14 - Sunday, April 22, 1990 - North Shore News will be Extra funding referendums not popular with Board HE YEAR 2000 document i is just what B.C.’s education system needs, says the chairman of the North Vancouver District 44 School Board (NVSB). By SURJ RATTAN News Reporier But he says the education ministry’s block funding formula and the system that forces school boards to go to public referendums for extra funding is another story. “As a whole, I think it (Year 2000; is a bold step and a refreshing document,’’ said Rev. Roy Dungey. ‘‘But my concern is with its implementation. I hope all of the tools that are necessary will be ia place, like the evaluation process.”’ Dungey added that the educa- tion ministry also needs to provide teachers with the funds and the time to implement the psticies outlined in Year 2000. But while neighboring West Vancouver has major concerns about the dual-eatry program, Dungey said the new kindergarten enrolment program will help some students, “If it’s (dual entry) done in con- junction with ungraded primary, then it will be a good thing. They (students) won't have to enter (kindergarten) if they’re no: ready,’” said Dungey. Under the dual-entry program, a child whose fifth birthday falls be- tween Nov. | and April 30 must enrol in kindergarten in the January that fails between those months. But a child whose fifth birthday falls between May 1 and Oct. 31 can enrol in kindergarten the fol- lowing September. The education ministry has said that it is up to each individual school board to decide when to allow children ta enter kindergarten. West Vancouver District 45 School Beard has said it will abide by the dual-entry guidelines as outlined in the new B.C. School Act, because the ministry has said it will provide no funds for children who, under dual entry should be enrolled in January, but are instead enrolled in the previous September. But NVSB_ assistant superin- tendent Chris Kelly said the NVSB will allow children to be enrolled in kindergarten in September regardless of where their fifth bir- thday falls. “The board has decided to im- plement the plan (dua! entry) in a certain way. It was through a board motion to allow in-coming kindergarten children to be enroll- ed as they normally would have,” said Kelly. “It’s implementing the dual- entry program plus that local op- tion (cf starting in Septeinber).’’ But the education ministry's ref- erendum system has proved to be a source of major controversy with the NVSB. The ministry allotted the NVSB approximately $85 million for the 1990-91 school year under its block _ FOCUS_ON The real test for Year 2000 report implementing the strategies EDUCATION| NEWS phots Stuart Davis 4 UTHERLAND Secondary School science 10 student is hard at work writing an exam. funding formula. But the board maintains the fig- ure is about $2 million short of what it needs to operate on the same service level as it did during the 1989-90 schcol year. And things became even hotter when the board decided to flip- flop on the referendum issue. It initially voted to hold a refer- endum for the extra $2 million, but then, in a special meeting, over- turned that decision. Dungey said the $2 million fund- ing shortfall means up to 40 teach- ers and 20 non-teaching support staff could be laid off next year. And while he originally voted in favor of holding a referendum, he decided to vote against it after the education ministry tabled amend- ments on how referendums would be held. The NVSB is currently develop- ing a five-year educational plan, and project manayer Dr. Ray Williams said the plan will be used to help implement the Year 2000 document. One factor the Year 2000 report and the NVSB's five-year plan, called Every Learner A Promise, have in common is that they both focus on the individual learner. When the Every Learner A Promise project was introduced to the NVSB last November, superin- tendent of schools Dr. Robin Brayne said the ‘unprecedented changes’* to education in B.C. fomented by the Sullivan Royal Commission on Education, the Year 2000 report, new policy di- rections by the ministry and the new B.C. School Act dictate that CANADIANS ARE WATER SKIERS the district needs to develop a ma- jor planning program for the future. Williams said, ‘‘The purpose of the five-year plan was more than to implement the Year 2000 report. It was also designed to respond and plan for other things. We have certain groups who have certain programs and services. How do you decide on which programs and services?”* O, il NORTH Vancouver District School Board chairman Rev. Roy Dungey ... Year 2600 a bold step. He added that the five-year plan is aiso designed to plan for staff recruitment, The board, he said, visited other schools in the province and talked to the private sector to learn how they have developed and im- plemented long-range plans, and the board then compared those plans with what it felt would work best in North Vancouver. Williams said the five-year plan will inchide input from. staff, teachers, parents, administrators and students. Four major commit- tees have been struck: human fesources, corporate services, stu- dent and program services and administrative services. And Williams said there will be representation from various com- munity groups on each of the committees. “The job of each of those committees is to study and exam- ine the way things are currently in the district. They also have to look at how services are produced elsewhere in Canada,”’ Williams said. “Then they would go to the next Stage and determine how those services should be provided. This is where we get input from a wide variety of people. We're inviting all members of the community to provide input.*” Eventually, Williams said, a teport will be prepared listing the needs of the school district: and recommendations and that report will be circulated throughout North Vancuuver asking for com- murity response to the findings. Williams’ job is to combine the reports of the four committees into one report that will be given to the board for final adoption, which is expected to be this December. “It was about time the district had an overall plan to set some priorities and at the same tinie im- plement the Year 2000 report,’’ said Williams. North Vancouver Teachers’ Association president Jack Stevens declined to be interviewed on the Year 2000 program. a “s Py on