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wmmm mmiwmistsimifribwne the year in review- 7iiiw200o f i i ri collective agreements and budgets created challenges for school board officials in 2000 ear in t by gianni colavecchia staff writer v like any public official who taxpayers call on to make major decisions bill crothers knows he cant spend too much time looking back over the year that -was- v but the chairperson of york regions public school board also knows its hard to ignore 2000 v which was not your average year in education conflict dominated the year and nowhere was that more evi dent than in contract talks between teachers arid the board amid threats of a strike negotiators took months to reach a collective agreement for high school teachers the board is still looking to approve a deal for their elementary counter parts crothers conceded the issue was a negative for the board and was unsure whether trustees would handle the situa tion differently if it came up again thats a tough question to answer because the differences we had thisyear with collective bargaining had nothing tojdo with conditions in york region hesaidvveverevicumsorcap- c rives or however you want to phrase it v- crothers was talking about a provincial government regula tion that defines teaching time and excludes the hours instruc tors spend covering for absent colleagues union and board officials say the initiative forced teachers to spend more than four hours a day in front of students and made it more difficult to negoti ate collective agreements fallout from provincial legis lation wasnt the only headline maker in 2000 trustees students and par ents dealt with a range of issues that included a 583million budget that fell short in covering the needs of various capital projects and groups of students a growing number of stu dents who did not have access to special education and english as a second language programs- v despite an extra 13 million in funding shortfalls in educa tional field trips transportation for students and upgrades to schools j 5 crothers noted tie year 3id include upbeat highlights such as student improvement- on provincewide tests a record number of awards for teaching staff and a successful transition to a tougher new curriculum in elementary and secondary schools similar events and issues cropped up in york regions catholic school board chairperson elizabeth crowe said her boards biggest achieve ment was reaching a collective agreement for elementary and secondary teachers early in the year a feat few boards in ontario had matched board and union representa tives left behind the troubles that led to an illegal province- wide strike three years ago and a monthlong strike the following year by reaching a deal last may ff wj bill crothers public board chairperson said provincial legisla tion had a major impact in york the oneyear agreement gave teachers 15percent increases to their pay grid and cash payments amounting to 2 per cent of their salaries more importantly officials said the deal brought stability to local cathqlic schools at a time when students in other boards across the greater toronto area were wondering if classes would elizabeth crowe catholic chairperson said collective agree ments were major achievements even be on offhand it has been a posi tive year crowe said but it the deal is only for one year and we are back at it in the new year crowe said the most difficult issue for the board in 2000 was its s270million operating bud- get- that document does not pro- vide enough cash for the grow ing number of students whose first language isnt english funding for special education programs fell several hundred i thousand dollars short of what t trie board was to spend in that crowe noted vital figures from the province came late and the board gave mepublfclm opportunity to provide feedback on the budgets r the board had to contend with other issues including a shortage of qualified applicants for teaching positions we found enough teachers but it was a scramble crowe recalled we have had to resort to using unqualified people as supply people onethird of current supply teachers have a postsecondary education but no teaching degree crowe said officials are trying to rectify that situation by visit ing university faculties of educa tion where they promote the benefits of working for the board l fei msi wm i refrigerators s w as cr i by sim 240bff 350off 305dofr nj tffc k 15 0 wall ovens fu yooff drop in cook tops not available ql qufjmarkfiam outlet location all discounts shown ore additional to the already reduced prices scoortsj wpmiipi i si i savean additional the already reduced prices on all not available at our markham outlet location furnituhe upholstered leather chairs loveseats sofas 152bqff upholstered fabric chairs loveseats sofas k -i- v v ci53boff curios display cabinets 1530off kitchen tables i 3050off diningkitchen chairs 4060off hutchs buffets 3040off entertainment units coffees end tables bookshelves 4070off headboards rails mates beds mirrors 5080off mattresses or box springs unmatched 4060off night tables dressers armoires 2q50off not available at our markham outlet location all discounts shown are additional to the already reduced prices fjl k h tsf fi i t w fjf some maybe slightly markedor damaged floor models or reconditioned all are fully warranted and maintenance agreements are available all items are sold as is and are priced for final sale f sears differed payment plan are not available at searsoutlet and liquidation stores advertised sales do not apply to delivery and maintenance agreement fees catalogue travel and gift certificate purchases furniture appliances and jewellery are not available ai our markham fashion outlet location fashion footwear jewellery bedding and linens and christmas treesdecorations are not available at our pickering and rockwood furniture and appliance outlet locations while quantities last advertised sales does not apply to purchases 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