By GREG NIKKEL, of the Weyburn Review
Teachers at the Weyburn Comprehensive School, and in the public, separate and rural school districts, will be asked for their input on a proposed school calendar, with two options presented by the Comp board of trustees.
The board was initially given three options at their board meeting on March 2, but rejected one that would have had the Christmas break start as early as Dec. 18. The options were drawn up by the two education directors for the three school boards, Crandall Hrynkiw and Ed Kolybaba, and brought to the Comp board as it has representatives from all three area boards.
The options which will be sent out for input both have an early start to the school year; the first option will have schools opening on Monday, Aug. 30 and classes starting Aug. 31. The Christmas break would run from Wednesday, Dec. 22 to Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000, and there would be a four-day weekend in November, as Remembrance Day falls on a Thursday this year.
The second option sees the teachers starting preparations on Thursday, Aug. 26, possibly an inservice day on Aug. 27 with classes starting on Monday, Aug. 30. The Christmas break would run from Tuesday, Dec. 21 to Jan. 5. In both options, the board is retaining the one-week winter break in February, along with the one-week spring break in April.
Kolybaba noted the winter break in February is a popular one, as it now used by 75 per cent of school districts in the province.
The trustees from the three school districts are trying to coordinate the calendar to facilitate the running of school buses along with days off for holidays or for professional development for the staff. Central board trustee Lionel Wanner pointed out one recent example of a problem caused by conflicting schedules, where a one-day semester break was held at the Comp, professional development day was held for the elementary schools in all three school divisions, but regular classes ran at the Weyburn Junior High.
The result, he said, was school buses running with only a few students on them, including one bus that had only two students, causing ratepayers to call the board office and complain.
Kolybaba said the districts do their best to coordinate the school year schedules, but not every schedule conflict can be avoided. A number of the trustees expressed favour with the school year resuming on Jan. 5, 2000, to enable the school district to deal with any Y2K problems which may arise on Jan. 1.
Earlier in the board meeting, Kolybaba updated the trustees on the efforts to integrate the Southeast Regional College with the Comp, noting that Saskatchewan Education's facilities branch has appointed a person to work on this project, and meetings have been held with Kolybaba and with college representatives.
A joint meeting will be held to review the project on March 11, he said, adding, "We're hoping we'll hear something in this current budget year."
The province has set budget day this year for March 26, and the Comp board administrators have begun work on their budget. Kolybaba said a meeting of the committee-of-the-whole will be called sometime during the week of March 22-26 to present the preliminary budget numbers, and they hope to present the final version of the budget at the board meeting on Monday, April 5.
The secretary-treasurer, Gord Young, gave a report on the trial balance for the calendar year of 1998, revealing the board should have a "modest surplus" of $15,472 on the year. Young added this was not from an audited financial statement.
Trustee Wanner asked the board to consider a request for paving the parking lot between Queen Elizabeth School and the Comp. The Central Division and Comp boards had discussed splitting the cost of paving a few years ago, he said, but the project was never completed. The condition of the parking lot is now such that paving is necessary.
Kolybaba wondered if it should be done this year, as the performing arts centre society had put forward a proposal to put a road between the two schools, to facilitate a new performing arts centre proposed for the courtyard area of the Comp. The centre is proposed to piggyback onto the proposed integration of the college with the Comp.
"It could be putting dollars in for nothing if that happened, because you'd be ripping it up again. It's the same with the joint-use project (with the college); do we wait or work on the band room area? We're in a predicament," said Kolybaba.
Wanner indicated if the paving does go ahead in this year's budget, the Comp's share would be around $20,000.
The results of the School Effectiveness Review will be given to the staff and parents as part of Education Week, with a public slated for Monday, March 15 at the Comp.
Principal Ken Larson advised the board the Grade 12 English teachers are trying to organize the new curriculum, but noted the Education department has not made the bibliography available, and it won't be available until September, a circumstance that has hampered the English department before.
"It's a poorly-run system. The bibliography should be in our hands in May. There were many books we just couldn't get (last year)," said Larson, noting one book had an order for 32 copies, but only four were sent. The books had to be sent back due to the insufficient supplies.
Larson also told the board there are a number of new roof leaks at the school, in places where there weren't any before, including in B hall, E hall, F hall, classroom D232, in the middle of the construction lab and in the Cafetorium.
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