Ca Sehc1ool uoard wo tuire 7 A but Province has yet to give $$$ .4 - By JASON MISNER N Specia) ta The Champion N The Halton District School Board won't ALI get special consideration for addtional Mil funding just because il's hiring extra spe- Mil cial education assistants IEAs) when il has Ciiig ne money ta pay for them. said Educatien Te; Mînister Gerard Kennedy. W\V If no f anding cornes lerward from an l'ad emergency spectal educatton pool. the Alit hoard nisks geing inte deficit by nearly $1 id million. Cam "Boards will net get preferenlial access Ail because they made hirings aftead of limne." eaij Mr. Kennedy said je an interview. 't thînk fo r Nyl we tried very bard te mark closely with them se they milI knew that we are looking DîN at these acute-needs students, and thal they mil understand thal they're goîng te get first Cal Cel pniority. Fax "We, like them f schoel boards), don't We want te sc students net served." sec% At a Sept. 15 board meeting. trustees i.i endorsed a staff recemmendatien te hire paît 27 EAs - at a cesi of areund $880,000 mat as well as 25 lunch-timne supervisers. at an yon additional cost et $62000X. Lunch-lime wo supervisers are needed because high-needs students can't be lefI unsupervised. F0 A surge in the number cf acute-needs mil students entering the scheel sysîemt since cos TeL the start ef the year -rougbly 20 more Net bas meant seme aren't receîvîng a full Pre inst-uctienal day because ef a tack ef resi teachers. 'Me 27 EAs meuld be used te îeach a - total of 45 high-needs students. A board R e Art Bartara ýMig', e'max Utue prinVs8bM9- Ql777 Art 2-4pm1317 Rapor, $322 900 Ast Adina Nonîs, Royal LePage '905-87 -8101 Bai 2-4 Pm 30 Heslap #23 $184 900 Cas Jack Vandergreggan, Royal LePade 905-f78-81 01 Cas ch% mm iwl.M o o:,9 Cie Ca B-'~4 ým, ý638 îý1arý p vdb 7 cs Brara ing, emnax tle prings MIM7 CmE Pm17,1atl 1-4 qn, ýlgllpMri 2-4 m, 1317 Roper, $3 29)10 Adina oMis, Royal LePage 905-87-101 2-4 Pm, 280 Petti rew Trail, $249 900 Karer Cumby, RoyafLePage 905-898161ô 2-4 Pm, 290 Randaîl Cros $419,000 Barbara Crowe, Royal LePage 9d5-878-81 01 2-4 pmi, 781 Graham Bell Crt $249,900 Ray Lotis, Royal LePage 905-818-8101' 2-4em, 36 Mary St, $429 000 Dane Maynard, Royal .LePage 905-8ý8-8101 2-4 m, 1 ColtesDr, $254 900O 2-4 Pm, 343 Pettigrow Trail 258,900 24 Royal LePage 805-888O 24Pm 30 Heslop #23 $184 900 Jack Vanderèreggan, Royal LePaÏe 905-ffi-81 01 1-3 pm 1607 Waldie $319 500 Domeric Nianchisi, Prodenliaf 905-87è-91 00 Irnproi'ing your odds againsi Canada s #1 killer HEARI AND STROKE FOULNDATION 0F ONTARItO 46Boards wifl fot get preferential access*because they made hirings ahead of time." staff report to trustees says, despîte a deftrit budget staring the board te the face, "As the school year begins. we are experi- encing tremendous pressure fer additîonat EA support ... staff fret that we are unable to (accommedate) many high-needs stu- dents in seheol wttheut the addiîionat staff." The board's 2004-05 budget cf $329 million mas batanced and passed in lte June and didn'î inctude the additîenat EA hiriegs. Il did, homever, inctude spendîng a total ef $44 million ce special education, 10 serve about 8,200 students as mell as hire 431 fuîltime EAs. The ministry gave the board $3 millien in Juty for Intensive Support Allocation (ISA) dlaims fer the curient school year. In deing se, il aIse toek back the Province's boards' speciat education reserve fonds. The Halton public board's reserve was around $4.5 miùllion. Wha the board is stressing is that il bad expecîrd additional special-education resources woutd be needed ence the scheot year started, despite passing a batanced The Canadian Champion. Frday, October1 2004-5 ab l cbéa / ONLY SWISS HERBAL & ORGANIKA VITAMIN E VENT NWO WUEKS ONLY MILTON MALL (905) 693-9207 SQUARE ONE (905) 897-1210 OAKVILLE (905) 257-7987 ERIN MILLS TOWN CENTRE 1905) 569-3629 DIXIE OUTLET MALL (905) 891-0976 budget earlier. The reserve. il says, would have cevered the addîtîonal expenses. New that the reserves are gene. the Province is in the process cf crealing a centfngency fund of areund $50 millien in which beards can apply fer emnergency fundmng for spectal educatten. Mr. Kennedy said some early paratueters cf hem bo qualîfy for that fund could he ready te the nexi twe er thee weeks, and the Halton beard can apply. He stressed schoel boards, lhreugh previncial associa- lions ef trustees and dîrectors of education. mîil play a rote te defînîng those require- ments. "t'm net going te be the only person hav- ing a say in thîs fund," he said. The ministry has written school boards te tell them of seme of the early criteria. "The very simple princîple here is wher- ever there's a student miîh acute special needs, we've got 10 give them firsi prefer- ence," he added. "If those childree are in Halton and that's whaî that prograns is doing, then the board should he able te rest easy relative te the fund. If somewhere in there il's a lite bit different, dire they wilI find cul in a pretty short peniod ef lime." Mr. Kennedy ncted he's not personally amare ef other beards in a similar situatton where they've hired extra EAs since the scheol year startrd. "Haltn must leel strongty about it if they made these decistens right now, se mhat could be characîerized as urgent needs witI gel an early answer." -see CHAPIN on page 18 California 1.08/1 00g Natural 8 Supreme Almonds !l Regular .3/0g Glacé t Fruit Mi 1X ৠlb Ju regular, Saur .29/1 00g or Halloween 429 J ubes 13 lb original, bbq, cheese or salsa ranch .62/1 00g Bits &7 Bites Ulb assorted flavours 1 .17/100g Dried 29 Cranbe rries %5Z lb blanched, rasIed, .31/1 00g salted or unsafted Pea nuts 0 ZI snack mist .77/lOO)g M ix'1n ;4 M ingle Ulit Wilkinisoni .55/100g Wine 49~ Gums 2lb