Sorry to be preoccupied with the federal election. If you have a story you 'd like looked at just comment or find me in the co-op store . Suggested stories have been gym use , the 1/2 million dollar fire truck and the status of the Whisky Dock . Thank you for your patience.
14 comments:
Only a half a million for a fire truck? Where did they find a deal like that? Cheap, at half the price!
Can anyone explain why the school gym is closed. Who has the authority. Who is responsible for this ongoing fiasco. Why don't they come out of the weeds and tell the public why the gym is closed. All I get is a multi year long merry go round of finger pointing and no one really knows who is doing this. Is it school board trustees, bureaucrats, teachers. Don't even know who is on the Community school organization. Whoever it is they certainly don't have the community at heart. Bunch of selfish pea heads on a power trip.....
I believe it started with the former principal and has been augmented by the current principal, supported by the school district. I think we as tax payers are paying for use of the gym, maybe over $10,000 plus part of the required supervision? Plus, as tax payers, part of our school taxes go to paying for "community school status"...! Be nice to hear the definition of "community school".... What a crock..! Just wait 'til the ball fields feud starts in May...
I put the challenge to Mr. Augla, our trustee, to come on these forums and tell us what is going on, who is making these decisions, and what is necessary to get the gym open to the community, like it has been since day one......
The day before I was "restructured" out of a job, I had reached a verbal agreement with the school district (sec/treas Jerry Linning), on after school use of the gym. I literally ran to my boss's office (Braden Smith) to tell him the good news. For some reason he didn't seem so impressed... That evening was a big open house at the community hall for our parks and rec plan, and some planning issues and I was thrilled to tell Harold Sadler when he came through the door that we were in at the gym! It was of course well in to November by that point and one of my biggest gym frustrations was our little soccer guys. If it was really raining out, we used to be able to go into the gym, but after the crack down, we had to relocate to the community hall, which meant walking the kids there, soaked a not as safe a place with everything lying around, and phoning parents to let them know where to pick up their kids.... These are the same kids that are in school!!!!! Suddenly that safe/caring mandate stops at 3pm.
Part of our school taxes go to funding the "community school". Yes, my taxes here in Ukee and yours in Tuff fund that "enterprise". In Ukee, it seems like Tuff in the old days. Book it through parks and rec, no supervision, school is happy, community is happy and active... And no cost to the taxpayer for gym use...
I am ranting because I believe I had the answer before I was canned. I am ranting because I believe that as tax payers we should be able to recreate responsibly in a building we paid for. And I rant because we WANT healthy, active people, of whatever age, in our community.
No, I don't live there anymore, but I was born there, my children were born there and I've spent about half of my life there, and I worked hard there making things better for children and families.
I do think this should be given it's own headline Ralph, it affects a lot of people.
Sally M
Rumour has it that the reason gym use has been denied to the community has something to do with the resulting damage sustained by the flooring. Surely we can overcome that obstacle if there is any truth to the rumour.
Don't understand why there should be so many road blocks in one school and things are open and friendly in another. Why are there such involved negotiations in one school (Tofino) involving possibly a million dollars of additional unnecessary expense to the tax payer and everything runs smooth in another school, no cost (Ukee). Things used to run that way in Tuff, for decades, with no big problems. Ya... I heard about the gym floor having to be refinished because of the floor hockey. That's what happens when the place gets used... That problem can be solved...Lately, with a different school administration, big problem... No gym use at all... What's happened here. People need to take back their school......
Rumour and more rumour. The problem is that the general public does not know what the issues are and the people making the decisions can hide behind a circle of misinformation. I do agree with 4:13, "that" problem can be overcome with well intentioned community minded people. But!!! we do not know who is making these decisions and because of that, "they" do not have to act in an accountable and reasonable way. Get this discussion out into the open. I want to know who is responsible for trying to keep the community out of the school gym... I have heard it's the School Board...I have heard the Principal.... Sally say's she negotiated with Sec/treas Linning...I have heard a cabal of narrow minded school teachers have taken control of the Principals mind....There are lots of rumours...We need the facts...Let's start with some facts. Who has authority to deal with this matter....
I remember being at a community school meeting a long time ago and school staff were talking about how the halls had been painted and how they wanted the school to remain pristine. Around the same time I spoke to the then school principal who said he was done with all of the hockey guys "sweating and grunting" in the halls. In in our new house, with pristine walls, I can't count the number of skate/surf dings/ball marks we have incurred over the last few years. Probably a few sweat stains there too. We WELCOME kids and youth in our home. Will it cost us? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.
Some old timers in town told me that Wick School was built with Federal gov't money. That the town of Tofino provided the land. The school was built to provide an educational facility on the coast for first nations as well as non natives, and thast the school was to serve as a community facility for all...worked fine for a long time, but no more. What a travesty.
Yes 4.35. I have heard that. When I first moved to Ukee from Tofino, all of my kids were in soccer. I remember the first time I thought we were rained out and I drove to the field to see what was going on. A parent there said, no, they just went into the school gym... I was like, what? Nothing signed? No money?? Come on Tofino, when did you lose the KIDS FIRST motto and go to 12.52 post on pristine walls...
Sally M
Anyone know who is on the community school board?
Community School is established as a "Society" by School District, Oct 10/1995 policy 1175. Find it at dsweb.bcsta.org/.../1175 or google community school policy 1175. It clearly states
"The concept of a Community school expands the role of the regular K-12 grade level schools to that of Community Education centre, which provides a variety of learning and support opportunities for all segments of the population and the extended use of the school facility". It later identifies that includes "recreational use of facilities and grounds.
Do not know who the individuals are on the society but the same policy gives requirements about who is to be included.
Some have tried to suggest the Community School status is specifically connected to a Community Link program that provides extra programming for disadvantaged or youth. This I believe to be a misunderstanding. Although the Community School program envisaged by policy 1175 would want to coordinate closely with Community Link, Community School Policy 1175, is obviously an initiative that is much broader including "all segments of the population.
I hear there is a meeting coming soon, to deal with the School Gym issue....Get hold of your elected representatives, School Board, Council, Community School Society(whoever they are?) and tell them how you feel.
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