THE OPAWA SCHOOL COMMITTEE TROUBLE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11152, 19 December 1901, Page 5

THE OPAWA SCHOOL COMMITTEE TROUBLE.

_ 1» MATTER BHFORB THE HWCATIOIJ ' BOARD. ■At the meeting of 1 4ihe Educa* tioa Board yesterday, a letter from the Opawa School Committed was read, in whieli! complaint was made that the Committee had been "finul*bed" by the IBoard, and intimating that ia consequence the Cain-aittee bad resigned! ia a Ijgdy. Mr 0. L. Ilussell wrote, stating that [ though sympathising with hia fellow-Coinmitteemea as he had nob re* signed he considered himself still a member of the Committee. The headmaster ■wrote, stating that owing to the Committee having resigned, the teachers hud not) been paid their November salaries. The Chairman of the Board, Mr Buddo r said,that in. January lose the Committee had applied for a. pound for pound subsidy for the work of iiliing in the additional portion of the school grounds. .Mr Perymari and Mr Schmidt, the clerk of works, had expressed the opinion that all that was* necessary wsis the grading of tha ground, and this decision had been communicated'to the Committee, -which, however, * proceeded to have tha Bit© levelled at a cost of £70, for a refund of which they had asked. The Buildings Committee hud felt that to refund any portion of the expenditure without first receiving a written. explanation would simply invite other Committees to incur heavy expenditure, and then come to the Board for a refund at th-e same time. There had been no intention to snub the Committee. The letter in which the Committee con- •, eidered they had been "eanULred" had' been cent to the Chairman, Mr E. G. Wood, and read as follows: — "Sir, —I have the honour, by direction of the Board, in reference to tlieiepresentatioiM -made by til's deputation that recently waited on the Board witih respect to tha expenditure of £70 on improving the recently acquired cite, to say that the Board is inclined to refund 'half of tihe amouoio in question. But before doing bo, seeing that tie cotum adopted by the Committee has htssn most ■umcsual, and that the action of the Board in thlis instaace will form a precedent of which otiher OomDiittees wib j:o doubfc avail themselves, the Board would like a written explanation as to the circumstances under which the Committee thought fit to incur so large an issnendittire wiUiouf first obtaining the Board's saaetion." After discussion it was decided to request the members of the Committee to reconsider their decision, and to inform the headmaster, that as the Committee's resignation had not been accepted, they were in a position '■ •< pay salaries. Mc Weston notice ■' motion:—. "That on satisfactory accouuu oeing sent in by the Committee, the Board grant £50 towards the improvements of the school, } grounds."