ead it From page 1 He added that no new library books will be bought this year due to bud- -get constraints. “It's a question of where you put your priorities and it's an issue that has to be addressed,” he said. Mike . Hocevar, president of “CUPE Local 389, which represents school support. staff cmployecs, also questioned the spending prior- . ities for a district that last year post- eda $1.1-million ‘deficit and, - according to district secretary-trea- gq . surer Len Berg, will likely suffer a deficit for the 1994-95 school year also. ‘” “The trustees have to get to the “-bottoin of this because that is what they: were. elected for.” Hocevar said. = - .. He said the benefits show there ‘isone rule: for administrators and ‘one for other education workers. “; “It's just another thing that leads to low morale,” he said. “The mem- bers .aren’t stupid. They know what’s going on. District’ 44 board chairman Barb MacLellan said she believes ‘such payments are standard obligations ministration contracts. : "The board probably did what it thought was just at the time, and we're kind. of ‘stuck. with it,” said, adding the benefit’ twas, added in. 1990. - Taxpayers may be-unhappy with © the’ benefit, but to attract good peo- ple. benefits and pay have to be com- petitive, MacLellan said. The board tends to look at averages and trends in, administrative pay. she continued, “As a tax- ayer I would say that is reasonable.” Having four senior administrators leave at the ame‘ time: ‘was’ unfortunate, she added. Four administrators remaining at the board come under he provision:. West Vancouver Distric 45, school board sec- cher. said. his: district’s ive a sick-pay, payout. lockers and: broke ‘windows in the noccupied s school. ‘ "was the second: S explosive device: ss létonated at’ the: school’ in . two she - ’ British : Properties.” Banked Sick (Days Early Retirement pay-outs NEWS graphic Linda Douglas added. blaming the trustees for the abuse of taxpayers’ funds. A frustrated Elaine Fjoser, co- chairman of the North Vancouver Parent Advisory Council, said she understands the sick-pay. payouts are contractual obligations, but .would like the payments to be “tnoked: at for future contracts in sight of current cutbacks. ' “That's an awful fot of money,” she said. When children.do not have new library books and parents see such payments “they tend to get upset.” said Fjoser. Berg said he would characterize the decision to bring in the sick-pay benefit as. a discussion between the board and administrators. He said administration members provided information on benefits and con- tracts in other districts at the board's request. As a result of the discussions, the sick pay benefit became an amendment to existing contracts, he said. For Kelly, the sick-leave bene- fits are not a perk. He said the pay- ments must be looked at in view of ‘the length of the work year and the | fact that administrators can be ter- minated without cause by a major- ity vote of the board. ‘A “typical” tion contract for School District 44 beginning Sept. 1, 1994, includes a sick-pay payout. That contract also calls for $93,589 salary in the first year, rising to $98, 280 in the second FOUR-FORMER senior administrators with School District 44 — year, $103,163 in the third and walk away with generous benefits. i tors, but Coquitlam's do. collect the payouts. “This is not right,” = main wn hallway. of the school, which i is located at. 1250 Chartwell. Dr. in the No one’ was ‘injured in either explosion. : Skelton said no’ property was damaged in the December, blast. No one.was charged in connection with . that incident.) -- ' “It’s not often we get these sorts of ‘things, so obviously we are not ruling -; out anything. | think it is pretty :pre-, mature to Say it’s the same culprit or: +, culprits” said Skelton. ' Skelton could not confirin the type ; of bomb used in Thursday’s blast. Meanwhile on Thursday, Sentinel students were. turned ‘away. from ° school after West Vancouver District _ ‘45 School Superintendent. Doug _Player closed the school for the day. - Students were not slated to attend “classes on Friday and» Monday Neither do the Burnaby school board administra- North’ Vancouver-Seymour Liberal. MLA Daniel Jarvis agreed with MacLellan that’ sick- pay payments are a contractual obligation; but said morally administrators should not be able to “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” he said. he said. “This is not look- ing: after the public’s purse responsibly,” he $108,335 in the fourth year. Although these numbers repre-- sent about a 5% j jump per year, CUPE employees : Were restricted to 1.2% increases in total com- pensation per year in labor negotiations that con- - cluded in. December: 1994. Teacher and - other employee salarics and benefits account. for approximately 85% of District 44’s $98 million 1993-94 budget. Administration costs accounted for about 3% of the budget.’ Em ; However, District 44 senior administratozs did: - take a voluntary 5 5% rollback i in 1993-94. ‘ NEWS photo Terry Peters SENTINEL SECONDARY | was closed. on Thursday as police “ investigators checked the’ building for bombs. A’ small bomb exploded ‘in the . ‘unoccupied West Vancouver, ‘school early © _Thursday morning. an because of non- -instructional days. Classes at the high’ school are sched- uled to resume on Tuesday. ; Sentinel principal Bob Overgaard ‘left'a recorded message for students saying a school dance planned for Thursday night was t sso cancelled. The bomb was placed in a locker...” near the school’s gym. To press time Thursday, ‘West : Vancouver police were searching the’ school for other bombs. Paul Carter - West Vancouver: I definitely do not. The govern- ment only spends their money on -other things as opposed to the deficit, 1. Michael Moody West Vancouver 2 No. Lowering Canada’s deficit 7 . ean be done easily by reducing the “civil service; eliminating bilin- gualism, Canada Council... : senior administra-- “TRICK OR treaty?” The © wry comment from Chief Gary .Feschuk of. the Sechelt. Indian . Band summed up the frustrated mood of many in the. audience -at . Sunday's open forum on_treaty- making in B.C.. , By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer Broadcast live ‘on the / Knowledge Network: from North. / Vancouver's 7 Centennial Theatre, the: | forum ‘was:a ground- breaking » f attempt to create: wider. pub- © lic: awareness: of ‘current treaty-making , activities: in ‘the province. , “ Representatives | from the ; B.C.'Treaty Commission, the: | First Nations Summit and the ., J -: | - governments of Canada and . British Columbia? answered : ‘questions: from an. invited - | panel, audience members and i’ viewers. from across . the . | * province: via fax, telephone |. and e-mail. : oe . “According... to Barbara ‘i Fisher, .. Acting... Chief Commissioner ‘of: the Baa _ Treaty Commission, the exer-": cise in’ communication. was . designed’ to® further public: understanding and goodwill.’ . Lo We are ‘addressing . 140 years: of, inaction: in :tréat _ making ‘in: British: Columbia f. and.it is-going to’ take. tim -and patience,” said Fisher..." ; » But the: patience of: ‘some a sin. the, audience’ of | approxi mately.100 was oecasionally Stretched | to the limit.’:. nye “We've: jumped: thr. ghe |! “:every hoop; the: government. j . has set up for us.’ We’ believe ! “we've - beei ::misled.;."We.J- believe we" ‘ve. been led down ode --a path that is going ' nowhere,’ - charged Feschuk: ae | : iefy: federal negotiator.” | : ; Robin Dods son: denied there: was any trickery i in the treaty-. making ‘process,: but admit--:, f: ted, “The government is:tak-:: “ing ‘this . deliberately : and" ; probably too: slowly. for » some.” “ f- But it, was not just first’ ‘nations representatives’ that | expressed dissatisfaction with the process.. H ' , See Frustration page 10. Diane Smith North Vancouver (3 ./ a No. I thought the GST was cre-" ated to help reduce the deficit. If . they tax us’ ‘more, they will: spend more. an “| - woh - George Dell a North Vancouver District |, No. It: seems the more money. .. the government has, the more ten: dency it has to » spend.”