MARK-ALAN WHITTLE
Embrace change … make it work                                         CONTACT MARK
WE WANT SOME ASSURANCES FOR SEPTEMBER

| HOME | NEXT |

Mountain News (Hamilton)
Now that the provincial government is set to appoint an investigator to review the decisions of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) - as they are doing for the Ottawa-Carleton board - will the HWDSB meet its obligations to be ready for school in September?
Concerned parents want assurances schools will be open in September for all the special education students in the new city of Hamilton.
That is why Education Minister Elizabeth Witmer needs to take immediate action to help the HWDSB resolve its budget issues quickly and operate effectively.
The Education Act gives the Education Minister the authority to investigate the affairs of the HWDSB if there is concern about the board's ability to meet its obligations. Under the Education Act, school boards are required to submit balanced budgets to the Ministry of Education. On many occasions the HWDSB staff presented our elected Trustees with a balanced budget. The Trustees rejected all of the balanced budgets proposed by staff and submitted a deficit budget to the ministry instead of making the hard decisions that needed to be made to right their sinking ship.
Hopefully the investigator appointed to this important position will be able to assess the board's confusing financial position and review the management and program decisions already taken by the board that influence the board's deficit budget position in 2001-02.
In Ottawa-Carleton, the education minister has assured worried parents and students that special education programs will not be affected. As a parent of a student less able, I would expect the same guarantee that schools in all the new city of Hamilton will stay open and special education students will continue to receive an education and the support they require in the classroom.
Perhaps the education minister will start listening when the board starts telling the truth about their funding shortfalls instead of mindlessly blaming the provincial government for their plight.