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4- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday December 8, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com No change to hierarchy at public board By Tim Whitnell, SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The new chair and vicechair of the Halton District School Board are the old chair and vicechair. At the board's annual organizational meeting on Wednesday trustees held elections for the two positions. Gillian Tuck Kutarna, trustee for Wards 3 and 4 in Halton Hills, was returned as chair for a second straight term while Janie Hames of Burlington's Ward 3 was re-elected to the role of vice-chair. Each position lasts for one year. The chair of the board moderates board meetings and is expected to maintain decorum and ensure meeting guidelines and rules of order are adhered to by all trustees. The chair also stays in regular communication with the director of education, the board's top administrator. The vice-chair fills in for the chair when the former is absent or has a conflict of interest on an issue and also ensures that the chair and director follow board policy. Tuck Kutarna defeated fellow Halton Hills trustee Gerry Ockenden in the election for chair. Hames defeated Oakville trustee Don Vrooman in the vice-chair election. Ballot counts are not revealed publicly. In her comments just prior to the election of the chair, Tuck Kutarna noted that with seven out of 11 new faces on the board of trustees after the November 2006 municipal election, a foundation of trust among trustees and between trustees and staff needed to be developed. The goal is to work together and challenge each other to make the system better for students. "There is no status quo team at the board; we are trying to move forward. I "There is no status quo team at the board; we are trying to move forward. I think we have laid our foundation." Gillian Tuck Kutarna, public school board chair Janie Hames think we have laid our foundation. We need to fix what doesn't serve our work and move ahead.... We have a roomful of leaders in here." For the 2007-08 school year the chair of the board will be paid $20,953.27, which is broken down into $10,900 in base salary and another $10.053.27 as the calculated student enrollment amount. For the current year the vice-chair's remuneration is $17,251.25, broken down into a base amount of $8,400 and an enrollment amount of $8,851.25. The other nine trustees with the Halton public board are being paid $13,549.23, a combination of their base and enrollment amounts. A new pay scale for trustees in Ontario is in effect from Dec. 1, 2006 to the end of November 2010, as mandated by provincial regulation. Trustees' annual pay in Ontario had been $5,000 since the Conservative government of Mike Harris changed the pay scale in 1997 to a flat-rate system for the 72 school boards in the province. The next meeting of trustees will be a special board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 19. The regular schedule of board meetings will resume in January, with the upcoming meeting schedule on the board's website at www.hdsb.ca. Fareshare depends on season of giving By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Think Green. Be Cool. Breathe Easy. HUGE CENTRAL AIR & FURNACE $ Up to BEST PRICES EVER! SALE Oakville's Fareshare Food Bank is hoping the season of giving will inspire local residents to be extra generous this year in helping those in need over the holidays. As of now the charity group is conducting a food drive that will continue throughout December and end on Christmas Eve, with the hope of netting large amounts of food, money and volunteers. Fareshare Food Bank Director Dudley Clarke, who has volunteered at the food bank for the last 15 years, said this season's need is particularly great due to a less than stellar turnout at the Thanksgiving food drive and the fact that the next Fareshare food drive will not be held until Easter in April. "We have a fair stretch to go until our next major food drive so we need to make sure that our stocks are up to par," said Clarke. "We want to have enough supplies to meet the demand we have here, because while I'm happy to say our client numbers have not been increasing, nor have they been decreasing. Since the beginning of this year we have averaged 315 client visits each and every month." During the food bank's operating hours on Thursday alone, Clarke said they served more than 70 clients. "We have mostly families coming in, but some single people too," he said. "Because we're open from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Thursdays, this is the busiest day because people who are working can come. Many of our clients are working, but they're working at low paying minimum wage jobs, which just don't supply enough income to meet all of their needs. That's why they come to the food bank." While all none perish See Demand page 8 4700 AND * Cash PUBLIC AUCTION 3620B Laird Rd, Unit #6 Mississauga, Ontario HARDWOOD AND LAMINATE FLOORING OVER 50,000 SQ FT SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15th, 11:00AM 15th, Viewing Friday Dec 14th & Day of Sale from 9AM Back UP TO $2400 GOV. CASH BACK UP TO $1500 MANUFACTURERS CASH BACK + NO PAYMENT! NO INTEREST! ONE YEAR *OAC UP TO $800 HYDRO CASH BACK *Call for details. 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