inquiring reporter Elizabeth Collings ER ee WV Schoo! 12 - Sunday, November 26 , 1989 - Nerth Shove News SHOULD CONVICTED sex offenders be able to go back into the classroom? This is the question Kelowna is grappling with right now in the case of Gordon Ledinski. The high school teacher was fined $1,000 and suspended for 23 months after having sex with a consenting 15- classroom he was suspended by the Okanagan School Board when several parents protested. ZLedinski’s reinstatement is now pending a judicial hearing. Many people applaud his suspension and say it should be per- manent. But others say he’s paid his penalty and should be able to resume his life. year-old male. Almost as soon as Ledinski returned to the Should Sex offenders Kelly Hutchison Richmond You don’t want your kids taught by a guy convicted of a sex offence. But on the other hand this guy may have paid his dues. It depends on the situa- tion. teach. Anthony Roy North Vancouver He (Ledinski) should re- ally have his taken. I don’t think he should teach kids. They should take his licence to Peter Healy Burnaby licence oard officials retire AFTER overseeing 30 years of ma- jor changes in West Vancouver Schoo! District 45, John Cassey, secretary-treasurer of the district, recently announced to the West Van School Board that he will retire in the spring. Cassey, who will be 65 in 1990, joined the school district in August 1959 and was appointed secretary- treasurer in 1963. During this 30-year span, Cassey has seen West Vancouver's student enrolment rise from 5,300 in 1959 to a high of 8,667 in September 1970, then fall back in 1989 to 5,450. The school population growth began in the early 1960s when postwar babies reached school age, and progressed through elementary and high schools. “The °60s were an extremely busy time,’’ Cassey said. ‘New schools were built, and there were additions to existing schools.”’ But by 1983, Cassey points out that the school district’s school population declined, with very few young families moving to West Van because of higher real estate prices. The province was also in a restraint. As a result, five elemen- tary schools were closed: Cypress Park, Cedardale, Eagle Harbour, Glenmore, and Fauline Johnson. But, Cassey said the schools that were closed six years ago are once again, ‘‘all used for education.’ He points out that Cypress Park is now a pre-school, Cedardale is the instructional materials centre for the district, as well as housing a pre-school, Glenmore is leased to Collingwood School, Eagle Har- bour is leased to West Vancouver municipality as a community cen- tre, and Pauline Johnson is a French Immersion school. AS secretary-treasurer, Cassey has been responsible for the business operations of the school district. During his tenure he has seen the budget grow from $2.2 million in 1960 to $26.6 million in 1989, reflecting increasing inflation and improved educational services. “Education is a labor intensive operation,’’ he said, ‘tas approxi- mately 80 per cent of the budget goes for salaries.’” Technological development has assisted and improved instructional RETIRING §secretary-treasurer Sohn Cassey ...‘‘going to relax.’” methods and one of the more im- portant innovations he has seen in- troduced into the West Van classrooms are computers. Cassey emigrated with his wife from London, England to Van- couver in 1953, ‘‘on the basis of Vancouver’s climate and beauty,”’ and has lived in West Van for the past 29 years. He will be kept up to date on future developments because he has a granddaughter in the system. He has been active on the executive of the B.C. Schoo! District Secre- tary-Treasurer’s Association, and was president in 1981. He enjoys walking, reading and gardening. As to what he will do in his retirement, Cassey said, ‘I"m go- ing to relax.’’ He also wants to do some travelling to Engiand and Europe. As for his years with the West Van School District, he sums up by saying, “I’ve enjoyed them.” But while Cassey is retiring in early spring 1990 at 65, his assis- tant, John Ferriss, is taking early retirement at 60, beginning May 1, 1990. Originally from Ireland, Ferriss came to Vancouver in 1962 from London, England, where he had trained as an accountant. As comptroller, Ferriss has looked after the accounting department, financial statemezts, and preparing budgets. Commenting on changes, Ferriss said that ‘‘accounting is much more involved and complex than it was originally, and also more treasurer's assis- tant John Ferriss ...“‘looking for- ward to choices.’’. SECRETARY time-consuming. A new financial management system has been in- troduced by the province, so that there is a new method of generating school budget dollars.” As for retirement, Ferriss is “looking forward to choices,”* and a less strenuous lifestyle. He would like to travel, read, fish, jog and swim more, and spend more time with his grandchildren. He has enjoyed his years with the school district, which he has found ‘‘very supportive,’’ and he particularly has enjoyed working with the Finance and Facilities Committee of the board. ‘But the time has come to make way for new blood.”’ Cassey comments about his assistant, ‘‘We've had a very good relationship. We think alike and we've worked as a team.”” In a recent board meeting, Su- perintendent of Schools Douglas Player, paid tribute to Cassey and Ferriss: ‘‘During the time of their management of the financial operations, the taxpayers of the district have been well served while at the same time the responsible and adept financial management has maintained a high quality educational program. Their service to the district has been exceptional in ternis of both quality and quan- tity and they will be missed.”’ Player said that the retirement of Cassey and Ferriss is ‘‘really a piece of history lost to the District all at once. They’ve seen a lot of superintendents come and go, and they’ve trained every one of us.”” I would think probably not. The man is in the wrong business if he’s got a thing for kids. be allowed to teach? C.M. Carmichael West Vancouver No. They have enough qualified teachers who aren’t sex offenders. Why take a chance? Betty Vinson North Vancouver If they are convicted under our lega! system and found to be guilty, then I don’t feel they have any right to be in- flicting their illness on my children, HOW TO WORK FOR YOURSELF BUT NOW BY YOURSELF We start by keeping our sales staff to an optimum size through selec- tive recruiting. Our salespeople receive the support of full-time managers dedicated te their success. They have the opportunity to grow through in-depth training and continuing career developmcit. We're interested in dedicated, full-time real estate professionals. We are interviewing now. 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