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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" MT oo PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 12,1996 - 17 Boards will seek Workers help United Way, cost-cutting ways as budgets made From Page 1 ence to teachers' con- tracts, saying he would change rules to allow boards to cut back on an annual sick day allotment, which rewards teachers with payment upon retire- ment for unused days they accrue. Other highlights of the tool kit included a one- year moratorium on new construction, instructions that boards seek ways to share costs, and a promise to review the policy of hir- ing qualified teachers to works as school librarians, guidance counselors and computer instructors. The announcement last Wednesday left some trus- tees, like Bobbie Drew of Scugog, somewhat disap- pointed. "There's no tools in it," she said of the announce- ment. "We had a lot of leaks in the media about what was going to be in the tool kit; ~ there's none of that in " here." She agreed with Mr. Butcher that local boards will now be left to deal with stringent cost- cutting guidelines. But - Mrs. Drew suggested it's perhaps a good thing that decisions on staffing, pro- grams and teachers' con- tracts be worked out local- ly, rather than dictated by the provincial ministry. So far the Durham board has eliminated Jun- ior Kindergarten and adult education programs, and is about half-way to- ward cutting $12 million, said Mrs. Drew. What's worrisome, she said, is that the education minis- ter has warned local boards to brace for more cuts in the future as he aims to chop a total of $1 " billion. "There will be a lot of lo- cal challenges that will need local solutions," said Mrs. Drew, who worries about the capital expense "moratorium meaning kids in high-growth areas will continue to attend classes in portables, and staffing levels will be in question as the board strives to strike a budget for this year. Pat Jermy, president of the Ontario Secondary school Teachers' Federa- tion (OSSTF) in Durham, said the lack of clear direc- tion in the government an- nouncement could spell trouble for teachers. "It's not what we had ex- pected," she said. "In a way, it's almost a more in- sidious kind of document, -man Catholic because he doesn't come straight up and say how these changes are going to be made... In my view, the government has down- loaded decision-making to thelocal level." She, hike Mr. Butcher, expressed appreciation to- ward the Durham board for not making announce- ments about pending lay- offs, as has happened -- sometimes with huge numbers quoted -- in re- gions and counties sur- rounding Durham. "Our board made the de- cision not to jump the gun, and not to declare hun- dreds of people redundant and lay people off," said Ms Jermy. "However, we still have to find a solution to the $400 million cut. Another solution would be an increase in the (proper- ty tax) rate." Mr. Butcher speculated that layoff announce- ments by other boards could have amounted to a pressure tactic, aimed at pushing the government for the tool kit, and inflam- ing local taxpayers. and that, he said, is wrong. "This is peoples' lives and careers; you just don't do that." Mrs. Drew said she and her board colleagues must consider staffing levels as they meet funding levels, but will also consider al- ternatives to layoffs. "We want to be very creative on that, and we're not jumping to any conclu- sions," she said. "These are real people with faces and families. You can't treat thatlightly." Tom Oldman, chair of the Durham Region Ro- Separate School Board, didn't re- spond to a request for an interview, but said in a press release that "It ap- pears the board will not have to reduce staffinglev- els in 1996 to the levels that many have anticipat- ed." He added that more de- tailed information on grants will have to be re- ceived before the board can make decisions on the continuation of programs like Junior Kindergarten and French immersion. His release hinted at frus- tration over a lack of infor- mation on grants. "It is important that school boards also receive information on 1997 and 1998 funding so that meaningful planning ac- tivities can proceed to ad- dress further staff restruc- turing and program adjustments that will be required in the coming months," Mr. Oldman said. Ten lucky General Mo- tors employees including one from Caesarea, re- cently turned their "sure thing" donation to the Durham United Way into a trip to Las Vegas. Winners in this special incentive draw, designed to focus on increasing the size of personal support of the annual United Way campaign, are all set for their four night stay at the famous MGM Grand and trying their luck at the gaming tables. Employees at GM be- came eligible for special incentive awards based on a minimum level of annual support, which was ap- proximately $100 per year. For each additional $100 pledged, a donor re- ceived another chance in the draw. According to Oshawa GM campaign Co-Chair Dave Duffy, "I know that the principle reason be- hind most giving was to support the many agen- cies which receive United Way funding. There is a strong belief in the value of the campaign. What the incentive prizes did was get people to focus on a minimum level of support, and perhaps upgrade their donation." It was really great to see the in- creases by so many peo- ple," he said. "There are tremendous pressures created by the rapid pace of change in both the government and private sector. One of the important initiatives of the United Way in the up- coming years will be to em- phasize the importance of raising giving levels," said Cindy Murray, Executive "It pays to advertise... Advertise where it pays..." 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