EAGLE VALLEY
NEWS
Music festivals putting Malakwa on the map Page 3
Crowd gathers to solve staged murder mystery Page 7
Wednesday, May 7, 2014 PM40008236
Vol. 59 No. 19 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
School district facing cuts to programs
$1.8 million deficit: Trustees forced to trim costs to balance budget.
By Tracy Hughes
Eagle Valley News
School closures are not on the table for School District #83’s upcoming budget deliberations but just about everything else is being considered for cutbacks to cope with a $1.8 million deficit. A proposed budget is being presented to trustees by secretary-treasurer Stirling Olson for the May 13 meeting, which details suggestions for cuts based on input from the public, parent and employee groups and preliminary budget discussions with school trustees. “Unfortunately, the funding levels have not been increased to cover the escalating cost pressures that school districts have and continue to face. Unless this changes, school districts will be required to continue to reduce the programs, services and levels of service in our education system,” writes Olson in his report to the board. A portion of the budget reductions are directly related to a decline in enrolment, particularly in the secondary grades, resulting in staffing and supply reductions of $620,000 without impacting the current level of service in the school district. This, however, leaves a remaining deficit of $1.2 million that has to be cut from school district operations. The report suggests a number of cuts across a vast area of school district programs including: reductions in music program administration to save a $40,000, speech and language pathologists to save $20,000, cuts to deaf and hard of hearing programs to save $20,000, gifted program cuts to save $20,000, special education teachers reductions for a $40,000 saving and counselling staff cuts shared between secondary and middle schools to save a total of $50,000. Other notable reductions in staffing are to teacher/librarians, where the suggestion is to change the elementary and middle school staffing ratios to match the secondary school level of one fulltime position for 700 students. This will mean cuts of nearly three full-time positions for a saving of $284,400. Cuts are also suggested for the family life teachSee Supply on page 2
Out of bounds: Sicamous RCMP have been investigating a report of people mud-bogging along the foreshore in Old Town Bay. On April 20, the four vehicles above were photographed using the area. Police have spoken to the registered owners of three of the identified vehicles, and are consulting with the Ministry of Environment to determine what, if any, charges will be laid. Police also spoke with the property’s owner, and new signs will be posted warning the area is considered sensitive habitat, and such uses are prohibited. Photos contributed
Work underway to establish cultural centre By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
Big plans are in the works for a project that could unite several community/cultural offerings under one roof. The Sicamous Chamber of Commerce and visitor information centre, the Sicamous Museum and Historical Society, artists and local First Nations may one day work and thrive together in the same facility if Kim Hyde has her way. Hyde is currently working with the chamber to find and secure grant opportunities that will allow for the purchase of the former, 2.34-acre Tru Hardware property at the corner of Main Street and Highway 97A. Hyde
and chamber executive Hyde. “And then we director Michelle Wolff thought, we have a lot have already shared their of First Nations history vision with district counin our Sicamous area, so cil, giving councillors an why don’t we try pullAnd then we thought, we have a idea of what could be at ing everybody together lot of First Nations history in our the premier location that and have a multi-purpose Sicamous area, so why don’t we could serve not only as building, a cultural centry pulling everybody together a welcoming point to tre, with everybody in it. the community, but as a “The next thing I and have a multi-purpose gateway to the Shuswapknow, I’m talking to the building… Okanagan. owners of the building. I Kim Hyde The cultural centre is hiked to the back of the the result of a snowball building and saw the row the visitor information centre effect begun by Hyde, of trees back there and who had been looking for a may be in need of a new home. thought that would be good “So we started thinking, for a rest area/picnic area, it place to open a little art gallery well, the museum doesn’t re- enhanced the whole idea, and in town. She initially thought of ally have that big of a spot so then, lo and behold, we have a the former district office buildmaybe they would be inter- plan.” ing, which was condemned and ested, and the chamber office recently torn down. In speakSee Facility on page 3 would be a lot better,” said ing with Wolff, Hyde learned