cuts

Loss of school bus route leaves Cherryville mom in a quandary

CHERRYVILLE - A Cherryville mother is considering homeschooling her children after learning they will now have to walk over nine kilometres to get to the nearest bus stop. Kara-Lee Zeolkowski got a letter from School District 22 in June saying the bus stop outside the family’s home on Sugar Lake Road has been eliminated. The...

North Okanagan-Shuswap budget cuts ‘gut-wrenching’

NORTH OKANAGAN - Literacy programs, grief counselling and class sizes are all taking a hit next year in what the North Okanagan-Shuswap school board chair calls some ‘gut-wrenching’ decisions to balance next year’s budget. The school board approved two pages of reductions totalling $1.7 million at its board meeting Tuesday, May 12. "We have tried...

Vernon School District budget: What will be cut, what will be gained

VERNON - Three vice-principal positions are among the cuts being made at local schools to help balance next year’s budget. School District 22 announced what’s being kept, and what’s being cut, as part of the 2015/2016 budget in a media release. Three vice-principal positions, one each at J.W. Inglis, Hillview and Coldstream Elementary, will not...

More cuts on the horizon for Vernon School District

VERNON - More cuts are on the way in the Vernon School District. The provincial government requires $437,000 of cuts in non-instructional costs at School District 22 next year, rising to $814,000 in 2016/17. “Our School District has suffered many cuts in funding in recent years. We’re proud that we’ve kept much of the cost...

School District 83 facing yet another budget shortfall with little left to cut

NORTH OKANAGAN - Deeper cuts are on the way in the North-Okanagan Shuswap School District.  At a board meeting Mar. 10, secretary-treasurer Sterling Olsen said the district must find $1.8 million in savings to balance next year’s budget. “It is a very challenging financial picture and it looks like we have a number of years...

City will fund Sundays at the Vernon Library after near cancellation

VERNON - Sundays at the Vernon Library are here to stay. The Okanagan Regional Library dodged having to cancel Sundays at the Vernon branch Friday, Jan. 16, after appealing to Vernon council for financial support in the amount of $21,000. Without the funding, executive director Stephanie Hall said the branch could be shutting down its...

14-year-old cut with glass object during altercation

PINANTAN LAKE – Kamloops RCMP responded to a report of a 14-year-old boy cut with a glass object during an altercation in Pinantan Lake around 6 p.m. Sunday. “The youth was transported to Royal Inland Hospital where he was treated and later released,” Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a spokesperson for the RCMP said. A 16-year-old youth...

Okanagan Regional Library axes service in some communities

OKANAGAN - The Okanagan Regional Library has already cut services at some branches, and more are on the chopping block. It’s all part of a process to improve equity at the regional library’s 29 service locations, after a financial audit found some discrepancies. Some branches, including those in West Kelowna, the City of Kelowna, the...

Okanagan Regional Library eyes staff and service cuts

OKANAGAN - The union representing Okanagan Regional Library workers is sounding the alarm over proposed staff and service cuts at branches throughout the valley. Deb Dolman, vice president of CUPE Local 1123, says an alarming 375 staff hours at 19 branches are on the chopping block as part of the regional library’s plan to improve...

School bus cuts get rough ride

VERNON - A school board decision to cut Vernon bus routes is getting a rough ride from parents. School District 22 is tightening up the routes to save approximately $125,000 from its budget. Around 300 students living 2.4 km or more from their school will now have to find another way to get to class....