SCHOOL DISTRICT 44 will close as many as four
schools, drop its crossing guards and most teachers

aides and get rid of the equivalent of 120 employees
to meet government-imposed restraint.

Details of how the district
will cut $8.37 million from its
budget by 1986 were released
in a ‘‘statement of intent’’ at
a board meeting Tuesday
night .Trustees had earlier ap-
proved the package at a
private meeting.

Under the 16-point pro-
gram laid out in the state-
ment, the school district
would cut $3.4 million in
salaries by dropping com-
munity school co-ordinators
and French, outdoor educa-

By MARK HAMILTON

tion and band teachers as
well as central supervisory,
administrative and counsell-
ing staff. That would be ac-
companied by increases in
class sizes and a decrease in
preparation and library time
and non-teaching time of ad-
ministrators at individual
schools.

A further $2 million would
be saved by chopping the
caretaker services in half and

Budget draws
concerns of
WV council

CONTINUED

tative programs would result
in additional costs for B.C.
taxpayers in the long run,
and carried a recommenda-
tion that the government con-
sider, where appropriate, the
*tuser pay’’ concept, in order
to continue programs the
government no longer plans
to subsidize.

Ald. Doreen Blackburn
put forth the resolution but
was greeted with suggestions
by both Finlay and Diana
Hutchinson that the motion
be tabled in order to include
more specific concerns.
Finlay called for detailed in-
formation on what is being
eliminated by the budget
legislation, asking ‘‘Is the
government walking away
from (things like) child
abuse?’”’

In response, Blackburn
outlined a number of cuts in
the Human Resources budget
as compiled in a report by the

Community Services Ad.
visory Commission. The
CSAC recommended that

Council request the Minister
of Human Resources to con
tanue or reinstate the Com
munity Involvement Pro

gram, the Child Abuse Con-
sultants, the Family Support
Worker Program and the
North Shore Co-operative
Projects Society.

Blackburn said many
welfare recipients use the
Community Involvement
Program as a steppingstone
to regular employment, while
the North Shore Co-
Operative Projects Society is
a valuable service which not
only provides work for peo-
ple in a ‘‘depressed state,’’
but also helps many senior

citizens and handicapped
person.
With regard to child abuse,

Blackburn said it is now man-
datory to report child abuse
cases. ‘‘It could be tragic if
children were returned home
without proper counselling,’’
she added.

In an interview with the
North Shore News following
the mecting, the alderman
said she had not expected op-
position to a motion which
she viewed as ‘‘common
sense.’’

‘But I'm very grateful |
received Council’s support
on the matter,’’ said
Blackburn. ‘‘After all, we're
dealing with people who are
disadvantaged .”’

Arsonist behind
vacant house fire

A FIRE that destroyed a va
cant Larson Road house car
ly Sunday was deliberatcly
sect, says North Vancouver
RCMP

According to police the fire
was set shortly after 3 aim
Sunday By the me North
Vancouver City firemen ar

ftved at the house a two

storcy, wood framed struc
ture the fire was well
undcrway

While fire investigator's

poke through the ruins of the
house attempting to deter
mine where and how the fire
was sect, ROMP are in
vesuigating reports that the
house had been the scene of a
party involving a large
number of youths who were
dmnking and vandalizing (he
house

The house was scheduled
for demolition

Investigation into the bur
ning continuca

Burning time in WV

LES THE burning season in
West Vancouver

Ontober is one of the two
months of the year the other
is Apral when West Van

couver residents can burn

garden icfuse without having
to obtain a permit

Burning «ts
however. to Saturdays and
Sundays and the freedom
from restriction ends ato the
end of thas month

testsmted

$750,000 more would come
with the elimination of all but
‘‘essential special education’’
teachers aides.

The board would further
reduce board and administra-
tion costs ($100,000 savings);
reduce building maintenance
($300,000); discontinue
financial] support for com-
munity schools ($150,000);
relocate the Curriculum Ser-
vices Centre ($50,000); close
two to four schools
($100,000); eliminate cross-
ing guards ($150,000);
discontinue business
assistanis ($200,000); discon-
tinue athletics and field trips
transportation ($100,000);
reduce supplies and instruc-

tion support ($120,000) and
close or scale down outdoor
school operations ($200,000).

The document tabled by
the board lays out the cuts—
without taking into account
the effects such things as
declining enrolment, salary
increase or inflation would
have on the projections —
does not attempt to say when
the cuts will be made.

‘*Present intentions are
that a more detailed plan of
specific action for 1984 will
be developed by the end of
October,’’ a footnote to the
document says.

Both the North Vancouver
Teachers Association and
Canadian Union of Public

All - Wednesday, October 5, 1983 - North Shore News

Employees local 389 were
briefed on the cuts Monday.

CUPE, which represents
over 600 custodial, clerical
and suppor staff im the
district, called the district’s
plan ‘‘a blueprint for the
devastation of the educa-
ional process’’ wn district 44.

CUPE representative
Diane Joly said her union will
meet with school board
members Saturday to discuss
the document and the cuts
and will consider what action
it can take after thar.

Bill Friesen, president of
will be meeting with the staffs
of individual schools

throughout the district over

School District 44 slashes schools, staff,
programs, teachers to meet 1986 goal

the next few weeks to chart a
response to the cuts.

‘Our preliminary reaction
is that such a massive cut in
education of our children is
not acceptable,’’ Friesen
said.

Friesen said he was sure the
public would also find the
proposed cuts unacceptable
and that the task of the
NVTA will be to ensure the
public is aware of them.

For a‘more detailed look at
the impacts of the school
board’s action — made
necessary by provincial
government restraimt moves
which limit funding between
now and 1986 —see Sunday’s
News.

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