Letters to the editor...Catholic supporter opposes board decision

Dear editor, Re: Catholic Board decision puzzling (June 28, 2006) As a Catholic school board tax supporter I am bewildered and angered by the decision made this week, to opt out of the Halton Regional Campus plan. This plan offered both Separate and Public school boards the opportunity to work with the Region to offer more cost efficient services to the ratepayers of the region. The more money spent in the administration of the boards, the less money available to the students, classrooms and individual school needs. The suggestion that somehow this was actually an attempt to reduce the independence of the Separate Board is ludicrous and demonstrates a level of paranoia that should be very disturbing to local Separate board supporters. Clearly Trustee Bob van de Vrande's position on both sides of the fence clearly epitomizes the bizarre decisions we have seen over this issue. If these trustees honestly believe that Catholic education can be undermined by the location of the administrative offices or how they share the costs of office supplies, they clearly don't have a realistic vision of either Catholic education or the realities of the current state of educational financing in Ontario today. I want the money saved by this project in my children's school not in the board office. In November, every trustee who voted against this proposal should be removed from office. I'm sure we can find a few good people who will put their personal empires and aspirations aside and think of the students first and foremost. D. Harmer, Georgetown