The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Why can 't the Catholic board seUle ? Dear Editor: My daughter is in Grade 11 at Bisbop Reding Secondai-y Sehool in Milton. She an-d 1 are fnastrated that extracurricular activiies at Bishiîp Reding have been cancelled because the Halton Catholic Sehool Board bas been unable to reach an agreement with its high school teachers. WVhile I arn sure that the teachers are flot blameless, from my perspective, the Catholic board's perfor- mance is fairly simple to asses. It has flot reached an agreement with its high school teachers. Other boards throughout Ontario, including the Halton public one, have. The quality of our children's education is deter- mined by the quality of their entire school life. The social and life skills that they acquire in athletics, band, drama, students council etc. are at least as important as what they learn in class. Reacing a deal with the teachers is the only solu- tion that will ensure resumption of extracurricular activities. So why is it that in Halton, public high school teachers have a contract and their students have the benefit of extracurricular programs, while the teachers and students of Cathoic high scbools don't? The Halton public and Cathoic school boards both have to work within othe same framework that the provincial govemment established via Bill 160. They both operate in the same municipalities, so their costs should be similar. They both receive money from the provincial government under the same per student funding formula. In fact, as a result of equalization of funding for Catholic schools, the public board bas had to endure funding cuts, while the Catholic board bas had its funding substantially increased. The Cathoic boaïd would be quick to complain that teachers are preventing a deal, in part because their union's decisions are being centrally controlled with minimal local teacher mnvolvement. If union decisions are being made centrally, one can assume that the positions that the teachers are taking in negotiatioris wth boarcîs thriiughosut tie provine are reasonably consistent. This raises the obvious question - why have the teachers' proposaIs been acceptable to other boards, but not to the Halton Catholic one? 1 believe that it is simply a matter of approach. Halton public board members openly admit that they don't really like the deal that they negotiated with their teachers. However, they appreciated that it was the best that they could do in the very difficult situa- tion that the provincial govemment had put themn in. The Halton public board quite logically concluded that a less than perfect deal was better for their students than no deal at all. The Catholic board seems to be taking a different approach. They have issued news releases on the sta- tus of negotiations that, in my view, can best be described as propaganda. This undoubtedly enrages teachers and makes a setlement even more difficuît. My impression is that some Halton Catholic board members don't seem prepared to show the leadership and flexibility that other boards have shown in getting their high schools back to normal. The provincial govenment seems to be at war with many school boards across the province. Some even think boards will be abolîshed. VWhile I amn not a fan of Mike Harris on matters of education, based on the per- formance of the Halton Catholic School Board on this issue, Mr. Harris will be bard to argue against. r John London 1 Acton Exchange Privilege 24-hour Roadside Assistance With an Optimum Usod Vehicle, you know you're wveiI covered. When you own an Optimum Useci Vehicie'-, you can rest easy, knomlfng its backed by General Motors. Ttiat means aur used sehicles corne with a 150+ point inspection, a manuacturer% warranty of ap to 6 months/1O,OOO km, a 30 day/2,500 km exchange priilege and 24-hour Roadside Assistance.* Look for Optimum Used Vehicles, exclusively at select GM dealers. tis the mot reassuring used vehcle program on the market, because is backed by General Motors. For more information, cali 1-800-GM-DRIVE or visit wv.gmcanada.com Wallue Poniac Buick CadiIIac Wi. 409 Main Sreet East Mkons 905) 878-M55 RELAX. THE RoAD AHEAD IS OPTIMUM. Opir3 an xhnepiieesaesbeit etinlmttos ,....Otmm1e eil Optimum U S E.. E I Peace of Mnd 150+ point Inspection ba nillianF" Ail Diamondi 1 Manufacturer's Warranty 1 M- I M a