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

sa8 wednesday february 16 1983 dear editor theres a se rious need for res tatement of public policy for elementary and secondary schools in york region present policy that seems to favof quantity over quali- ty is driving elementary and secondary educa tion towards mediocrity there are good arguments to be made that this poli cy although more affordable in the 1960s and early 1970s did not serve uswell then either a new balance must be sought between the quality of what we do in our schools and the equitability of what we pay the people to operate them it would be unfair for me to criticize what the board has done without being able to offer viable alternatives deep planning and structural changes will be needed if we are to achieve a quality product within reasonable levels of public ex penditure r in the most recent issue of on board under the directors message robert cressman asks this question how much can we afford to spend on education only to answer the same with how much can we afford not to spend on educa tion cute eh lets not talk about the arithmetic 131 million its better to opt for safety in questionbegging ideology in an era of soup- kitchens the ver bal flinchings used by the director in between the fore- mentioried question and answer- question is a little terrifying just a little these com ments need to be challenged no one can dis agree with the director when he writes education is expensive and that ignorance costs our society even more dearly but wise people re thinking the same could add that ignorance in education costs even more think for a mo ment about the open education schools built in the 60s and 70s in many cases built whether the com munities wanted them or not to oppose such schools was to invite ridi cule and jeers from the education estab lishment money wasted solid research now shows students in open classrooms have made less in tellectual progress on the average then their formally in structed peers in traditional schools the following statement is almost laughable almost ponder for a moment cana das productivity re cord realizing we have one of the high est strike rates in the world and ask yourself whether or not attitudinal de velopment has an impact on such deci- sions by can- daians nonsense and without founda tion in fact only ab out one in five work ers in canada be longs to a labor un ion and what labor unions favor may not be at all what labor favors and there is ample evi dence that many sometimes even most members of unions do not agree with the pronounce ments of their lead ers very similar to education i find this kind of statement particu larly disturbing be cause it gives the impression that poor productivity is tied to canadian un ions and strikes no thing could be furth- er from the truth poor productivity in canada is related to many different fac tors most impor tant of these are 1 foreign owned and controlled industry where cheap yes cheap labor and free natural re sources are valued more highly than advanced technolo gy it is the lack of canadian initiative poor governmental policies and branch- plant americanism that has given us these inefficient neanderthal indus tries 2 approx imately twothirds of our workers lack knowledge and proper training for the job they are doing including teachers which of course brings the problem back to the school doorstep just as our govern ments have done a poor job with indust rial policies schools have done a poor job in educating and training workers examples of poor productivity abound in the educational system programs introduced without proper courses of study industrialart courses that indus tries dont recognize and special educa tion courses based on shaky scientific evidence in the past fifteen years there has been a marked de- cline in cognitive achievement in elementary schools that may rival our high schools and how could it be any thing else french instruction has been enlarged to 40 mi nutes a day family life and sex educa tion courses intro duced and enrich ment programs some of dubious value added with out lengthening the school day or the school year these in fact have been shortened some thing has to suffer and most enlight ened people know what it is the basics what the public wants and de serves is more before you buy compare auto h0me life instate youre in good handsi- insurance co of canada mark 4773000 itototws fxerewu aneirtf meiuctwveftndvouwagt trwe wt wiingonsutjttvxmtrurariyowedftd slop 6y soon nd se ary tfnnnaerytioey cjfie mtuetoee j wi toa vitm tr tuc ot yov nr kv 2 row a motorcycle cityttd urgthtsmn 1msutlmanwnt 88156131 emphasis on basic skills and the disci pline necessary to attain them quality educa- tion within an affordable budget a system where stu dents are construc tively engaged in lessons about 85 pcr- cent of the time compared to the present 25 percent a system that re wards hard work i cannot imagine any society in its proper senses passing any thing along to an education system that fails to meet quality and quantity of instruction the truth is many of these societal problems have been usurped by the school system whether there were parental objections or not it is to be hoped those-who- knowall do better with sex education than they did with reading otherwise homosapiens may become extinct in one generation the facts re viewed above strongly suggest its time to put aside attempted externa- lizations of blame for increased spend ing in education and face up to the arith metic and realities oi the situation simple arithmetic our economy was down five percent in 1982 not ideology must prevail in education spending the buck stops here our society should only spend on education what it can afford to spend can york region afford to spend 131 million in view of the current depression the answer is a resound ing no there is a serious need for a restatement of pub lic policy relating to spending by the board if it is truly concerned about the longterm vitality oi our commudnity and its education system it would appear present policy and director mes sages are geared for the era of mas sive expansion in the 1960s and 70s but things havf changed since then if they havent noticed then some one should tell them sincerely sylvlette brown keswick dead end almost crash barrier lincolnville a 27yearold pickering motorist unfamiliar with the area turned west on the old bloomington road at lincolnvil- le saturday night not knowing the pavement was to come to an abrupt end a thousand feet ahead dennis and re becca mundy of rosebank road crashed their 1977 chrysler new yor ker through two wooden barriers struck a culvert and came to a sudden stop in a deep ditch they were tempor arily trapped in the wreckage and had to be released by firemen from stouffville the couple was taken by ambulance to scarborough centenary hospital treated for minor in juries and later re leased colonial living room set by roxton heres colonial styled pieces our forefathers utxid ruv enjoyed the finest in old fashioned warmth and comfort so appeafing in a less formal decor nothing axdd be cozier or reflect that warm yet rustic style better roxton colonial upholstery is manufactured to the same high standard of design and hand craftsmanship which has become tradtion- al with its sobdrock maple furniture the exposed wood mm is protected by the tough durable rox6de finish oval cocktail table oval end table sofa loveseat chair ottoman 649 519 349 129 88 nesting tables 239 139 239 contemporary dining room suite by universal i pi 1 limited space heres a beauttfd answer theres no dining nock l shaped area or alcove that cant accommodate this attractively de signed bghtfy scaled grouping the parsons table 4a x xj with a kgh pressure marresistant laminate top extends to 58 when more seating is needed contoured slat back chairs are styled with com fortable fabric seats the functional mobile server takes up ettle space table 229 69 library wall units p by craftline j cant afford caftdne luxury look again these campaign style library units provide pf beauty and functionality each piece is metic- utausly crafted and finished in a medium if ebony tone to provide a lifetime of enjoy- p ment with minimal care each unit stands at jp 30 x 12 x 84 handfeatures fixed shelves and fj brass strip accents 2 units shown m 339 88 hi riser sleeper by sealy frf a a sensible way to save these nofrits prices are for pickup at our loading dock in the original factory containers our staff wi be glad to help you load your car delivery and home set up available for a smal extra charge but only if you want them shrinking bedroom you an expand your sleeping potential with seals h riser sleeper the quasty and price make it a perfect idea units measure 39 x 74 indude two super firm sealy mattresses welded al steel frame with ultrafirm springs if s a sturdy convenience andrfsonly ftft 369 bedroom grouping by lea industries these inflationary days k makes good sense to invest in quality something that wsl stand up to every day living lea industries presents this flexible juvente bedroom grouping the answer to these needs mix and match the small and large units to achieve the look thats right for you crafted of oak hardwood solids and veneers h d door chest e comer chest 249 f bachelor chest it c small open deck lo h urge open deck jlj i student desk jlj a 5 drawer chest 338 i- chair 1 7 b headboard 39 189 k 79 189 l vertica mnor i- c small open deck 33 pascal west kmkssauga275 highway 10 between 401 and egjinton late nfght shopping open monitor arougri friday from 100 am 10 m0 p jn saturday from a m 6 vsaaustooud wqctx pascal east yuixah 2929200 canermarkham road and rnch avenue l-t-j-