Tuesday, May 17, 2011 Local farmers’ markets kicked off last weekend, promising more summer fun to come…
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School district finance
Special needs squeezed next
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The local board of education has to find $2.2 million in savings in its 2011-12 budget. by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Maria Rantanen/TIMES
Fighting for kingdom
A group of warriors demonstrated fighting from the Middle Ages at the Antioch Medieval Fair on Saturday at the Albion Fairgrounds. His Lordship Hrad Inn Rakki (Dean MacPherson) battles Prince Kheron (Richard Bertrand) belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism. See story, page A13.
Webster’s Corners
Pellet gun brought to school
by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
A pellet gun was produced on a school yard last week, prompting a threat assessment by school district staff. Staff at Webster’s Corners Elementary immediately confiscated the weapon after another child reported seeing it during recess last Tuesday, said district communications manager Seamus Nesling. While some people might consider this type of pellet gun a toy, “it’s
completely inappropriate to bring one to school,” Nesling told The TIMES. While it might not be considered a firearm, a pellet gun can look like a real gun and fire projectiles. “We take it very seriously,” he said. After the pellet gun was noticed by a child, it was immediately seized, Nesling explained. And, within minutes the incident was reported to the principal, who took control of the situation but was unavailable to comment prior to press deadline. After an incident like this, a risk assessment is done by the school
zone health and safety team, the principal, and the staff member who reported the incident. The school will also bring in someone trained in threat assessment. “You always err on the side of caution in cases like this,” Nesling added, noting this might be a case of a child showing off a new toy unaware of the seriousness of the situation. “Some kids might not understand how threatening something like this would appear to other people,” Nesling concluded.
By law, the school board has to balance its budget, and cuts proposed this year include elementary band, special education, and class-size ratios. The proposed cuts to the elementary band program is a “fine example” of what the school board struggles with when balancing the budget, said Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows board chair Ken Clarkson. Band is a “wonderful service,” and the district funds it because they think it’s good for students. But, he said it’s beyond the mandate of the school district. The itinerant band teacher is teaching some classes with only five students. And the school district doesn’t have the money to spend on such small classes, Clarkson said. “It’s not very Maria Rantanen/TIMES equitable, plus it’s A crowd showed up at last week’s school an extra-curricular course,” he added. board meeting to show support for elementary band program. People are used to a “Cadillac system” of education, Clarkson said, and they have to ask themselves if they want to pay for it. In order to continue to provide a good education, taxes need to go up, he commented, or students will have to settle for a lower quality education system. “The only real solution is for people to voice their concerns,” the chair added. “People need to make [education] an issue.” To find $2.2 million in savings, the school board is also considering cutting $180,000 in special education. With 107.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, reducing by two full-time teachers in 27 schools would be “very negligible,” said school board director Laurie Meston. To balance its budget, the school board is also considering raising its average class sizes slightly in intermediate, secondary, and English-as-a-second-language. The new Minister of Education George Abbott is more conciliatory than his predecessors, Clarkson said, but the message is the same – there’s no more money. But Clarkson said with their lobbying efforts, he does think the message that more money is needed is getting through. “I feel like they’re starting to get it,” he said.
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