PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21,e 1982, WHITBY FREE PRESS Education taxes up 12½/2% for-W Town of Whitby resi- posed at the board's $450,000 increase in the Whitby tax hike of $472-22., board of education will ents wl be paying meeting. last week, is' apportionment urn $58.98.- For a home This tax increase is in brîng the average, tax .2.49 per cent more in sélightly lower than the, tee grants provddb assessed at $5,000, the addition to, the taxes bill- in Whitby to over roparty taxes to the originally- projected -the provincial govern-. fax bill will now be imposed by both the $1,000 for the first time. )urham Board of Edu- 13.31 par cent. The de- ment. $531.20 for 'school board Town' of Whitby and the In 1982, the Durham -ation this year. crease in the tax hike However, this 'stili purposes., Last year, Eeino uhm h Board of Education will <This tax inprease.imi- haâ been attributed to a means an average the same bill was, levy' mposed by the spend $125.26 million, di il p E C taxpayer. According to the budget, the govern- ment will onlypro'ide 51.1 par cent of the monies. needed for elementary education and 51.1 per 'cent of secondary. This is down fromn last year's 54.6 and 54.2 par cent respect- ively.1 However, they exclude provincial fund- ing 'for special. edulcation Continued on Page 5 . AL &"0 %,Udb là &%.& qr.;«Oqvwt &A&&- Iiitby which is a 15.98 per cent increa se, An ,expendi- tures over 1981., However, the tax- payer wlllbe *required only. to provide $58.78 million with the balance of $66.47 million coming from the provincial government and other -sources., In bis statement to'the board, finance, commit- tee ,chairman Trustee Pat Mattson: -(Picker- ing), pointed out. that the largest, share of 'the ex- penditure 1increases -were due to increases in wage, « salaries and benefits. "In 1982, our costs are projected to increase by $12,599,OOO or .82.5 .per cent of the increase in operatlng expendi- tures, " he jaid, adding that the staffing levels provided ,,for in 'the budget, were those to tbe found -in the collective agreements signed with teachers and other'em- ployee groupe. InfcMost trustees pointed. -out duringthe relatively brief. public budget, discussion that salaries, ýwages and benefits constitute 89 prcent of the board's overail budget. However, the trustees dlid approve substantial increases ý in expendi- tures in other areas. "The block budget for eleMentary ,(schools) w ill increase by 25 per cent with particular emphasis on the need to acquire textbooks' and resource ,-materials, 'Mattson told the board. "The block budget for secondary schools will increase by 20 par cent and further emphasis for textbooks and other resource material,"1 he_ added. He also pointed out that textbook and papar >prices are'increasing at a far greater rate than that of inflation. The board 'will also spend $4.35 million for new btuildings, building improvements and new school sites. However, the board will not debenture any of -these projects,, fund- ing them directly from the taxpayers. According to board chairman, Trustee Art.