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Catholic board submits budget Continued from page 5 have agreed with the school board not to teach or counsel students in a Catholic school in ways which are contrary to Catholic betief. There is no evidence that this agreement has been contravened, thereâ€" fore 1 find their presence in our schools acceptable. It should be pointed out that the principal teaching on family life and human sexuâ€" ality is already presented in courses which are prepared and taught by Catholic eduâ€" cators." Bishop Tonnos also noted that the letter was intended to "clearty state my position." "The public health nurses are in our schools to provide health expertise and advice that regular educators are simply not qualified to proâ€" vide," explained board chair Dianne Moser. "They supâ€" port and compliment our Catholic educators. As Bishâ€" op Tonnos has stated so clearly: the principal teachâ€" ing our students receive on family life and human sexuâ€" ality is already presented in courses which are prepared and taught by Catholic eduâ€" cators. Cancelling such a beneficial agreement with an organization as reputable and respected as the comâ€" munity health department while adding unnecessary costs to our cutâ€"toâ€"theâ€"bone budget is difficult to justify. I know some are perfectly preâ€" pared to follow the Bishop‘s lead on this issue." Balancing the 2002â€"2003 school year budget meant numerous layoffs, cuts to special education programs and school maintenance budgets, as well as eliminaâ€" tion of an $8 million inâ€"year deficit on the 2001â€"2002 school year budget. The deficit was caused by chronic provincial underfunding in key highâ€"cost areas including special education and transâ€" portation. "The issue of public health nurses stalled passage of our budget last year too," recalled Moser. "But it‘s a board policy issue, not a budâ€" get issue. Having failed to directly reâ€"write the policy last year, trustees are attempting to reâ€"write it through the budget process this year. The finances of a $160 million per year taxpayâ€" erâ€"funded organization canâ€" not continually be jeoparâ€" dized in this way. This issue has deeply divided the Catholic community of Waterloo Region â€" both Catholic laity and Catholic priests. This is a serious issue. We all agree on that. We are going to work on a solution; and that requires time. If we don‘t resolve it, we will all be back here next year fighting the same policy issue." Moser will continue attempts to resolve the policy disagreement among trustees by engaging the serâ€" vices of a mediator who will work to resolve the issue durâ€" ing the fall of 2002 â€" with a report due by Christmas, 2002. The draft budget will remain in effect throughout the mediation process.