- sons, he said, he wanted to ensure the reduction of class sizes, Ungerleider could not “address North Vancouver School District’s situation without treating unfairly all the districts chat adhered to their obligations.” Said Cowan: “We've always had problems with class sizes. But we've never had the sort of chaos we've seen this year.” He said the problem could be partly attributed to a lack of provincial funding, and partly to the fact that the school board had held off on filling teaching posts and organizing classes on the off chance that additional fund- ing, would come through. Bur, he added, blame should only be appointed after the mess has been sorted our. “Everyone’s bitterly disap- pointed that the moncy didn't come through.” Cowan said. “The province had a moral commitment to lower class sizes — but when the rubber hits the road, the commit- ment evaporates.” As tor the grievance lodged by the NVTA, he said it’s “not personal, it’s business. Research shows 2 huge posi- tive impact from lower class sizes right up to first year uni- | Attn: MOMS | § lost 40ibs in 2 menths after twins! FREE SAMPLE 984.2446 (24 hrr.info) e-mail: ynot@newbody.net versity. It’s the best moncy any school board can spend.” “The kids are not at fault,” Cowan said. “We all have a fis- cal responsibility and a moral obligation (to the children.) It's like being 3 parent. You don’t get to say, ‘I don’t feel like paying for a new pair of shoes or dental care for my child.” If you have to go into debt for a pair of braces, it has to be done. “It’s immoral for us not to provide the absolute best for our children.” Make your love unique . District based on the informa- Couple caught up in court action From page’ tion, which opened 110 years ago, closed almost two hours early and patrons were evacuated as emergency crews rushed to save the baby and begin what police called a criminal investigation. Police continue to investigate the incident and are secking witnesscs. Photos of Hama on the bridge were released Thursday. One photo shows Hama with Kaya in her right arm dangcrously close tc the bridge railing and four-year-old Jovan _ Farris Hama-Werbes holding her left hand. A second photo shows Hama gazing over the side of the bridge near mid-span while Jovan continues to hold her hand. __ Initial reports indicated Hama slipped and the baby fell from her arm. Signs posted near the bridge warn parents not to carry their children on the wobbly structure. A source told the News 2 woman on the bridge was report- edly threatening to jump or throw a child from the bridge min- utes before police were called to rescue the child. Const. Heidi Hoffman said the woman wasn’t known to ‘ police. Bur Nadia Hama, a 37-year-old esthetician, has been a ‘frequent visitor to B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver in 2 legal - battle with estranged husband Kjcld Werbes. : The'couple met in 1989. Son Jovan was born Oct. 19, 1994. Werbes and Hama married owo years later in Las Vegas. 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Unit/Share value(s/investment retums will fluctuate. @/TM Trademarks of AIM Management Group Inc. Paid for in part by Alvi Funds Management Inc. Merill lynch Canada inc-member CIPF. It was Werbes’ second marriage and Hama’s fifth. Kaya was born Apri} 16, 1998 with Down’s syndrome. Two months before Kaya was born, the relationship broke down and the couple separated. Hama was pregnant with her third child last fall, but Werbes questioned the paternity of the unborn child during court proceedings. A Supreme Court master ordered Werbes pay $2,311 in child support and $1,000 in spousal support each month. Werbes was also forbidden from disposing of the family assets and required to pay $2,097 a month for the r:ortgage, mainte- nance, taxes and hydro on the home where Hama and the chil- dren lived. The child support payments were eventually reduced on appeal to $1,717 a month. Werbes was granted access to Jovan and Kaya for rwo hours once a week on a week night, ending an hour before the chil- dren’s bedtime. He also had alternate weekend access. Hama unsuccessfully applied for an order forcing Werbes to not consume alcohol on access days and to obtain car scats for the children to be installed in his car. Werbes was ruled in contempt of courr by Justice Martinson earlier this year after he didn’t obey orders to transfer his 1988 Ferrari to Hamas or tet her use his Whistler condominium. Werbes is a 52-year-old lawyer specializing in securities. Sept 23 ~ Sept 26 SiO [i show] $16 shows] $32 [4 show] Reservations & Info: 990 3474 pick'em see'em Bib Works Blandiloquence Thur Sepe 23 7 pm 3pm LOVEPLAY "Nucklehead Fever!" New Wit Cruzizi Fri 7 pm Sept 24 9pm iipm LOVEPLAY The Boy's Own Jedi Handbook....:. Cruzizi wos "Nucklehead Fever!" 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