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The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, January 4, 2000 -7 School board's strategic plan moving along By DENNIS SMITH Special to The Champion Mission 2000+ to< k another step forward during the Halton District School Board's last meeting of 1999. A multi-faceted motion on the strategic plan in progress was approved recently by the board. Trustees agreed to the following steps for the Mission 2000+ strategic plan: • Adopting the strategic plan's mission state- ment and guiding principles. • Authorizing the strategic plan steering com- mittee, in consultation with Education Director Dusty Papke, to establish and set parameters for action teams. • Charging action teams with developing strategies to address the issues of communica- tions, responsibility and accountability, equity, resources and relationships. • Directing the strategic planning steering committee to recommend by February the lime- lines for addressing the strategic issues. The date for recommending timelines was pushed back from January following a sugges- tion by Mr. Papke. He noted the board is not meeting again until January 19 and schools are closed until Friday. (Christmas break started later this year because of Y2K concems). The strategic planning process has been described as an effort to make fundamental deci- sions and take actions that will guide the future behaviour of employees and trustees of the Halton District School Board. Here are some concems within the five issue areas which were outline by steering committee members recently: • Accountability/responsibility - Unclear lines of responsibility and authority, different organizational structures, a desire by students for more responsibility and possible erosion of cred- ibility were cited as concems. Making Halton's education process more accountable at aIl levels was suggested. • Communication - The importance of com- munication was stressed as being very important to the board's effectiveness. The need to make improvements was expressed strongly by those surveyed. Feelings of mistrust had been fostered by either a lack of information or its misinterpretation. Technology has not made the impact hoped • Relationships - The board is examining for, with differences in access limiting the infor- how to optimize relationships and partnerships mation sharing. of those involved. • Equity - Providing programs and resources in a fair and accessible manner for ait students was described as a major challenge. It was noted there is some perception that have and have-not schools exist in Halton. Reductions in special education funding and the board's accommodation problem were cited as other major concerns in the area of equity. Interpersonal relationships, community part- nerships and organizational behaviour and its effects were cited as key relationship areas. • Resources - A lack of resources and equi- table distribution of them were cited as major concers, with staff reporting a lack of time to do what was asked of them. Cambridge OPP: Don't slip up when driving this winter The new millennium came in like a lamb with relatively mild tem- peratures and clear skies. But the mega-storm that dumped up to 44 cm of the white stuff in January, 1999 could be repeated this winter. And even a less than ferocious winter storm can lead to traffic snarls and fender benders. So now is the time to roll out and blow the dust off winter driving tips, courtesy of the Cambridge OPP detachment, which patrols part of Milton. The OPP offers the following safe winter driving tips: • As with many things, preven- tion is key, vo always start out with a vehicle that's in top notch condi- tion. A winter tune up should do the trick, ensuring that tires have enough tread, anti-freeze is in place and the reservoir is filled with windshield fluid. • Windshield wipers should be in good condition to be up to the chal- lenge of winter driving. • For visibility's sake, headlights, running lights and signais should ail be in good working order. But to work effectively, they can't be draped with snow. Clearing car windows and lights only may save time, but it doesn't do much for saving lives. Once a vehicle begins rolling, snow from the roof, hood or trunk can blow off and blanket windows and lights, further reduc- ing visibility. Instead, make sure to clean the whole car before hitting the road. • Good driving habits are even more important in bad weather. So state driving intentions clearly. Signal well in advance of a lane change or tum. And leave plenty of space between vehicles in slippery conditions. • Finally, plan ahead whenever possible. Leave early to account for slowed traffic speeds when the fore- cast calls for bad weather. Or reduce the number of vehicies on the road by car pooling. Better yet, cancel the trip altogether, if possi- ble. For updates on road conditions, call the Ministry of Transportation at 1-800-265-5407. From Bronte Street Thieves take Blazer A 1998 Chevrolet Blazer was Haiton Regionai Police are stoien from 327 Bronte Rd. S. looking for a 20-year-oid white Wednesday. maie who was wearing a bine The keys were still in the vehi- winter coat and ed wool bat. cle when the owner of the red, The Blazer haa an eatimated two-door vehicle went into a value of $35,000, according te store, R police. v