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^ Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, January 26, 2000 - 7 Where the rubber meets the ice Goodyear Canada's Bowmanville Plant will be the title sponsor of the Eastern Ontario Section Spring Invitational 2000 Championship to be hosted the the Orono Figure Skating Club. This competition, competition, their 4th annual will be held on April 7 -9, 2000 at the Orono Arena and Community Centre. Pictured from left to right are - Joan Moffat, Chair & Sponsorship; Cinette Ricketts, Advertising and Program; Charlene Perrin, Registrar; Karen Collier; President Orono Figure Skating Club; Charlie Trim, Human Resources Manager - Goodyear - Bowmanville Plant; Mike Pogue, Music and Announcer. . well with the Board's decision at the last meeting to focus on providing our students living in poverty with the supports they need to help them learn," says Catharine Tozer, Board Chairperson. At their December .16 meeting, trustees established a new program advisory committee to focus on poverty intervention to support students' learning. ' The Board's decision to send the letter to the Minister of Education does not affect the way in which junior and senior kindergarten are offered locally. The current full-day, every- other-day program continues as is. ' Budget Process Approved Trustees approved the process for setting the 2000- 2001 school ■ year budget, including extensive opportunities opportunities for students, school councils, councils, Board staff and. the broader community to provide input on the budget before it is set, "The budget affects all areas of the Board, our students, parents, parents, guardians, staff, and the community as a whole," says Bob Allison, Superintendent of Business Services and Treasurer. "That's why informed input and consultation with all of these groups are important parts of the budget- setting-process." The Board's Budget Committee, which includes all trustees, is scheduled to meet February 15 and 28, March 28 and April 11, At these public meetings, administration will present latest information available available on provincial funding and its impact on the Board's goal of "harmonizing" the different practices from Kawartha Pine Ridge's predecessor school boards into one common, consistent consistent approach system-wide. In addition, four regional budget forums will be held in February/March, with dates and locations to be set in consultation consultation with the four regional school council associations in the Board. Once details are confirmed, the forums will be advertised widely. The forums will provide information on the Board's budget and priorities. Participants also will receive information on how to provide formal input to the Budget Committee. Finally, the Budget Committee is expected to debate and recommend a final budget on June 12. That recommendation recommendation will go to the June 14 Board meeting for final approval. Allison notes that the scheduled scheduled meeting dates are based on the Ministry of Education's providing the required financial information on time, as promised. promised. "Specific dates may change, or we may have to schedule additional meetings, if required," Allison adds. "In all cases, those changes will be communicated widely throughout throughout the Board, our schools and our community." Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Regular board meeting The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board approved the budget setting process for 2000-2004, and authorized staff to consult with local developers and municipalities regarding the introduction of* education development charges. Trustees also urged the; provincial government government to provide funding for full-time kindergarten programs, programs, and approved nine new policies related to school operations operations and partnerships. Full-day Kindergarten Funding Trustees decided to write a letter urging the Minister of Education to introduce legislation legislation and funding that would allow school boards to offer full-time junior and senior kindergarten programs. The current funding allows for halftime halftime kindergarten only, so the program in Kawartha Pine Ridge operates on a full-day, every-other-day basis. The Board will contact other school boards, leaders of the provincial opposition parties, and the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, requesting requesting their support of the letter. In bringing the motion to the Board, Trustee Helen Osborne cited research showing the emotional, intellectual, social and financial benefits of high quality, early educational experiences experiences for children. In 1994, Ontario's Royal Commission on Learning also recommended that all school boards provide early childhood educatioh to all children aged three to five whose ■ parents/guardians choose to enroll them. "Some researchers suggest that 50% of a child's intellectual intellectual capacity has been developed by age 4, and 80% by age 8," says Osborne. "Many longterm longterm studies into' the effects of early childhood education on children living in poverty have shown children who received such high-quality education did better scholastically and were less likely to require special education assistance." She also notes the results of the Perry Preschool Project in Michigan, which introduced the Flead Start child care and education education program to extremely disadvantaged children aged three to six. After 27 years, those who had been enrolled in the program were more likely to graduate, experienced 50% fewer arrests and convictions, were three times as likely to own their own homes, and four times as, likely to earn $2,000 or more a month. The study estimated estimated that every dollar spent on quality day care and education saved $7,16 in the long run. , "This motion really meShes