sCHOOL DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WORKER CUT FROM BUDGET

A high-school staff member is out of a job after Interior Health
restructured school funding to bring a broader scope to children's
health.

Shelley Chaney will cease to be the drugs and alcohol prevention
worker at David Thompson Secondary School in Invermere as of June 30th.

During the past four years Ms. Chaney has filled the role, she
established many programs within the school. She fears those programs
will disappear unless parent committees pick up the slack.

Her initiatives have included I Am Beautiful - borrowed from the Dove
soap campaign - aimed at helping Grade 7 girls prepare for the
transition to high school.

A similar program for boys, Campaign of Strength, will also be
cut.

"The funding has just disappeared," Ms. Chaney said.

Ms. Chaney, who has worked at the high school since 2006, said she
might leave Invermere after her job ends.

"That's the part that my kids aren't very happy about," she
said.

According to spokesperson Heather Allen, Interior Health doesn't see
the budget change as a job cut and high school administrators knew
last June that the contract would expire at the end of this school
year.

The high school hasn't sought funding for the 2010-11 school year, Ms.
Allen said.

"What we're moving to is more of a district-level, healthy school
coordinator position," she said.

Ms. Chaney's position, Ms. Allen said, was too focused on substance
abuse. The new position will be more general when it comes to
children's health.

"From what we understood, the money was going to be re-disbursed in
the valley," said Ms. Chaney, adding that the high school believed her
position would continue but they were "way off" in their estimation.

Ms. Allen said changing the job structure "feels exciting" and
Interior Health is moving toward "a comprehensive school health approach."

The generic scope of Interior Health's restructure concerns Ms.
Chaney, who argues the program won't have an impact on substance abuse
without a strong focus.

"If it's become something that's hugely broad, the messages just get
missed," she said.

The high school received $57,816.13 last year for the position and
Principal Darren Danyluk said between $30,000 and $35,000 was paid to
Ms. Chaney as salary.

The rest of the funding went to travel costs and programs such as the
annual dry graduation for grade 12s, a movie night in Banff, I Am
Beautiful and Campaign of Strength. All of these programs are at risk
without Interior Health funding.

High school administrators can reapply to fund the position for the
2011-2012 school year.

Invermere resident Hilda Jensen has two daughters attending the high
school and said she was "shocked" to hear the position is being
removed. She called Interior Health's decision "stupid."

"I'm really sad to think they are going to lose her," she said. Drugs
and alcohol are a problem among students and need to be deterred, she
added.

Ms. Chaney's popular movie night in Banff transported a bus-load of
students to Banff for a day.

"It's a nice evening out where they are not bored," Ms. Chaney said.