EAGLE VALLEY
NEWS
New business provides space for artists Page 6
Organizations tackle trail management Page 9
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 PM40008236
Vol. 60 No. 17 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Spring cleaning: Josie Germaine and Cierra De Bortoli carefully scan the grass for litter during the student spring cleanup held on Thursday, April 24. Eagle River Secondary students tackled the downtown area and Beach Park, while Parkview Elementary students did their school grounds and Finlayson Park. The combined effort was part of a community spring cleanup being conducted for Sicamous’ participation in Communities in Bloom. The final cleanup day is May 2, to be concluded with barbecue and dance for all who volunteered. Photo by Lachlan Labere
DPAC offers budget with top-down approach to cuts Special report: Parents question expenses, suggest cost savings. By Tracy Hughes
Eagle Valley News
Members of the District Parents Advisory Council have come up with their own ideas for making the $1.8 million cuts needed to balance School District #83’s budget – and they are wielding sharp pencils and not shying away from controversial topics. “Parents have had enough,” says Kari Wilkinson, who became president of the District Parents Advisory Council (DPAC) earlier this month. Upset about the school district’s proposed budget cuts, the DPAC decided to present its own version to school district trustees and administration at a meeting last week. “I think it’s fair to say the reaction included raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers,”
says Wilkinson. Glenn Borthistle, district superintendent, says the board values the public input it has received, both in meetings with the DPAC and the various employee groups, as well as the response from parents and the general public in the form of letters or phone calls. “We have received a lot of feedback and a lot of fair comment. The district and board will be reviewing all the submissions as part of our budget process which will continue right up to the meeting on May 12.” That is the date when the school board is expected to vote on the final budget options. Currently, more cuts have been suggested than needed, so some of the proposed cutbacks will be reinstated in this year’s budget. “We are following up on everything to look at how to tighten up what we are doing,” says Bobbi Johnson, school board No logos: With the new school district administration building in the background, chair. District Parents Advisory Council Kari Wilkinson, Pearl Hiemstra, and Heather Hamlin Gravells want to see changes, including decal identification on all school district veSee Administration on page 2 hicles. Photo by Evan Buhler