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10 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, June 30, 2011 Trustees okay $560M budget The Classics Against Cancer Car Show Committee would like to thank all the volunteers, the sponsors, entertainers and participants for making the show such a success! By DOMINIK KUREK Metroland Media Group Halton District School Board trustees approved an operating budget of $560 million for the 2011/12 school year at its meeting last week The budget also included another $66 million for capital expenses for the upcoming school years. According to staff, about 80 per cent of the board's operating budget is used for salaries and benefits. The province's Ministry of Education pays for about 99 per cent of the budget, while the remainder comes from other revenue sources. The budget also includes 136 new staff positions, as a result of an increase in pupils to more than 54,000 next year, compared just fewer than 53,000 this year. The approved budget includes a $5.6 million accumulated surplus (reserves) and $370,000 as a contingency, to be used in the upcoming school year on unforeseen costs. Some of the budget highlights include 10 additional full-time equivalent (FTE) positions in the areas of itinerant learning disabled teacher, instructional program leader, gifted teacher, three special education elementary teachers for self-contained classes, two food school educational assistants and two child and youth counselors. Other additions include occupational therapist support, an Aboriginal Liaison Officer and other hires, along with program and software purchases. There has also been a removal in FTE positions in other areas, such as secondary teachers from holdback, one itinerant gifted teacher and an FSL system principal moving down to a half-time position, among other items. Trustees also approved a last-minute amendment to the budget at the meeting, by approving to make the Gay Straight Alliance equity facilitator a full-time position from a half-time position. Prior to the upcoming year, the position was subsidized by an outside organization. Since then that funding has stopped. Milton Trustee Donna Danielli asked fellow trustees to approve the addition, saying this was a role for more than a halftime position. She said since the budget has gone public, she has received calls from concerned staff and parents over the issue. "This is not a part-time position," she said. "The GSA co-ordinator supports some of our most vulnerable students and their families. "The GSA co-ordinator also limits the board's exposure to lawsuits by identifying and responding to human rights code violations," she added. As a result of the request, the board amended the budget by approving to fund the position for another year as a full-time position, with an added cost of $30,000, which was taken from the $400,000 contingency budget, which was brought down to $370,000 as a result of the decision. CLASSICS AGAINST CANCER 2011 SPONSORS Halton Automotive Industrial Unilock Limited Triple A Cheese Olon Industries. Home Instead Senior Care Lant Insurance Brokers Trailcon Leasing Inc. Silvana Bezina 3 M Canada Company Great Glasses Regal Confections McDonalds Independent & Free Press Georgetown Chevrolet Bratin Auto Muffler Ltd. A P D Printing Helson, Kogan, AshbeeSchaljo Assoc. Howell Pipe & Supply Carney Electric Grass Roots Lawn & Garden CIBC Main St. Halton Hills Sewing & Vacuum Kiyo's Japanese Car Service Best Western Inn On The Hill Metro Sayal Dentistry Professional Colgate Palmolive Rotary Glen Banquet Hall Gay Lea Youngs Pharmacy Home Care Leferink Transfer Ltd. Maple Lodge Farms T D Bank P H Milling Group Lora Greene State Farm Ins. A Plus Storage The Sign Shoppe Buy Wise Windows & Doors Club At North Halton J.S. Jones & Son Funeral Home Tim Hortons Hungry Hollow Smokehouse & Grille Sammys Ice Cream A & W Restaurant Lions Club Apple Auto Glass Kraft Foods Curves Peter Morten Art Cast Happy Canada Day MALL HOURS: WE ARE CLOSED FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2011 Regular Mall hours resume on Saturday, July 2, 2011 July 4th-10th Please check with Walmart & Zellers for their holiday hours. GEORGETOWN MARKET PLACE 280 Guelph St. ­ Hwy. 7 Georgetown - 905-873-8918 Visit our Website: http://www.georgetownmarketplace.com