v ss5 m v jms 4 i v economist it suntribune educatiqn saturday jan 62001 c rkham of excellence monday ja by 82001 kssai place your christmas trjee unbagged with all decorationsiremoved curbside by vtfoamlwuary 8th formoresinforrnaoimarkhams waste managementscustomer service line our website atwciwmarkhamonca or email wastemgtcimarkhonca j some sav new power struggles by gianni colavecchia staff writer as much as he wants to believe new rules for school councils will eliminate problems between parents and princi pals dan paluzzi has to be realistic the cochairperson of maplejs michael cranny elemeritary- school council feels spmeprincipalsin region will be threatened bya regula- tion that forces them to amsulf school r councils on major issues i somewill respondto it and some will give it friction there are some out there who would riot have any input and run their own ship paluzzi said when school councils were first formed in 1996 there were no rules fore- ing principals to consult with parents on any issue 5 inamovetorymppfrankkleescon- cededwas long overdue the ontario government has brought down a regula tion that requires principals to consult with their schoolcouncils when carry- j ing out a variety of tasks- those include reviewing the suggestions of the education quality and accountability officer ah independent bodytiiat ranks the results of provincewide tests for students implementing the governments- code of conduct and deciding what cri- t teria should be used to fill job vacancies left by principals and viceprincipals under the regulation a principal will have to inform a school council com- posed of parents and other community volunteers how he or she took its advice into account in reaching a deci- sion staff photorob alary dan paluzzicochairman of an elementary school council in york region thinks some principals might feel threatened by new provincial guidelines forcing them to consult councils on major issues- for years councils complained about an undefined mandate and regu larly disagreed with principals over how individual schools should be run parents such as paluzzi say the regu lation forces principals to be more accountable but does not set rules around the operation of councils or the interconnection between them and principals other parents fear the new regulation could lead to power struggles between principals and parents marg chenoweth the formerxhair- person of auroras light of christ catholic elementary school council believes the regulation is a bad idea you dont want to set up as some people have suggested a power struggle between parents and the administration of a school the 45yearold mother of two said i dont think that parents should be making these decisions mary cosentinb principal of thornhius st elizabeth catholic high school agrees the new rules create the potential for power struggles perhaps there is the odd time in which parents would want their own agenda to come forward she said but cpsentino doesnt foresee the regulations causing widespread ani mosity i dont think its the same as in the olden days when principals used to rule the roost she said we have to work with people 7 a cf f jre easier k- a -i- ii t h i jivir v- ov easier searctheinventory of morethan 20 c i- regional dealers from the comfort of your home taster narrowyour search m nunutesto ther r cars that best meet your criteria cneaper no drivingfrom lot to lot no long i distance calls and price comparisons i l are easy with more than 500 vehicles to choose from raill6s9j3vlbejtter shop 24 houfsa day 7 days a week- ft 500 used cars ft searchable ft full colour photos easy to use ft all makes all models ft all years ft ah price ranges ft all local ft more than 20 dealers ft free to browse