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A LITTLE INS:

ris promised as part of the North Van Folkfest in the form of a trike race. Above, Joanne

Hawkins, Sandy Nuyens, Sue Green, and Melody Meyer get in some practice. The trike race will be held at 2 p.m.,
Jone 23. Registration forms available at the North Vancouver Recreation Centre. (Ellsworth Dickson photo) *

— FROM PAGE1

And one of :Burbidge’s
féllow trustees on the North
Van School. Board, David
Craig, takes issue with the
board chairman crediting
part of the. supposed tax
reduction ‘to “judicious
budgeting” by the school
board.

“we “The board . oiustees
spends very little time on the -

budget,” he declares. “You
could p-robably count the
number of hours we spend
on the budget on your
fingers and toes.”

In the circular ‘sent to
North Van. homes,. Burbidge

says that*-owners of
properties - assessed at
$10,000 ---15 ‘per, cent -of

market value - cat expect a
saving of $76... : }

But some such property
owners have ‘found their
taxes going up rather than
down. These are cases af-
fected by the phasing in of
increased percentages of
actual market value.

Moulding says of the
school board crediting itself
as lowering property taxes:
“They either ignored or
weren't aware of the phase-
in assessments on properties,
which has got to affect a
goodly number.

“In so doing they are
causing a lot of unnecessary

concern among
people, who thought they
were going to get a break.

“They - should have
checked with us first before
sending it (the circular) out
‘because now they aren't
making themselves look too

good, having said everyone

is going ‘to get a $76
deduction.”

What's more, both he and
trustee. Craig say that all
North Van homeowners can
expect their taxes to be
substantially higher next
year.

They maintain that the
number one reason for the
mill rate dropping was not
because of any action by the
school board at all but
because of the collection of
a $2 million grant from the
National Harbors Board.

Craig. says: “That $2
million which wasn’t raised
this year will have to be
raised next year. That will
amount to a pretty sub-
stantial sum of money for
everybody - that in addition
to normal increases plus
program increases.”

He maintains that if
anyone deserves credit for
bringing down the mill rate
it’s the media and North
Shore citizens - particularly
the Concerned Citizens
Association (of which Craig
is a member) - for their
outcry against tax increases.

these™ Craig says that in North

Van the cost per pupil is
continuing to rise ~ at a rate
higher than inflation - and
that North Van has a higher
cost per pupil than any other
school board in the Lower
Mainlan d.

This, he tells the News, is
largely because of a com-
bination of declining student
enrolments and: programs
“more ambitious” than other
school boards.

He feels, part of the reason

for such programs is the
board's wish to excell.

‘COMPETITIVE PRIDE

“North Vancouver - Sc-
hool Board has always
prided itself in being way out
front of everyone else,” he
says.

“And to do that they have
had to spend more money
than everyone else. I don't
doubt that it is competitive
between school boards.”

Highly prized in North
Vancouver, he says, is the
large curriculum
development department.

“I know it is larger than a |

number of other districts,”
says Craig. But he adds: “I
know Dr. (Pat) McGeer feels
there is some duplication of
that between North Van-
couver and Victoria in
curriculum development and

close out

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tle time spent on budget says tru

this would certainly not
seem very beneficial.” ~
As is the case in neigh-
bouring West. Vancouver,
the school board is con-

cerned about the rate in

decline of student
enrolments at a time when
there are more than ample

teachers signed up with

continuing contracts.
“We have run out of
teachers on temporary
assignments,” says Craig,
“which means we're only left
with teachers on tenure.”

_ “There’s more reluctance
to take a tenured teacher
and terminate their jobs so

‘pair.
recreational dive,
; Says they still don’t know

is there a p
of you that’s
over weight

FROM PAGE 1

The RCMP diving team
was brought in to-Assist with
the search, but the
spokesman said _ they
searched down to their limit,
on Saturday and Sunday,

and- were unable to locate
the body.

‘They feel the body is
located deeper than that,’ he
said. The team _ searched
down to a depth of 100 feet.

_The spokesman said the
were out on a
and he

what happened to the
woman.
“We have had some pretty

tragic accidents in that area,’
the police spokesman said. |

there’s a lot of attempts to
make room for them.”

He summarizes: “If the
nuniber of students continue
to decline there is no
satisfactory solution - only a
compromise between the
people who are paying and
the people who are being”
squeezed out ofajob.” —

As for budgeting, he
considers the school board
should become more in-
volved.

“It has always been my
feeling that the trustees must
eventually carry the ball with
the spending.

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RCMP search |

‘The underwater park is a
popular area for sports

‘divers. There..is an abun-

dance of marine life there.’

But a-number of people |
fish off the cliffs in the area,
he said, and this: means there.
isa large quantity of fishing .
line in the-water around: ‘the
park.

‘Evidently the divers when
they are underwater cannot
see the stuff and they get
tangled upinit.

Currents may also play a
part in making the area
hazardous, he said.

People are entitled to fish
in the area, the. spokesman

Said, and divers have been

warned about the dangers.

“I don’t think we have
sufficient involvement in the
budgeting. Other. districts
are move involved than we
are, although «we are just
becoming more involved
right now.”

School . board chairman
Burbidge was out of town
when the News called to give
‘him. the opportunity to
comment on the statements
of Craig and Moulding.

For 1st time Spa
visitora only

Mon. to Fri. 10 am-10pm