The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A bookkeeping error more than a decade ago has left the Flin Flon School Division with a much larger surplus than previously recorded. The Flin Flon School Board has learned of an extra $446,000 in government funding that wasn't properly recorded back in 1989-90. The error involved government revenues being understated when the division began operating on a fiscal year basis as opposed to on a calendar year, explained Dave Kendall of Kendall Wall Pandya, which served as auditor. The mistake came to light in the division's 2004 audited financial statement, which the trustees reviewed at their regular meeting Tuesday evening. The money left the division's total surplus at $909,000 for the year ended June 30, 2004. In another matter at the board meeting, the trustees reviewed a letter from Manitoba Education Minister Peter Bjornson stating that there are no plans to alter the ward voting system for school boards. The board wants, and has on more than one occasion requested, an exemption to the system, which requires municipalities` be split into at least two districts for board elections. A clearly disappointed Trustee Jim Wilson indicated that he hoped the province understood that the board is not asking for the ward system to be scrapped, but for an exemption for Flin Flon. Superintendent Blaine Veitch said he contacted Bjornson after receiving the letter to reiterate the board's position, but added it was clear after the conversation that no changes were in store. "It's a dead duck," lamented Trustee Wilson. Here is a recap of other matters from the meeting: Veitch noted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of French Immersion in Flin Flon. He noted that staff at McIsaac School Ecole McIsaac have a number of activities planned throughout the year to celebrate the occasion. It was noted that students from Hapnot Collegiate and Many Faces Education Centre will participate in a workplace placement program on Nov. 3. As part of National Career Week, they will go to work with parents and community members to gain a better understanding of the demands of various jobs. With National Library Week having taken place on Monday, Veitch took the opportunity to commend the school division's library employees. "We are very fortunate to have a great library staff," he said. Veitch spoke of the recent open house he attended at Many Faces, noting it was a good opportunity for people to learn more about the school.
