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WHITBY FRMEE %8, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBE 14,1990, PAGE 13 Trustees disappointed with public response By Mue Kowalskl Yf Durhanm public school trus- tees vote to build a new head- quarters they will do so with relatively littie input from Whitby ratepayers., A recent meetingin Whitby te receive public feedback on the proposed $25.8-million facility' drew oniy fIve People. By comparison, a similar ses- sion held in Brock, Township, with comparatively miých fewer residents, drew 35 residents. The Durhanm Board of Educa- tion is hoiding public hearings hi ail munuipalities prot mak- ing a decision on théeàeucation centre next month. The proposed centre- wouid house ail board departments, now scattered throughout the region, under one roof. If approved, it wili be buiit in Whitby on Taunton Rd. W. near Hwy. 12, next te, a new second- ary schooi scheduled te open in 1994. «We weredisapited with the (VVtby)turout ut westili put on a fuI show for tose who attended,» said Whitby trustee Ian Browýn, school board chair- man. He specuiated that by their absence, Whitby taxpayers generally support the proposai and perhaps have received enough information about the issue through the media. "I think like most things, the more you know, the better you feel about it " said Brown. Or it could be general Iack of interest, Brown conceded. "People might' have stayed home because they don't, see it as a big deal.» Proposed financing of. the centre wouid bho a debenture sprea'd..over 20 yearé,,so .the annuai cost wouldf be fixed and predictable. It wiIl add an average of $6.14 per household annuaily te the education portion of the propeIrýy tai bill Asteerng committe. w*Ii bring forth a recommendation te the. board ini December. bu~t Brown would not hazard'a pre diction. pe "They'hl have te consider the cost, the need, and the disadvan- tages of not doing it. Who knows how it wili turn out» àaid Brown. Whitby trustee Geore Miiosh admittedhe 'had been inittmg. on the fence» with res petotehis vote, but is now mn favor of building the centre. "I see the need for it but I also see that current economic con- ditions don't look good," said Milosh. H-owever, before the board con- siders putting the proposai in "mnothballs» for a ýfew years, trus- tees should realizie the cost will only increase, said Milosh. "or tat reasorq I think it should be done ýLow,» siaid Milosh.1 A former board employee, Milosh. has personally expeen- ced the &ioblems of not havn staff ail ini one location. He also said taxpayers will not have anythng te, show for con- tinually spending "hundreds of thousauîds of dollars" in renting curreintfacilities. "It will be expensive but we'l own the building,» said Milosh. Patty Bowman, Whitby's other trustee, was not 'availiable for comment. MPPs hear concerns over educationi ByTrudie Zavadovios Durhar's five MPPs have la clearer focus on the Region's educationai concerne after meet- ing with public schooi board trus- tees on NJov. 7. The informai meeting served te acquaint the new M PPs with immedliate and future concerns and issues facing Durham's edu- cational system. "It was a very good meeting,» osys Ian Brown, chairman of the Durham board. "We spent two and a haif hour together. It was very productive. eW covered a number of issues - the financing situation we find ourseives in with declin- hi g provincial support, our capi- taleenditure forecast, and how desperate we are for provincial funda, our needs for the first year, our needs for the next five years.' Brown says that in Durham, "We've simply exceeded capacity i some of our schools to house students; and in portables.»" Brownsays Pringle Creek and Beliwood sdioois in Whitby are top priorities te receive assis- tance te alleviate overcrowding. "I -hopeweipressed upon them (MPPs) thè seriousness'of- the situation " says Brown. He sayp tlat future,,conside- rations may be yea r-round schooling and shifts in school hours. Daycare and children SL1IQL~SOF WHITBY GOLD & DIAMOND CENTRE Jewellery Appraisal Clinic Saturday Nov. 17 1 OAM -4PM Book Your Appointment Now 436-9070 WHITBY MALL Thickson at Dundas Seminar on Managing Cultural Dîversity in Your Workplace and Marketplace Learn to Serve the nreasingly Diverse Workfôrce by attending a semninar on Managing Cultural Diversity November 29, 1990 Durham College, Oshawa 9:00 arn to 4:OOpm. Seminar leader - Bill Hutchison - a consultant and trainer in multiculturalisni and race relations. walking home after dark would be definite concerns for parents and the board if schools went te shifted hours, says B:own. "Ail we wanted last night was their reaction and whether* they would support it,» " y Brown. "The reaction was mi=d "It's another way of addressing the housing situation but it raises ail kinds of probiems. It's not something we would jump inte-eagerly but it may come te that.» Brown says that parents need te get involved. "We need parents te lobby, te write te government for changes. in education.» Brown says that the provincial directive te imnplement junior kindergarten is "a decision that cost $11 million and more class- room spaoe.» He says that Seaten and Pick- ering are also issues as well at the influx of new schools in the near future. "Hopefully the MPPs got an indication of our problems,» says Brown. "I suspect they were surprised at the magnitude of the problems. It was a good A&jax trustee Duncan Read was jai positive about the meeting. "Ij think it went very well if you put it hi its pro "r perspec- tive say Lad "Tey are rive people, some of whom have no detiled understandingr of how the DurhamnBoard of Education works and how decisions at Queens Park cause us3 problems. "They were keen, mnterested, and ased lots of questions. We didn't expeet them te promise a lot of answers.» Read says the message he did get from t he MPPs is that times are tough and that aithough they recognize the needs of the board they don't know if they can help. I'yve prepared for the GST. "Thfey have discovered that Queens Park is not a bottemles piîtin terme of money,» says :ad. «But that's not going te, stop "us from going bat'k and telling themour needs." Brown says that aitho h nothing formai was arrang;e ho rs te have simular meetings at east once a year. "We've establishd a way of keeping in touch with - one another and a willingness te, do that," says Brown. "Our hoe is that this govern- ment is true te, its camnpaig promises,"ssBrown. "Iqealze We're iati.ht financial squeeze but I hope tey will make educa- tion a numne one priority. It's the most important investment anyone can make. Money spent today in preven- tion in a sense is money not spent down the road i a rehabi- litative sense. Education is the backbone of a good, heaithy economy.» Have you?. Now Us the tUrne to register. Are you ready for the pro- posed GSI? If not, now is the time to register and prepare. Registration applies to anyone involved in a commercial enter- prise. This includes fishing, farming, prof essional services and many activities carried out by non-profit organizations. Revenue Canada is ready to assist you with information on: " How to register and the benefits of doing so " What the GST means to your operation " Simplified accounting options a nd administrative procedures " Rebates of the Federal Sales Tax " How to recover GSI on business purchases " GSI return and filing options Canada's GST. lt's good business to prepare now. Reven an~1ada Flevenue Canada Customs and Excise 5<Canadi, lb- s . ,.#-f1 f, *,- s I't I 1 Semninar Fee - $179 Non-Profit Organization Fee - $159 For more information and credit card or invoice registration, please cali 1 -800-668-5843 or 576-0210 at ext. 553. 00 * j Contact us today. Phone: 1 800 461a1082 Tlecommunications device for the hearing impaired: 1 800 465-5770 Or dropbty the Revenue Canada Excise Office nearest you, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 1