Wl-tliY 1- REL PRESS, WEDNISSDAY, DECEMBER 11l.1985 PAGE 35 [an Brown to continue as board viceochirman By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff A Whitby trustee will continue in second most important jobs on the Durham Board of Education for 1986. At the Dec, 2 meeting of the board Ruth Lafarga, of Oshawa, and Ian Brown, of Wit- by, were elected chair- man and vice- cbairman, respectively. This is tbe beginning of Lafarga's fourtb year as chairman. It will be the second year for Brown. Botb Lafarga and Brown agree the major issues in Durham are tigbt accommodation and tbe extension of funding to separate scbools and possible to private scbools too. Tbe recent capital forecast issued by tbe board states tbere are 200 portables in use, the equivalent of 17, 12- room scbools. Some sites have no more room for portables. The board is requesting $52 million over five years from the Ministry of Education for 14 elementary scbools. Growtb in Whitby, Ajax and Pickering is particularly deman- ding. Brown said the board will have to effectively lobby the ministry for funding for new schools. "The real issue will be competing with other boards for limited funds from the ministry." Brown said he and Lafarga are meeting w ith Sean Conway, the minister of education, in January. He said parents f rom Florence M. Heard Public School will be starting a letter-writing campaign to the minister asking for money for the Pringle Creek area scbool, which bas number one priority witb the board for 1986. SBrown said if parents send a lot of letters just before the meeting it would he lp the board's position. Separate scbool fun- ding and its effects on the public system are still a concern. "If the extension of funding goes through," Brown said, "there will be a transfer of assessment in 1987 of $9 million to separate lrom pg. i take over animal con- trol services Jan. 1. There bas stili been no officiai word that the OHS is pulling out, bowever, and the recent press release wbich en- couraged anyone wbo was concerned to contact is or ber local councillor - suggests the OHS's last card may yet to bave been played. ."We've tried to negotiate wltb hlm (Hughes>, but he's being unreasonable," said Attersley. "I can't go to the public with a 48 percent increase - not after I've spent a whole year figbting wtb the .,egion's police officers to. keep those costs down. " schools from public schools." This will mean ratepayers will have a three percent increase in school taxes on top of the annual five or six percent increase. Along with the exten- sion of funding to separate schools la the concern that funding may be extended to private schools - one of the recommendations of the Shapiro Commission - at an estimated cost of $80 million to Ontario taxpayers. Brown is beading up a committee to prepare a submission to the ministry on the Shapiro recommendations. Chairman Lafarga said one of ber own goals will be a repeat of what she did tbree years ago. She wants to arrange meetings with the local municipalities to discuss common issues and to see if they can be of assistance in lobbying for school building funds from the ministry. She would also like to work out more joint users' agreements such as the one witb Ajax wbere the town bas paid for the building of ad- ditional space in a Westney Heights school for community use and will continue to look af- ter maintenance. IIWith scarce dollars, it makes sense to do this, " sbe said. challenges would be to belp unite the board in a consistent approach. Witb eight out of 20 trustees new on the board, he will be helping tbem understand what the issues are. doesn't count the hours she puts into the job, but she works at it full timne and is often out four nights a week. For this she receives $14,700, 50 percent more than an ordinary trustee Who She said Durhamn trustees have the lowest pay of any of the large school boards of On- tario. Toronto pays its trustees $17,900, she said. Toyota expected to pass over Whitby Toyota Motor Cor- poration of Japan is ex- pected to announce ils decision today about wbere it will build its new $80 million assem- bly plant. Tbe Town of Whitby bas been agressively bidding for the plant - that could create up to 1,800 jobs in the next ten years - but as the an- nouncement ap- proaches,' it appears unlikely that tbe plant will be built here. Wbile Mayor Bob At- tersley said the only news be's bad is that Durbam Region is stili in tbe running, sources at the Ontario legislature told the Canadian Press last week tbat the plant will be located in eitber Pickering or Markbam. According to CP, negotiations bave been held up due to the fact that the preferred site was on prime agricultural land. Altbough several municipalities in for tbe plant, tbe intense negotiations of late bet- ween the Ontario gover- nment and Toyota, suggest that the world's second largest car manufacturer bas decided to locate its assembly and stamping plant in Ontario. After tbe failure to at- tract the Soutb Korean automaker Hyundai to the province, tbe Peter- son government bas been actively pursuing the Japanese contract. government bas offered up to $30 million in sub- sidies and incentive to capture tbe plant. No federal money is in- volved. Quebec was recently awarded tbe Hyundai plant after tbe province and tbe federal gover- rnment offered a $100 million incentive package. The Toyota plant, comparable in size to the Hyundai plant, is expected to pump more dollars into different in- dustries in tbe province. yoSfflm it, FURNITURE AuO APPLIANCES PRE X-MAS SA.LE~ 0F BRAND NAME FURNITURE Dress Up Your Living Room with These Great Specials! 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