referendum hit

By lan Noble

News Reporter

A ratepayer’s group representative is calling a $2-miilion high-tech referendum for North Vancouver schoo! dis- trict undemocratic.

Otto Werzlmayr, the trea- surer of the North Lonsdale Ratepayers Association, said he can’t vote in the election because he won’t be in town April 19, the day of the refer- endum.

But he'll still be expected to pay for computers, soit- ware, peripherals and teacher training the money is car- marked for if the referendum is approved.

He believes the schoo! dis- trict is trying to target its cam- paign at support groups such as parent associations to get them out to vote.

“They are not going to try to reach out to the ‘majority of the community ....” he said.

“They are playing on apa- thy, as all politicians do. I think this is really a scam.”

Wetalmayr organized an information meeting between the Federation of North Vancouver: Community Associations and school board representatives recently

But he said it was diffi to get the school district rep

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Ratepayer Calls process ‘a scam’

resentatives out to the meet- ing.

Corrie Kost of North Vancouver also said the reter- endum will be largely deter- mined by self-interest groups.

She said plans to limit the vote to seven school locations instead of the 19 used in municipal clections and not allowing advanced polling may disenfranchise the less mobiie and elderly people in North Vancouver District aad City.

“Ignorance and accessibili- ty are the enemies here,” she said, noting the $2-million will still leave the board short of its Victoria-prescribed goals of a computer to pupil ratio of one to three in secondary schools and one to six in ele- mentary schools.

Meeting those goals will cost an estimated $11 million.

But school board chairman Guy —_ Heywood called Werzlmayr’s charge thar he

had a difficult time getting schoo! board representatives to his meeting ridiculcus. He said accusations that his board is gearing its campaign to sup- port groups nonsense.

Werzlmayr’s mecting was scheduled during spring

break. Many irustees who were away weren’t able to attend. Heywood added school board assistant superin- tendent Paul Killeen and trustee Doug MacKay-Dunn attended the meeting.

The School Act requires that the school buard place two ads regarding the referen- dum, which the board svill do, he said.

Heywood added, however, thar the board will not spend a lot of cash on an ad campaign, because it does not have the money to do so.

A public meeting on the issue will be held this Thursday at Carson Graham secondary at 7:30 p.m.

Heywood said the School Act makes no provision for a: advance poll and there won't be one. “Our lawyers say you don’t want to do anything outside of the strict letter of the act because you don’t want to he questioned.”

Assistant superintendent Paul Killeen said the board will be making approximately 25 presentations on the refer- endum, with 22 of them at schools and mainiy to parent advisory groups.

If approved, the $2-mil- fion tab will cost the average North Vancouver homeowner approximately $54. For every $10,000 in assessed value, the homeowner will be billed $1.76.

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