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THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, FEBRUARY 28,2001 PAGE 3 Education notes FEB. 28, 2001 Board passes deficit reduction plan Trustees tightened the belt of the local public school board Thursday, when they voted to accept a plan which eliminates an almost $8-million deficit over the next 18 months. The reductions must be made to deal with the $7.943-million accumulated accumulated deficit the Kawartha Pine Ridge District District School Board is currently carrying. To make the outs, the board will apply the $735,000 surplus expected for this school year to the deficit. As well, board expenditures over the rest of this school year will be reduced by almost $3 million, while a reduction of $3.55 million will be applied to the 2001/2002 school year. A personnel plan will also allow for almost $800,000 in savings. The deficit was accumulated between between January 1998 and August 2000, and Ministry of Education requires the board to have the situation addressed in the upcoming year's budget. 'This is not something to be taken lightly," said Peterborough-area trustee Angela Lloyd. "It is not something we accumulated accumulated in one year. But I think it's very important to emphasize we have to address this over 18 months." New school for Courtice in planning stages COURTICE - Students in the Courtice Courtice area may have a new school to attend attend in 2002. Trustees with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board approved the purchase of a parcel of land north of Bloor Street, off Prestonvale Road, Thursday. The school, which was initially expected expected to open last year, will be built using the same plans as were used for Dr. Ross Tilley Public School in Bow- manville, though the blueprints will be modified slightly, says board chairman Bob Willsher. One of the major changes is, since the Province no longer funds such facilities, the new school will not have a day-care though Dr. Tilley does. School communities can get board agendas Interested members of the community community are now able to access agendas for meetings of the Kawartha Pine, Ridge,) District School Board. i <».# Now, the board's agenda and all accompanying accompanying information will be available on the board's Web site: www.kpr.edu.on.ca. Board officials estimate the previous method of producing, printing and mailing mailing agendas cost about $650 per meeting. meeting. Expulsion committee set Two area trustees have been named to the Kawartha Pine Ridge District District School Board's expulsion committee. committee. Clarington's Nancy Coffin and Northumberland's Gordon Gilchrist will join the five-trustee committee set up to hold hearings and make final decisions on when a student should be expelled from school. The board chose to set up the committee committee to deal with the increased number number of student expulsions expected as a result of new Provincial discipline rules for schools. Show them the money The two local boards of education are looking to the F'rovince for money to purchase new technology which may increase increase the efficiency of education transportation. transportation. The Kawartha Pine Ridge and Peterborough Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic district school boards will apply for an interest-free loan, offered by the Education Ministry, to purchase ministry-approved transportation transportation software. The two boards have formed an ad hoc joint transportation committee to look at finding ways to work together on busing in an effort to save money. The ministry is expected to give preference to loan applications from boards working, working, or planning to work, in a transportation transportation consortium, say KPR officials. 'Tin looking forward to a lot of input from parents board chairman School officials ponder dress code policy BY JENNIFER STONE Stuff Writer Local school board officials will be looking for parental input into how students will be clothed for class. School boards across the province are required, under a Ministry of Education Education initiative, to have policies in place by June that allow the majority of parents at any school to set appropriate appropriate student dress codes, including the implementation, if parents decide, of school uniforms. Officials with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board say, while having a policy in place by June will present a challenge in terms of time, they'll still be seeking parental input on the matter. "I'm looking forward to a lot of input from parents," says board chairman chairman and Clarington trustee Bob Willsher, Willsher, noting the discussions should "settle once and for all" how parents want their children clothed for school. Mr. Willsher compares the relatively relatively short timeframe for the yet-to-beset yet-to-beset dress code rules with a safe playground playground policy the board is currently contemplating. Both, he says, are items "parents have a very strong interest interest in." Mr. Willsher says in the case of the playgrounds, trustees asked for a policy review in September 2000, and the board is not expected to vote on the draft policy until the end of March. By comparison, the dress code policy was announced by the educa- \ . ipÉ? , | A DICKMALOWNEY 'There are huge kinds of governance issues here.' lion minister in February, and draft rules must be in place by June. Director of education Dick Mal- owney says boards are still waiting for ministry regulations on the proposed policy. "There are huge kinds of governance governance issues here," says Mr. Mal- owney, referring to the fact the government government hasn't defined how many parents parents will form a majority to set the dress code. "We hope the regs will ad- BOB WILLSHER 'Parents have a very strong interest ' in issues. dress that." But, an early-February memo from the education ministry contains everything everything boards need to know to develop the policy, says ministry spokesman Dave Ross. According to the memo, the policy must include a process enabling enabling the majority of parents, through school councils, to decide on a dress policy. As well, school councils must be involved in the implementation and development of the process. The policy must be consistent with the Human Rights Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedom, and address issues of affordability. It must also contain a regular review and monitoring monitoring process which allows for consultation consultation with school communities. Administration has been asked to prepare a draft policy, with input from school councils. In order to quickly gather parental suggestions, the board will be placing draft revisions to the dress code policy on the board's Web site, and will allow school councils and other members of the school community to provide their input electronically. As well, the board will take advantage of its video conferencing conferencing sites -- in Port Hope, Maple Grove and Brighton -- to allow collection of input from parents and community members. And, each school will be asked to make provisions provisions for people to provide feedback to the policy revisions to accommodate accommodate those who do not have access to the Internet. Mr. Willsher says he's already fielded phone calls from parents, many of whom say school councils already already helped set acceptable dress standards standards last year. So far, he says he doesn't hear a lot of parents rallying for uniforms. 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