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.
With the school year quickly coming to a close, here is a look back at some of the local education stories that have made headlines over the past 10 months. September The Flin Flon School Board is being urged to banish Hapnot CollegiateÕs controversial smoking pit. Deanna Johnson, smoking reduction coordinator for the NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority, addressed the trustees on the issue during their regular meeting. ÒWe are really sending the wrong message to our youth if we allow them to continue to smoke at Hapnot,Ó she said, speaking from a podium. October The Flin Flon School Board is forcing students and staff to butt out Ð at least on school property. At their regular meeting, trustees voted to ban smoking on all of its properties effective February 4, the start of the second semester. ÒWe feel itÕs a benefit to the people in the school division,Ó said Trustee Murray Skeavington, board chairperson. ÒIn todayÕs society, everywhere is going non-smoking in their buildings and on their properties, and we thought it was time for us to go forward with it.Ó More tough choices loom for the Flin Flon School Division with enrollment dropping for the 11th straight year. The loss of 34 students since last fall will mean approximately $190,000 less in per-student provincial funding next year. ÒWhile it could have been worse, weÕre hoping to start growing in the future,Ó said Superintendent Blaine Veitch. November Career education, timetable flexibility and improved literacy are the top priorities at Hapnot Collegiate. During a detailed presentation for the Flin Flon School Board, staff from the high school shared their goals for the year. Flin Flon School Division Superintendent Blaine Veitch is humbled to receive the 2007 Manitoba Band Association Outstanding Administrator Award. HeÕs the first rural recipient of the honour, given annually to an educational administrator with a vigourous commitment to music programming. January As the provincial government touts a massive new school funding package, the Flin Flon School Division is saying it just isnÕt enough. The Manitoba government announced an an extra $53.5 million for public schools, which the division says works out to a 2.2 per cent local boost for the 2008-09 year. Secretary-Treasurer Debbie Bongfeldt said although the division has not had much time to review the announcement, it wonÕt be enough to balance the next budget. Amid a bone-chilling cold snap, the Flin Flon School Board is re-examining its policy on weather-related school closures. The board has traditionally kept schools open in extreme conditions, letting parents decide whether their children attend class. Schools close only at the discretion of the superintendent. ÒOur policy in this area is very vague,Ó Superintendent Blaine Veitch told the trustees. February The Flin Flon School Board has unveiled two drastically different budget scenarios, with one calling for a hefty tax hike and the other hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending cuts. But which 2008-09 proposal is approved next month remains to be seen as trustees face one of their most difficult decisions in years. ÒThereÕs no middle ground here,Ó said Trustee Murray Skeavington, board chair. The provinceÕs call for schools to stop using 15-seat passenger vans for student transportation poses challenges for the Flin Flon School Division. The vans were often rented as an economical means of driving sports teams to and from out-of-town tournaments. The division had even contemplated buying two such vehicles. Without the vans, Superintendent Blaine Veitch said there will have to be either more money for team travel, either through division sources or student fundraising, or fewer trips. March Flin Flon school taxes will remain frozen this year after the Manitoba government came through with some last-minute funding. The school board has approved a 2008-09 budget that makes use of the provinceÕs Tax Incentive Grant (TIG), awarded to divisions that hold the line on property taxes. The board was originally offered $189,800 through the TIG. But after trustees made the case that the loss of 100-plus students to Creighton Community School distorted the TIG formula, the province agreed to put up $328,000 instead. That was enough to convince the board to claim the TIG rather than go to local taxpayers for more money. The Flin Flon School Division will pay $60,000 in incentives to retiring teachers as a way to rejuvenate staff, save money and enhance recruiting success. Under a program developed this year, teachers were offered $10,000 each if they formalized their retirement by mid-January. Six staff members claimed the money. Superintendent Blaine Veitch said the retirements open the door to full-time employment for younger teachers who have been working part-time or on term contracts. See 'Vice' on pg. Continued from pg. April Hapnot Collegiate and Many Faces Education Centre will share one principal and two vice-principals beginning this fall. The Flin Flon School Board is bringing some fresh administrative blood to three schools. The board has voted to hire Brent Bedford, a Hapnot Collegiate teacher, as the new vice-principal of both Hapnot and Many Faces Education Centre. A motion also carried to name Many Faces teacher Doug Mack a new vice-principal of McIsaac School Ecole McIsaac. The men will assume their duties in the fall. May Over 150 graduates are expected this June at Hapnot Collegiate, Creighton Community School, Many Faces Education Centre, and Frontier Collegiate in Cranberry Portage.
