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4 Page 2, WhItby Fee Prose, Wednesday, January 17, 1996 150 teachers to be laid off By Mark Reesor The Durhiam Board of Education will lay off close to 200 teachers and support staff this year alone but Isnt't'planning *any administrative cutsi, an Oshawa trustee complains. "When I ask the question, does that mean now that we d ont have JK(junlor krindergarten), we don't need as many administration staff?" ays Mike Nicholson. 'The answer is 'no, they did that on top of their normal duties so theyllJust go back to their normal duties...' "Bo once again, staff and trustees. are showing us that they1re golng to cut the littie guys and cut the programs and stili keep their administrative staff in place. "We should be cutting the administrative staff and the waste and keeping the prograins in place for the studonts." Education and business superintendont Brian Cain says the growth in student population and the numbor of retiring teachers should temper the cuts. "In our view right now, there should not be layoffs... thoy can be moved to other areas."- Teaching positions to be cut include 62 in elementary schools due ta negotiatod reductions and a hangover from the so"al contract; 52 in junior Icindergarten if the board, as expected, docides Monday to eliminate the program and an estîmatod 30 ta, 35 in aduit oducation. About three supply toaching positions, 12 education assistant and 28 iuncbroom supervisor positions are also iikely ta be eliminatod, Cain says. The board has ta notify toachers unions by March 1 how *many teachers it will, require in Septomber as a condition of Its collective agreement. The Durham public board stands to get about $12 million, bs in provincial transfer payments ln 1996-97, he estimates, and that's just the beginning. "We anticipate another cut, equal ta what we've seen this, year - that's what ail the analysts are saying. 'That's what has ta happen if the province i. going ta balance its budget so we're roaliy soeing '96, '97 and,'98 as three years of provincial cutbacks.ft There'si few details about the cuts available yot - Cain says the province bas promised ta delivor enough information at the end of this month ta allow the board to celculate ita grants "and hopefully our mfll-rate impact. What is known: * granta for the approximately 327 stadents ini Durham Alternate Secondary Education (DASE) are being cut fromn $2,,739,000 ta *1,208,000. * grantz for juniorIdndergarten - trustees wili decide Monday whether to drop the program entirely - wiii also be cut in half. *Studenia over age 21 currently enrolled in regular day *school programs wili now be fundod only under continuing education programs, which will mean a "significant" reduction in granta. Trstees discssed the first preliminary draft of the 1996 capital budget at a speciai meeting Saturday morning. (The oporating budget cant be calculated until the board finds out what it's going ta got froin the privince, Cain says.) %he total capital budget - before tirstees bogin whittling it down ta size - in $46,027,000. Local ratepayers would b. on the. hook for $-31.8 million after provincial grants -are appliod, Tools stolen At least $1,500 worth of power tools wore taken in a break-in at Ackland's Saffety Supply in Whitby Thursday evoming. Police, who wero caliod ta the 1610 McEwen Dr. business at 10:10 p.m. after a burglar alari wont off, say the cuiprit(s) snuashed the glassin the front door with a concrete block and mode off with the Black and Docker industrial tools. An inventory was being dons to determine if, anything else was takon. Damage was estimatod at between $600 and $800. Tour of Centre Residents are invited ta tour the newiy renovated Whitby Seniors' Activity Centre, 801 Brock St. S., on Sunday, Jan. 28 to Feb. 3. There will be demonstrations of the many programs offered at the centre. JK to be dropped FROM PAGEZ1 the program and not.busing and savod another 100 grand..-. "But instead of looking at ianything, they just cut it loose." I Nicholson says it's "shameful that we did this tafour-year-olds, S especiaily when they've been eut Ton overy other level of provincial ifunding... they noed us." . He's also upset the public wasn't oegive n a chanoe to have a say. Even trustees weren't given the "facts iand figures" on tho issue until 1Thursday night, ho says. 1 "Once again at the 'Durham 1 board you're asked ta make a -, judgment on a whole program in one day when you can't even get -1hold of staff sonietimes - on a IFriday." Ho urges "as many people as Possible" to attend noit Monday's I!board meeting "and maybe change :thoir mind." 3"W. haven't made any docision; *we have just moved the *recommendation to look at-it (JK)," h 1 maintains Plclceing trustee Susan IKular, who chaired the budgt -meeting. 3t If trustees seo that we are not *doing fr justice ta the public, i they bave the option of voting Iagainst it . * Kular uays the Conservative governinent "bas made it very I ear ta everybody that this 1 prpramin going to b. optional, se 1 e »Ssumed that the public knows 1tat it wfll b. forthconung. -~"mean- .iffheyare going toeut the funding, the public knows that we are going ta do sometbing about it bocause we can't corne up with Umhee millions and millions of dollars-. 'MIaybe it'.ý wrong on my part, but we thought it was sometbing that the.public is oxpecting."e She, admita, however, that trutees were "concerned about how the public is going tareact to this.w Although the agenda wawn't finalized until Wednesday, Kular says the budget meeting was pianned just'before Obriistma . It wasn't until Friday, however, that "w. started realizing that we had made an error" and alerted the pros about the meeting, she says. Bilan Cain, superintendent oif education and business, says its partly bis fault because ho inadvertently didn't in form board publicity director Mary Brown about the meeting. Also, "neither Susan (Kular) or I thought ofit a wook ago Monday - we could have announced it Monday." The recent roorganization of boar d and committee chair positions contributed to the confusion, Cain says. And it may not be the set time that the public doesn't hear about a oentrversia issue until after ltes debated by trustees, thougb, he warns., Considering how quickly the Mistry of Education is announcing changes and how slow Itfs announcing specific, detais, "are we going tobe able tego out and consult with the public on every Issue? "Well try very bard not to bave extra meetings... but Iýmnônt sure thora'. gowng ta be a chance for ovezy issue out thora to b. tbrown out ini the public, arena," he says, adding that if people don't want to, miss somethlng, they should attend every meeting. CASH CAL ilP wbich would mean a 12 to 13 per cent property tax Increase. Trustees voted down a suggestion by Cain for an aaus4m>bardcut, "Ieavlng only what's essential, which wouid come clos e what we levled lni capital spendlng iast year..., "Then it becomes a matter of a motion ta, add It (a spending item) ln rather than a motion to delete It... lt'. presentation more than anything else." "It's botter for people o a u exactly wbat we could b. dealing wltb," argued Uxbridge tustoe Faith Neumann. Oshawa trustee and board chair Audrey Macean agreed, saying ltes Important the public know uthat this is what the list looke like; I. think public access andl public responsos have ta remain a priority horo." 'They trstees) lcnow fuit weli that that kInd of capital levy wiii not stand - it wili be cut draznaticaiiy when they get into talkcing about pprty taxes," says Cain. 7The nogative overtones and -the high publicity around the increaso wiii not serve the board weli as we go tbrough the budget deliberations." Public board supportera across the region paid an avorage of 0.63 per cent more in education taxes' last year. ' FIS CHIPS Flyng FishI 1 N.W. Corner -' 1 Thickson Rd. & onay gt cr Fs &Chi 1 Dundas St. E. i -30.lSO Monday Jan. 22, Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 1 Take out only. One coupon per customer, ------------------------------------- r*~!LL~JiJtr3 FREE* 12"' *WITH VOUR PURCHJ AND "COCA-COLA" F Royal ýLePage Real Estate Services Ltd, 3000 Garden Street North, Whitby is pleased to advise that SANDI PNIAUSKAS flot only 1993 ROYAL LEPAGE ASSORTED SUD 'ASE 0F ANY 12" OR SUPER 12" SUE PRODUCT AT THE REGULAR PRICE, Available at boti Whitby locations 1123 Dundas St. Easi (at Anderson) M~~~~~~ 0 -rc St North--- ------~ Sales Representative for & 1994 but again in 1995. Congratulations and continued success mn 1995. if youwis to speak with Sand! or- just ask heruadvice, please contact her at: ~i tiW iW ilîu Bus: (905) 666-333. Dîr: 666-7937,'@ Tor: 686-1979 Trop incomé»prdducing'agent fR.Whitby) 70obe AcIeonlis ao, otn h and suffering a case of oaîly midlibf ennui, 1 auditioned, for a raie wfth lie Mht ColosTheatre comody. Lend M~ a Teno, which opens ln Iess than four vie"k. Pisase. pa attention b> liose lust words aslhWy *are cd"tifak an undlerstanding of my limmediato future.. The audition wus fun and 1 wms awarded a wond rfulrie which 1 Eççroactied wlit enthusiasm. Our tiret rehearsal k>ok place bocki Nmrer hintMeafety and cornfod of the Came Room at lie top floor of the Courthots building. Mit was comllôrtable. We drank coffee, read ou i heu and bal a grand aid Urne. But lien lie truli flnally dawnied, #,ère was fai moreeIo>tlis #man racng linos ln a Gieen Roorn. There le tie Ieamling of linos, the. memonzatlo,' word for Word. Thon tiiere lu lthe staging, wliere k> stand, when Io exit and lie absolule lorror of rmailzing that when lie diieclor, Diane (a klnd, lovlng and, 1 trust forgMvng soul), says that we are e> bo *off book"this week Ritdoos flot mean that m. aiget leleprompteis, but ralier that-m are supposed k> han ouries comrplelt* mernonized. Every yea startrng ln Nwvembei. i direct a play which oui youh grot.q pute» on et oui two Christrnasm fàmlly services. About limee weelo before lite day, 1 give my cast what 1 have 1 . 1 oil 'fe speech.'"'Th. speech conss o f 'dire warnlngs about lie consequences of not mernarizlng linos; of what WUl happen If m don't stop mucldng about and geaingdown b>work. 1 have it dlown k> an art form and it works a*treat. SThere lu, Iiowover, 1 hâve discovered, a word of différence betweei glving ta speech and belng part of a cast liat lu on thi eeeving end. But irs effective, trust me. You soe yourself standing on a stage faclng ai audience remernbering nathing but the week's shopping lisis. <This frightening réalizËaton haÉ traisformed oiw house from a place of pmoe and quiet into chaos' as Wendy and -1 clutch books and" l below nV linos, worklng on; the promise that volume hnproves rnemoy. 1 wako up. 1Isay my linos. 1 drive. 1lsay my linos. 1 tle a shm. i say my linos. 1 make dinner. 1 say my fines. 1 sleep*... 1 say my linos. 1 fuly expect som sunday mo Iogk simply start repoating clkgoInstead of givng a sermon. Mmnd you, liere are those who mlght considor that a refreshing change. Sarahi and- Elizabeth ae uniqmposd. Who, lieywant k> know lu Max aid why arn 1 yellng at hkn ai tie ârne? Arenit e supposed %k>-be nIce là eveoybdyAnd >wtyiy en't momnuy aid li rnaded ln tie play? What oxactly, 9ieywait k>know, lu going on hem? 1 keep explainlng it ie Just mommny's and daddys' characters whoie saylng tliee words, not mommy aid daddy. But they remain doubtFüI., Thon liere lutheo ather deicat issue. Wendy awwf i are %eharrn a ho actrng? Anyway, Ire Urne k> go. I have a rehoareal k> prepare for, i roei~vdon1j 38 1