LES STULBERG/Independent reporter
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE — Alliance Church youth group members join other churches and community volunteers last Saturday in cleaning ditches alongside Highway 12 east of Stettler. It was part of the annual province-wide spring cleanup. The remnants of a long winter filled many garbage bags.
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Hill plans to clear out of his Clearview school desk L ES S TULBERG Independent reporter After serving for three years as the Clearview School Division secretary- treasurer, Lewis Hill is leaving in July to work in his home province of British Columbia. Hill has accepted the position of secretarytreasurer with School District No. 22 at Vernon, effective Aug. 1. “It’s always been a desire to move back to B.C.,” Hill said Monday. “Most of the family is on the west coast. “When the opportunity presented itself to move to the Okanagan, we decided to take a look at it. “My wife and I always thought the Okanagan would be a nice place to retire. We just landed there a little sooner.” Hill and his wife, Cindy, have three grown daughters, all of whom live in Alberta — in Red Deer, Lacombe and Edmonton. He came to Stettler after a five-year stint as chief financial officer with the Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills. “I appreciated Lewis being with us,” said Clearview chairman Ken Checkel. “Secretary-treasurer positions are hard to fill. We were happy to find Lewis. “I appreciated his work and his sense of humour. I wish him well.” The Vernon school division serves 20 schools with a student population of 8,000 students, about three and a half times that of Clearview, Hill said. He said he expects his new school district will deal with similar challenges as those facing
LEWIS HILL Clearview, regarding the declining enrolment. Hill said that 15 years ago, Vernon had 11,000 students and has seen a steady decline since. “There are a lot of similarities, only on a larger scale,” he said. Hill ranked a highlight of his time in the Clearview central office was the opportunities he and superintendent John Bailey had to visit schools. “Sometimes we lose focus why we are here,” he said. “Interacting with the kids has been a highlight. It’s been great. It helped me get my mind focused. “Hutterite colonies were a new education for me. I never experienced being a part of that group before.” The Clearview division has a “phenomenal staff,” Hill said. “I haven’t worked with a better group of people. “The principals, staff and everybody are very concerned about the students. They are a great staff.”
RICHARD FROESE/Independent reporter
During a meeting last week with the Clearview School Division, parents and residents crowd a room at Stettler Elementary School to discuss planned teacher cuts. The final community meeting is set for Monday in Stettler.
Stettler parents question proposed cuts to schools RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter Parents of Stettler students packed a classroom last week to question Clearview School Division proposals to cut teachers. “Stettler schools haven’t cut teachers in many years,” even as enrolment declined, countered superintendent John Bailey. Bailey was among those who addressed the latest “community consultation” session, which attracted about 100 people to the Stettler Elementary School music/drama room last Wednesday. As the board continues to draft a budget for 2013-14, the latest document proposes that Clearview cut 7.5 teaching positions, with 6.650 of those from the Stettler campus alone. That would see William E. Hay Composite High School lose 3.7 teachers, Stettler Elementary School trim two and Stettler Middle School shave .950 positions as a way to decrease the $1-million deficit and cope with reduced funding from the provincial government and declining enrolment in the division. Other cuts of under 1.0 teachers are proposed for Botha, Byemoor and Donalda.
“Everyone is sharing in the cuts,” said Bailey, who noted that the central office has trimmed operations to essential staff and servcies. Some parents believe Stettler would suffer the most. “This will decimate our schools,” said parent Cheryl Van Dusen, who drew applause from the crowd. “I do not want to see too many cuts.” At least one trustee, however, contended that the quality of education wouldn’t change with fewer teachers. “Are students getting good and broad education here?” asked trustee Karen Holloway of Castor. “I think they do and I don’t think it will be less next year. It’s not that we’re against Stettler. We are concerned about Stettler as much as the whole division.” Trustees representing rural schools in Stettler echoed they support and value schools at the Stettler campus. “We have to work together to stand together as communities and schools,” said Ken Checkel, who chairs the board and represents the Coronation area. While the issue has created some rift between Stettler and rural schools, a retired Stettler teacher also earned applause as she urged everyone to work together.
“We don’t want to pit one community against another,” Barbara Goodwin said. “We are all one staff and one community. The bottom line is students.” With class sizes projected to increase slightly, one high school student wasn’t concerned about more students in the classroom. “I don’t think larger classes will be a problem,” said Cassidy Munholland, a Grade 10 student at William E. Hay Composite High School. “The flex program helps and there are options for students.” Saving administrative costs, Clearview has also suggested an option to reconfigure the Stettler campus from elementary school (kindergarten to Grade 5), middle school (6 to 8) and William E. Hay Composite High School (9 to 12), to either K to 12 or elementary (K-6) and high school (7 to 12), though the board hasn’t discussed that option any further. Even with low enrolment numbers, Clearview is committed to keeping all schools open for the coming year under the current grade structures, Bailey said. Clearview hosts the final community meeting this Monday, with a second session in Stettler at the William E. Hay Composite High School cafeteria.
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