School asks parents for advice

Press, 11 December 1989, Page 7

School asks parents for advice

By MARITA VANDENBERG The Cashmere High School board of trustees is asking parents for advice on what action it should take over the school’s $lOO,OOO funding shortfall. The board has already warned the Ministry of Education that it will not sign its charter if it does not have the funds to meet its charter objectives. The principal, Mr John Murdoch, is also one of a group of representatives from large secondary schools trying to arrange a top-level meeting with education officials. The group says the economy of scale applied in the final funds

allocation last month is unjustifiable and unfair. Mr Murdoch sent a newsletter to parents last week countering some of the claims made in the Government’s latest advertising pamphlet: “It’s time you knew what’s going on at your local school.” Contrary to the information in this, Mr Murdoch said he thought the school was not getting a fair go“The facts for this school are that during 1989 the Government will have given us the equivalent of $795,567 (for all school operations including maintenance) and we have been told we will get $692,129 in 1990. We have also

been told that there are extra things to pay for in 1990 such as auditing, management training and fees for trustees,” he said. “You are told that for the first time local people can decide how to meet the needs of their school. The sad thing for this school is that in the first year of the new scheme the board of trustees is being told to decide on how to cut back on what the school would have been able to do if the old system had remained in place.” Mr Jack Shallcrass, the educataion evaluator, had said: “The evaluators are satisfied that within the funds available the

final funding formula gives an equitable and just distribution,” Mr Murdoch wrote. “The evaluators who made that statement cannot be aware of what was proposed for this school.” “... I would be interested to know what you think the board of trustees should do about this issue,” Mr Murdoch asks parents. He wants them to call either himself, the board chairwoman (Mrs Hooper) or the board finance committee chairwoman (Miss Morrison) with their comments — or contact their Member of Parliament or the district office of the Ministry of Education.