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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1980, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby Voice of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, 'Te only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whil -- il Publisher - Managing Editor tby residents for Whitby residents. ublished ever Wednesdav by,%.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 669-61 Il The Free Press Building' 111 Brock Street North, P>..Hox 2106. Whitby, Ont. Michael J. KnoII Communlty Editor Marjorie A. Burgess Production Manager Karen Thompson Advertising Manager Mailing Permit No. 460 Member of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce Taxpayers can't afford school boardprograms To the Editor: Thank you for making the public aware once more of the financial policies of the Durham Board of Education, (Sept. 3,1980). Our children are now in a Christian school--not that we are financially rich, but we feel their education is a priority. When a child spends seven hours away in school it is important to have them wlth teachers we feel are dedicated, and beleive In the same principals we do. Since we are forced to pay public school taxes, feel a concern and thus the reason for this let- ter. The high cost of education begins when it becomes a must to build elaborate, expen- sive buildings. Why could the board not show a littIe restraint In this area? It bothers me to see schools equipped with the best librarles, gyms, shops etc. and then to read vandilism Is a major problem. In the Toron- to Star, I recently read that some reports have put the cost of van- dilism for Ontario schools at more than $7 million and, for ail of Canada at $50 million. As many as 180 of 203 high school students have admit- ted acts of vandalism over the past year. Almost half the students do not con- sider acts such as smashing things on building sites, breaking school win- dows, or damaging tires on school vehicles to be serious crimes. I realize it would be an expensive solution to urge a special effort by police to catch vandals, but those who are caught should get stronger penalties at the court level, and make paren- ts financially respon- sible for the vandalism of their children. This would not only help the taxpayer but also teach those concerned responsibi lity. It is a great tragedy indeed that some students are not taught right from wrong at home or at school. It Will always be a puzzle to me why the Board of Education spent so much time in setting up the Family Life Monthily grant for seniors paltry Dear Sir: In- your report, "Grant for seniors housing" (Sept. 3rd) you write in part: "A $715,000 loan will go to construct 20 senior citizen units. An annual federal subsidy of $61,627 used to help offset the operating costs, will help reduce some rents." According to my. un- derstanding and a bit of arithmetic, $61,627 divided by 20, means an annual subsidy of $3,081, or a monthly subsidy of $256 for each unit. This amount of han- dout makes the annual provincial grant to seniors for rent or tax assistance seem quite paltry, or economical, depending upon how one views senior sub- sidies. If government is spending $3,081 an- nually for senior rent subsidy per unit, perh- pas it would be wise and cost-saving to put more effort into plans that will help seniors to remain in their own homes. Too many of them are now being forced out of their homes into public places because they are unable to cope with inflated housing costs that are not of their making. Yours sincerely John Livingstone Locust Hill, Ontario. Program when there is a much greater need to emphasize the teaching of honesty, respect, love, respon- sibility etc. If a child does not learn these qualities at home then where else but at school. Taxpayers can no longer take unquestioningly the prog, ,s or expen- ditu the Durham Boara of Education put out. I feel a great in- justice in that we have to contribute money to a system our children do not attend. Why should we not be allowed to pay our tax dollar to the school of our cholce? Jane de Groot Member of Immanuel Christian School. Students shouldn't pay to get to school Dear Sir: This letter is written to the editor of this newspaper, but it is not really for the editor, it is to the people of Whit- by. I would like to ex- press some of my opinions and see how many of you in Whitby feel the same way. My biggest complaint is our • high school students having to pay for transportation to and from school. The Board of Education says there is a law that as long as there is a public transportation system, school buses for high school studen- ts are not alloweu. Tell me the, what are we paying school taxes for? I could understand a bit more, if there where not already public school buses running in many areas. Why can't the high school students ride those buses t' e way they always -ave? Have you tried to get on the Whitby Transit when the students are goint to and from school? It is not their fault. There is not enough room for stud- ents and citizens at the same time, even if you have to get to work or have an appointment. The Board of Education also says that in order tô change things about the Whitby transit that ail of Oshawa, Ajax, and ail of Durham Region would have to be re-evaluated. Well as faras l'm concerned, if the rest of Durham Regiori wants to pay for school transportation, thats fine, but why should Whitby just. because the rest do? I am just an ordingary citizen of Whitby, I know nothing about politics, ail I know is that the cost of educating our children is high enough without adding to it. I agree with having a bus ser- ving in Whitby, and I also agree with our students having to pay for services, as long as they are not going to or CONT'D ON PG. 6 lqm