REMAINS DISCOVERED Human bones found at Hayward
WOMEN OF THE YEAR PAGE 3
SCHOOLS CLOSED PAGE 5
Pam Alexis and Eden Green honoured
One-day teacher strike on Monday
2012
PAGE 8
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CCNA
Friday, May 23, 2014
SERVING MISSION SINCE 1908
Charges in poppy box fund thefts
School district predicts $1.2M budget shortfall
Jason Roessle ABBOTSFORD NEWS
Operating deficit to be paid off in 2016, says board chair Carol Aun MISSION RECORD
Nine teaching and seven CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) support staff positions could be eliminated to help the Mission school district balance its budget this year. Also on the chopping block are almost two full-time equivalent (FTE) principal/vice principal positions, half an exempt staff position (such as administrative assistants or staff at the school board office) and the summer school program for this year. The cuts would save Mission Public Schools (MPS) $1,512,600, and cover its anticipated shortfall of $1,242,100. MPS would be left with a $15,500 surplus after $255,000 is put towards its operating deficit, which currently sits at $505,193. Mission school board chair Edie Heinrichs expects the operating deficit will be paid off in 2016. “It’s not happening as fast as we wanted, but it was quite an inheritance for us.” MPS began accumulating an operating deficit in 2004, explained Heinrichs. The deficit increased year after year and reached more than $1.4
million in the 2011-2012 school year. The district worked with the provincial government to develop a repayment plan that same year when the new board was elected. “In the time we’ve (current school board trustees) been in, we’ve never overspent what we received from the government, and didn’t add to the deficit,” said Heinrichs. Instead, the board has been making substantial cuts and changes in order to pay back what is owed. The majority of this year’s projected shortfall is a result of declining student enrolment ($411,000), CUPE contract increases ($170,000), and the cost of benefit increases, such as Medical Services Plan, to all staff ($155,000). School district officials are predicting a reduction of 55 students in the school district next year. The district receives about $7,472 from the ministry of education for every student enrolled. “It was expected,” said Heinrichs, who noted it is an improvement over the past few years when the decline has been closer CONTINUED ON 5
Fiddling away Central Fraser Valley Fiddlers held its 39th annual Old Time Fiddlers contest May 16 and 17 at St. Joseph’s Church in Mission. The club’s aim is to promote and encourage old-time Canadian and traditional fiddle and folk music. This year’s contest drew musicians from the Fraser Valley and as far away as Northern Manitoba. Here, Andy Kyte performs in the “junior, junior” category. BOB FRIESEN PHOTO
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A warrant has been issued for a Mission woman who has been charged with five counts of theft relating to poppy boxes stolen from locations in Abbotsford. On Nov. 10, 2013, a number of Royal Canadian Legion donation boxes were stolen, and the Abbotsford Police Department embarked on an investigation and gathered evidence from all the targeted locations. According to APD spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald, it was a “lengthy and involved investigation,” as police looked into similar types of theft throughout the region. Lisa Marie Goddard, 30, was charged on May 21, but her whereabouts are unknown. The charges relate to poppy boxes snatched from a convenience store and three gas stations on McCallum Road, and a farm market on Clayburn Road. And while they are donation boxes and an exact tally of how much money was taken is impossible, MacDonald said people tend to be generous and he estimated the thief could have gotten at least “a couple thousand dollars.” Abbtosford Legion members first became aware of the theft Nov. 12 when volunteer drivers went to pick up the boxes and were told they had already been collected.
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