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SP AEN A T ENE RTELZ IARI

66 The com-
plaining citizen

said he'd counted

17 ‘gunshots’ from
the area where
Man with a Gun
was being filmed

for posterity. 9Y

— Trevor Lautens on the
glitter and the glamor of
Hollywood in Tiddlycove.
See page 6.

B Entertainment.

& Home & Garden.........11
@ UNSIGHBS.....orerresrecrsne

@ inside Storias........
Trevor Lautens.

@ Sunshine Girl 9
B TV Listings.....................76

@ Ancther all-new car
from Chrysler: 18

@ Listings for new and
used cars: 19

Saturday:
periods of rain, windy
High 8°C, Low 2°C.

EST VANCOUVE

Office, Editorial 985-2131

ee

F Fy
Dd Joh

BODY FOUND

A body believed to be that
of 16-year-old airplane crash
victim found near Texada

Island.

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USER FEES

Hoilvburn cabin dwellers
win reprieve fram council to
proposed increase in annual
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west vancouver:
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NEWS photo Pau! McGrath

NORTH VANCOUVER RCMP members rope off an area near the Takaya Golf Centre in
Deep Cove on Wednesday where an armed robber killed himself. See story page 3.

District 44 board blocks parent proposal for alternative school

NORTH VANCOUVER School District
44 trustees unanimously voied Tuesday
night against a parent-driven proposal
to establish an alternative, back-to-
basics school in North Vancouver.

Trustees cited additional costs, no available
space and a lack of “significant differences” from
established public school programs as reasons for
turning down the proposal.

But they left the door open for further discus-
sion — through an amendment to the motion —
on issues not considered by the board or undesly-
ing concerns of the parents.

“He means to us that there could be other pos-
sibilities in establishing this alternative school in
North Vancouver.” said) alternative school co-
chairinan Deborah Kitson.

A teport prepared by district staff estimated
that starting and operating the proposed school
would cost the district an additional $1 million.
including @ one-time start-up cost of $227,000 for
200 students. Because the greater part of the
alternative school’s student: population would
come from existing schools, there would be lite
or no additional funding from the provincial
Education Ministry.

Alsu inciuded in the cost estimate was

NORTH VANCOUVER’
SCHOOL BOARD
By Kevin Gillies

$682,700 for 10.66 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
teachers (at average district safaries plus 20% for
benefits) and $113,800 per week for 130 hours of
support staff,

The district report also said the Cloverley
school site. which is the only available site with
uncommitted space, was too small to accommo-
date the proposal. Windsor House, an alternative
education program, is already in the building.

According to the report, adding the preposed
school would create @ shortfall of 1) rooms.

Kitson told the News she believes district cost
estimates were inflated and disputes the lack of
space issue. .

“The only example we have in recent history
is what went on with the Surrey Traditional
School. Their estimated costs were double’ what
their actual (costs) were. We believe the costs
could be half of what administration has come up
with”

She also said the alternative school could
recoup part of a “30% lass of (public school) stu-

Wii8

dents to private or independent schools.”

“We parents believe due consideration was not
given,” she added.

District 44 Superintendent of Schools Dr.
Robin Brayne said the districts diminishing avail-
ability of resources was well known.

Trustees said they did not see significant dif-
ferences between the program proposed and
those already existing in the district.

Trustee Marg Jessup said she was not against
special schools for special purposes but the onus
was on parents to provide a program that was suf-
ficiently different and to show there was a need
for such a school.

Trustee Rick Buchols said he would like to see
any shortfalls in public education dealt with from
within the system.

“BIC.” he said. “represents [0% of Canada’s
student population but 32% of the top marks.
North Vancouver has historically done well in
this area.”

Said trustee Guy Heywood, “We have a duty
tu our neighborhood schools” and that the alter-
native school would be “a diversion of their
focus.” He urged parents unhappy with the cur-
rent system to explore private schools,

See Schoal page 3

AX