INSIGHTS Friday, February 21, 1992 - North Shore News ~— 7 Raising money, raising hackles THE RECENT hiring of a full-time fundraiser by West Vancouver’s Sentinel Sec- ondary confirmed fer me once agair (as if I needed it) that a lut of things in life aren’? black aad white. Gatherine JUST ADD WATER As if your 65-year-old mother. announces she’s launching a ca- reer as a striptease artist. You admire her desire for financial in- dependence but question the means. ‘Predictably, the appointment of Allan Holender as Sentinel’s pro- fessional fundraiser has caused quite a stir, - On one side, individuals like B.C. Teachers Federation (BCTF) president Ken Novakowski, see the hiring of Holender as ‘‘a serious threat to education’? — that is, an educational system _ based on the belief that all children are entitled to the same level of education regardless of economic status. _ Achild’s education from kindergarten to Grade 12 shouidn’t depend on the . neighborhood that child happens -* to live in, echoes Novakowski’s colleague Linda Watson, a BCTF executive member and president of the North Vancouver Teachers’ ’ Association. . Watson is concerned the Sen- el initiative will prove to be the beginning of a trend in hiring . professional fundraisers, thus fur- ‘ther widening the gulf between >? have and have-not schools. . “Dear Editor: _ Your editorial “Overpass under -~ axe’? (Feb. 9) regarding the “Westview interchange, was inac- -. curate, and I wish to set the re- cord straight. =.<°Your editorial concluded that — _. “The North Shore is a long way from Victoria, and the distance has increased with the results of _. ‘the last provincial election.”” My colleague, North Vancouver- * Lonsdale MLA David Schreck, -has made numerous repre- sentations on both the issue of property acquisition and public i . disclosure of priorities since the ‘ day we formed a new government. Mr. Schreck also recognizes that », there are many competing de- mands for very limited public resources. You also stated this project is in danger of being ‘‘cancelled outright.’’ That is simply not true. Our government is presently carrying out the very difficult The other side would argue that schools have to face the reality of a provincial government that has virtually empty coffers for items like new computers. So what’s wrong with a dynam- ic parent group like the one at Sentinel engaging a professional to help their kids receive the best education possible? I have no problem accepting that parents can get fed up waiting for decent computer equipment for their kids and or- ganize fundraising schemes or, like Sentinel, hire a professional. In what they feei are the interests of their children, many parents wilt do everything to seek ap- propriate support. A friend of mine, who taught in East Vancouver schools for 12 years, is now a private tutor working with gifted children whose parents believe they're not adequately challenged by the school system. The point is, if the government can't or won’t shell out for certain equipment or programs, highly motivated parents will find ways to acquire those for their children. Another friend who is a vice- principal in a mixed socio- economic area tells me she devotes a major chunk of her time to fundraising efforts. She adds that many parents and students in her schoo! work ‘‘real- ly hard’’ on fundraising activities. While we can give high marks to Sentinel parents fox determina- tion, let’s all be honest and ac- knowledge that most schools in this province would simply not have the bucks to hire a staff fundraiser — let alone raise the millions of dollars anticipated by Sentinel principal Peter Lefaivre. My sister lives on the North Shore, but teaches in a far less economically privileged area of the Lower Mainland. A high pro- portion of her students are from single-parent and welfare families. My sister can’t even ask the parents of her students for money for a modest local field trip. By contrast, high school stu- dents in her West Vancouver neighborhood recently went to New York City to take in two Broadway shows. So when Jean Ferguson, a trustee of the West Vancouver School Board, wrote recently to the editor of the Van- i L WS couver Sun, “Similar initiatives could be undertaken by most schools in B.C.,"" 1 have to ask whether she has looked outside the cocoon secently. As Linda Watson points out, one school she knows netted the grand sum of $500 for a complete community event. Another school, in an affluent arca, raised $20,000 in a single auction. We live with have and have-not (or have-less} schools. And, yes, Sentinel’s drive to become a high-tech school of the 21st cen- tury will further highlight the dif- ferences. This said, I’m not asking for the termination of Sentinel’s fundraising project, the request made by Ken Novakowski to Education Minister Anita Hagen. So what can you do if you feel a little uncomfortable about a school in a district sitting on mil- lions while another strvggles to reach four-figures? To begin with, I would feel a fot better about this move to pro- fessional fundraising if the West Vancouver Schoo! Board had followed the lead of the Winnipeg School Board in opting to hire a fundraising consultant for the : MAILBOX — verpass not ‘cancelled outright’ process of budget preparation. Once that has been completed my ministry will be announcing which projects we will be able to begin this year, Due to budget con- straints, some projects may have to be deferred a year or two, but none are being considered for cancellation. . . It is my belief this approach will result in a more open process for .discussing highway planning and construction priorities. Art Charbonneau Minister of Transportation and Highways Fix Upper Levels congestion . Dear Editor: With regard to the Westview overpass, I, too, would like to see the project go ahead. But I must confess what con- cerns me more, being a commuter, is the terrible problem we have to face each morning at the bottom of the Upper Levels Highway, namely the incredible traffic jam. The .volume of traffic travelling south on the Upper Levels and the volume merging onto it at the Keith Road, Fern Street and Deep Cove on-ramps, not to mention the traffic trying to get off at Fern Street heading for Capilano Col- lege, collectively bring the traffic to a complete standstill. The Cassiar connector and the Lonsdale overpass, two wonderful accomplishments, are complete — now we have to solve the problem in between these two. Go ahead with the Westview overpass, but incorporate the solution to the congestion at the bottom of the Upper Levels Highway. Catherine Hilliard North Vancouver whole school district. Then all schools could benefit from the expertise. This at least attempts to implement the princi- ple of equity in education, insofar as a single school district can do that. I'd also feel better about the Sentinel initiative if | had seen some evidence that students at the school will be involved in fund- raising efforts. As my vice-principal friend notes, one of the major challenges [ HIGHSCHOOL HIRES FULL-TIME FUND RAISER | with young people is ensuring they see the connection between work and its rewards. Bringing in a professional fundraiser makes it easier for them to assume that all their wishes wil! be forever granted. A new car? A trip to Hawaii? A new computer? Presto! I don't begrudge the students at Sentinel new computer equipment. I just hope that in this ‘gotta have it’* world their parents can pass on to them the will to care for others. YOU SAID IT! THE NORTH Shore News telephone crew recently surveyed 510 residents for their views on . secondary suites. When asked “Are you in favor of illegal secondary suites being registered?” 475% of 444 people responded “yes.” 19.8% were not in favor of registry and 32.7 sat on the fence. To the question “‘Should owners of the suites be charged for sewer and. water services?’ a majority of 55.4% were in favor. 187% did not agree with paying for . services and 25.9% had no opinion.