The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 27, 2006 - 5 Public board paid $3.8 million in retirement gratuities Continued from page 1 dent and the school board's associate director of education, in a later inter view. The centre, located in Burlington, shares the building with other organi zations including Charles Sturt University. The centre - with a staff of 90 and an annual operating budget of $5 million served 22,000 people last year by teach ing adults and older youth skills for the working world. Next year, the centre is anticipated to serve 30,000 people. The goal, Finlay said, is that by 2007, the centre will break even. Wayne Joudrie, the board's director of education, said after the board meet ing the $2 million deficit is an "issue of concern for the board" but is confident it can be paid without a major impact. "One of the questions that was asked was will that impact on any classroom enveloping and (it) absolutely will not. In a $350-million budget, on a one time basis, I believe we can come to a solution that gets us that $2 million. There are enough other areas that will allow us some flexibility." Joudrie said the board isn't required to pay off the deficit the year after it is incurred. The ministry, he said, can allow up to five years for it to be paid if it approves a board's plan. "We don't have to necessarily eat the entire $2 million in one year," he said, adding he would like to see the shortfall paid sooner than later. "We can spread it out." Stephen Parfeniuk, the board's superintendent of business services, told the board the deficit could have been much higher because of the $3.8 million it paid for retirement gratuities ·last year, about $1 million beyond what was budgeted. To cover the extra money, the board depleted its gratuity reserve. He told trustees he believes 40-50 staff left the board at the end of the year. Parfeniuk said the board finished the year with an operating surplus of around $700,000 that will be put into a working reserve. Trustees decide how that money gets used, he noted. The deficit, he said in a later inter view, does not include a controversial $600,000 severance paid to former director Dusty Papke when he left the board in June 2005. Part of that sever ance included a $100,000 retirement gratuity. Some trustees have publicly expressed concern the board could be in dire financial straits to cover the amount. Parfeniuk said savings found in the 2004-05 budget covered the severance. He said savings would have^ included money not spent on having to pay the salaries of various senior staff. That would have included the director's posi tion, which was vacant for some two months. The position of superintendent for business services sat vacant for about four months. Also, the board has yet to hire a superintendent for special education. Brenda Kearney left at the end of June. Oakville trustee Mary Chapin - one of several trustees angered by the departure of Papke and the subsequent severance paid said even though the severance didn't put the board into deficit, she is frustrated because the savings found could have been put into a working reserve and used on students instead. Joudrie wouldn't comment on Papke's severance, except to say the money would have added to a surplus if it didn't have to be paid. IN ON NOW Select Group of Allen Edmonds & Cole Haan S H O E S Select Group of re g . $ 4 5 0 0 0 $ 'I Q Q 9 9 n o w fr o m S U IT S now Select Group of $ 199°°«> `4 9 9 99 00 to S P O R TJA C K E TS $ now 399 $£Q 99 ' Select Group of CASUAL AND DRESS PANTS now $1Q 99^ to S W EA TER S $7099 A HEAT-N-GLO SL550 TRD/36" Gas Direct Vent Complete with Cabinet Free Remote ONTARIO n o w or 1` · 3 5 Fireplaces O n D isp r lay j a s lo w a s J ' HEARTH LTD. · B eau tifu l F ireplace Screens $ 2,499 in s ta lle d v TM ~° ^ F IN A L M A R K D O W N S A L L IT E M S H A L F P R IC E A N D L E S S ! L IM IT E D T IM E O N L Y ! Style Service &Selection C L O S E D HWV403 Burnhamthorpe 183 Lakeshore Road East - D ow ntow n O akville 905*845*8911 · Free p a rk in g a t re a r o f store w w w .g a rv e y s m e n s w e a r.c o m Open M onday to W ednesday and Saturday 9 am to 6 pm Thursday and Friday 9 am to 8 pm T U E S D A Y J A N U A R Y 3 1 st F O R IN V E N T O R Y Mon-Wed. 10-6, tr Dundas FINE M E N 'S WEAR S u n d a y , Ja n u a ry 2 9 only - 1 2 p m to 4 p m