WEDNESDAY
S I N C E
APRIL 24, 2013
1 8 9 5 Opening Day on Saturday
Vol. 118, Issue 64
105
$
Page 9
INCLUDING G.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
School district moves closer to final budget BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
The big cuts came early – now it is a matter of reorganizing facilities and shifting costs, as the deadline looms for School District 20 (SD20) to produce and enact a balanced budget for the 2013/14 year. On Monday at Trail Middle School (TMS), SD20 Superintendent Greg Luterbach, held an open public meeting to present further cuts he is recommending to balance the budget next year. With a deficit of over $500,000 to be balanced in its fourth draft, the proposed operating budget for the 2013 school year has very little wiggle room. “The biggest thing that happened is that we had to reorganize facilities in Rossland, Blueberry and Castlegar,” said Mark Wilson SD20 trustee. “Now, without losing teachers, number one is that we didn’t have to cut the services to students or increase the size of the classrooms, which was an option at the start.” In efforts to reduce administration costs, SD 20 will be eliminating another elementary vice principal (VP) position.
A FINE LINE
Luterbach explained that because Fruitvale Elementary School (FES) has almost the same enrolment as Glenmerry and Kinnaird, where those positions were cut a few years ago, FES will lose its vice principal and make it “equal” across the board. “The only elementary VP left is at the Twin Rivers/Castlegar Primary, which has two physical campuses and 440 students,” he explained. The projected savings for the operating budget from these cuts is $18,000 this year, and an additional $23,000 next year, said Luterbach. A restructure in the information technology department is projected to reduce costs by almost $100,000. By reducing (in half) iPads, lap tops and lab allocations to secondary schools, Luterbach projects to net a savings of $72,000. “Students will still get schoolbased mobile devices, but this plan will stretch it out from four to six years,” he said. Additionally, moving a site specific technician to a help-desk based structure is projected to save $25,000. See OFFICE, Page 3
Silver anniversary for choir’s sweet sounds Harmony Choir celebrates 25 years with performance on Saturday BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Since 1988, the Harmony Choir has been bringing people together in song. On Saturday, in the Charles Bailey Theatre at 7 p.m., the choir will serenade the audience by celebrating 25 years of melodies in this season’s concert finale. Over the decades, there has been a change of faces along with a progression in harmony, but one thing remains a constant with the choir. “You don’t have to audition or be able to read music,” said Karen
Howard, 25-year member. “All that is required is a love of music and enthusiasm for song, along with a small commitment,” she said. Howard has always loved to sing, and jumped at the chance to join the choir in its inaugural year. “I hadn’t had the chance to sing since high school, and I love to sing,” she said. “The very first year was fun and big, with more members than now. Maybe because choirs in high school were still a big thing back then. “For awhile, it was one of those things that kind of fell away, but seems to becoming popular again,” she added. Aside from the size of the choir, See DIRECTOR, Page 3
GUY BERTRAND PHOTO
Workers from DSG Communications continued to slice through areas of Trail for installation of a new fibre optic network in the downtown core. The machine pictured cleans a trench where the cable will be buried. The installation of the line was expected to be completed today.
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