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ho 24 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 1, 1992 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice » Happy Birthday Pookie! One year ago, on September 4, you came into our lives and brought us sunshine. Love Mommy & Daddy KAWARTHA ARTS FESTIVAL rcycoonin biorounds September 4, 5, & 6, 1992 * 75 artists & artisans (originals only) * Student & seniors juried art competition * Art auction Preview Night Wine & Cheese & Opening Ceremony Friday, September 4, 6 to 9 pm. $10.00 ticket provides unlimited admission throughout the Festival. ADMISSION: $3 per person + $2 for seniors. Children under 14 FREE FREE PARKING MANUFACTURER'S WAREHOUSE 01 Bl 7.127.1) [07 5 WAN CRYAT ARS eo [ale M {DEY Nell DELS) Wn Clo METRO Clg os Clg e [VEE drafts and increase warmth. Alcan 8H senes windows qualify for the Ontano Hydro Rebate' *(on selected products for qualifying home owners with electric heat) Low E or Argon Allen's Siding Products Limited Sales & Installation Doors » Windows ¢ Trough » Additions ¢ Solariums Port Perry (416) 985-3333 Lindsay (705) 328-1402 or (705) 878-2023 Reach Industrial Park - Regional Road 8 (1/4 mile east of #12) oo] VEU) [Safe el VET f0)))] 42857 SEE EVE UE [CR {Te laalo1 [= CRale laa [=H (a =1 5) saving) renovations on ALL Alcan Products [ Authorized No Dealer --r: csr New Christian school principal speaks out against inequities By Julia Dempsey Port Perry Star Parents who enrol their chil- dren in Christian schools are be- ing unjustifiably discriminated against by the provincial gov: ernment, says John Luns the new principal at the Scugog Christian School. Although the parents are ex- pected to pay education taxes, none of the money is granted to the Christian school system in Ontario. Parents must pay the total cost of their children's studies, he says. The Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools (OACS), a trustee organization represent- ing 75 private Christian schools in the province, has taken the matter to court. The fight for funding gained momentum when public sup- port was granted to the Catholic boards. The government decided the Catholic Boards were a special case because they have been here since the BNA Act, Mr. Lunshofsays. Although Mr. Justice Ander- son of the Ontario Court's Gen- eral Division ruled on August 4 that the rights of Christian school supporters were being vi- olated, the OACS lost its case because of a Section 1 escape clause in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Mr. Lunshof says. In laymen's term, the clause says if something is good for the country as a whole, then it's ac- ceptable to discriminate against a small fraction of the population. According to an OACS press release, the judge agreed with the government that funding in- dependent schools "would re- quire the application of finan- cial resources with unpre- dictable results for the public school system" and so he ruled the infringement of rights is "reasonable" given the impor- tance of the public school sys- tem. He concluded the govern- ment was not irrational, even though itis discriminatory. The OACS will appeal the de- cision to the Ontario Appeals Court. Mr. Lunshof says the or- ganization anticipates the case will eventually end up in the Su- preme Court. The appeal isn't likely to be heard until next fall. Ontario and New Brunswick are the only two provinces in which the Christian school sys- tem receives no funding, he says. Mr. Lunshof is quick to note, though, the Christian schools When school resumes on Tuesday, Sept. 8 students at the Scugog Christian School will be Introduced to their new princi- pal John Lunshof. See story for details. 4 Aa | PA FAIRNESS TO ALL CHILDREN are not seeking full funding as they do not want to give up con- trol of its curriculum. "What we are asking the gov- ernment for is 50-75 per cent," he says. Mr. Lunshof cited British Co- lumbia as an example, stating the independent elementary and secondary schools in that province received $2,669 per student (about 50 per cent) in the 1990-91 school year. The yearly budget at the Scu- gog Christian School is about Rates subject to change without notice SCUGOG FINANCIAL SERVICES A DIVISION OF CRESSBROOK FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD 250 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY "Serving Scugog for Over 15 Years" PHONE 985-3832 $250,000, he says. The only funding the school receives is a French grant from the Federal Government which amounts to about $1,000. "The vast majority of (our funding) comes from the par- ents" in the form of tuition and through fundraising projects, the principal says. The cost per family to send children to a Christian school is about $5,400 a year or $11,000 if the family has children in both the elementary and secondary school levels. (Local students enrolled in the secondary level attend the Christian high school in Bowmanville.) The tuition covers the princi- pal's, teachers', and secretaries' salaries, as well as supplies and the day-to-day maintenance of the four-portable school. Be- cause there is no bus system, parents must drive their chil- dren to school. Even though the Lord's Prayer and Bible study have been abandoned by the public school system, it is still consid- ered a Protestant system, Mr. Lunshof says, adding the Chris- tian school system is the only al- ternative for parents who want their children to receive Bible instruction. He says he is pleased to have been chosen the principal of the Scugog Christian School for two reasons: The school is relatively small (enrolment is expected to be 62 students), and it is an in- ter-denominational school. Mr. Lunshof taught for three years in Thunder Ba ent four years as a principal in Wy ming, Ontario (near Sarnia), and 10 years as principal in Al- liston -- all in the Christian school system. After a year-long sabatical, he accepted the job at the Scu- gog Christian School. e and his wife Yvonne and children Tamar, Monica, Jessi- ca,Joshua, and Yolanda, are liv- ing north of Seagrave.