The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 11

Turlington Deaths 2B Money 4B Tuesday, March 1 7, 1 987 12) Use of Non-Certified Teachers Up By SUSAN ALLEN Free Press Capital Bureau MONTPELIER A teacher shortage in parts of Vermont is forcing school superintendents to hire a growing number of non-certified instructors, state officials said Monday. The number of non-certified teachers, individuals who have not fulfilled such requirements as student teaching or specific college course work, increased from 13 in 1983 to 48 last year, according to a survey that will be presented to the state Education Board today. Although this year's number is at 45, education officials expect school reliance on non-certified teachers to increase in future years unless steps are taken to eliminate the root of the shortage problem low pay. The survey was conducted by the Education Department. "Why we don't have fully certified people available salaries," said Richard Lang, executive director of the Vermont-National Education Association.

A recent state Education Department study showed that up to 15 percent of the cants must have "extraordinary qualifications." The waiver is good for one school year. The applicant can reapply for one more waiver, but must receive certification within that two-year period to continue teaching. But Lang worries that districts will cut costs by hiring waivered instructors, frequently younger and less-experienced people, to fill part-time positions at salaries lower than retired, certified teachers. Thirty-six of the 122 waivers approved since 1983 have been for part-time positions, most of them in rural areas of the state, which are hit the hardest by the teacher shortage. The Northeast Kingdom part of the state is the leader in hiring non-certified teachers, hiring 11 this year and a total of 35 since 1983.

"The (certified) ones who do come are disappointed with the salary," Lengel said. He said the average teacher in Vermont makes $23,000 a year, but salaries vary around the state from $10,000 to the low $30, 000s. Salaries in rural districts tend to be on the lower end of the scale. teachers in Vermont leave the profession annually, citing low salaries and limited job potential. The shortage is most prevalent in math, science and business education.

There is no relief in sight, Lang said, because enrollment in college education programs is declining while the number of teachers retiring in Vermont is increasing. Deputy Education Commissioner James Lengel said waiving certification is a temporary solution to the problem. The administration appointed a task force last fall to study the teacher shortage, and is expected to present a report to Gov. Madeleine Kunin this year outlining suggestions for alleviating the problem. The standards for granting a certification waiver are stringent to assure that only quality non-certified instructors are allowed into the school system, Lengel said.

Each waiver must be granted by Education Commissioner Stephen Kaagan. There are several criteria for approval, including proof of a severe shortage of certified teachers in the region as well as in the subject matter. He also said appli In the northwestern section of the state 27 non-certified teachers have been hired since 1983. But Chittenden County, where one-third of all teachers in the state are located, has not been affected by the shortage. Lawrence LeCours, assistant superintendent of South Burlington schools, said several Burlington colleges train teachers, and the "desirable location and good salary schedule" keep them in the area.

"There may be a teacher shortage on the horizon," LeCours said. "Who knows, maybe a year from now I'll be crying the blues. But so far there has been no shortage. "Maybe there have been some areas where there have been fewer candidates," he said, listing mathematics, science and business education. "But we have not been in a bind to hire qualified teachers." Bonnie Clavell of the Burlington superintendent's office said there are some certified teachers working as classroom aides for $5 an hour, awaiting openings in the system they are qualified to fill.

i.i- I is 1 V. 1 1 State Pulls Hazardous Waste Permit By ENRIQUE CORREDERA Free Press Staff Writer The state Motor Vehicle Department has revoked all New England Marine Contractors Inc. permits to transport hazardous waste, citing violations of hazardous waste transportation regulations. State officials refused Monday to release any details of the violations. "We have determined that they have violated regulations that are serious enough to cause a revocation.

We believe they're very serious violations," Commissioner William Conway said. The Williston company is one of the state's major contractors for cleanup operations involving hazardous materials. The company cleans up spills and transports the hazardous substances to several disposal facilities around New England. Conway said a revocation notice was mailed to the company Friday. New England Marine has 10 days to request a hearing to make its case.

The revocation is effective March 23. Unsuccessful attempts were made Monday to reach Charles Peterson, the company's president. However, his wife, Jan, said, "It's a real bummer, they're real clean people and someone is making a lot of dirt, we're sick of it, that's all I can say." Motor Vehicles, a department of the Agency of Transportation, issued the revocation after a joint investigation with the Waste Management Division of the Water Resources Department. The investigation began last month with two inspections at the company. "We found some things that concerned us," Water Resources Commissioner Jonathan Lash has said.

Waste Management has not taken any action dealing with its end of the investigation. John A. Malter, head of the division, who also declined to disclose details of the investigation, said it will be two or three weeks before the case reaches the attorney general's office. Despite the fact that New England Marine is the only company in the state that handles cleanup and transportation of hazardous waste, officials Monday did not seemed worried. "I'm a devotee of the capitalist system; if they're not there to do the job, there'll be others who are qualified to do it," Conway said.

"There are a number of people with hazardous waste permits in the state. Whether they do the same type of work, I have no knowledge of that." Malter said that in the event of an emergency, companies would have to be called out of Albany, N.Y., New Hampshire and Massachusetts. "There's no problem because we can deal with other companies," he said. In order to get back in business, New England Marine needs to get a new certificate from the state Agency of Environmental Conservation. Motor Vehicles revoked all 21 of the company's permits.

One is issued for each vehicle that transports hazardous waste. Smoking Ban Is Supported In the House By DON MELVIN Free Press Capital Bureau MONTPELIER The Vermont House gave overwhelming support Monday to a bill that would protect non-smokers from breathing secondhand smoke from tobacco while on the job. "We're very pleased," exulted Guy Page, a spokesman for the Vermont Lung Association, after he thrust a victory fist in the air. "And we're optimistic about how it will fare in the Senate." After the vote, Ed Miller, a lobbyist for the Tobacco Institute, sounded resigned to passage of some form of the bill this year. He said he would like to see it "improved" in the Senate by making it less restrictive.

"What the vote showed us," he said, "was there was a sentiment to do something about the problem." An informal survey on Town Meeting Day showed more than 80 percent of those responding favored restrictions on smoking in workplaces. The feelings of constituents apparently had an effect on House members, who gave lopsided support to a bill that was strongly rejected a year ago. If passed by the Senate, the bill would limit smoking in any enclosed work site to designated areas, unless every employee agreed otherwise. Gov. Madeleine M.

Kunin supports the bill. Technically, the House gave only preliminary approval to the bill, which probably will come up for final approval today. But the vote was so overwhelming there is little doubt it will pass. The bill passed on a voice vote, and the key question of whether to accept the Health and Welfare Committee's version of the bill passed 113-26. Despite the margin, the issue provoked spirited debate for nearly two hours.

"Your right to smoke ends at my nose," said Rep. Eugene Godt, D-Brookline, who led the fight for the bill. He cited a study by the U.S. surgeon general that said, "It is certain that a substantial portion of the lung cancers in non-smokers are attributable to secondhand tobacco smoke." But Rep. Frank J.

DaPrato, D-Swanton, said, "This bill is just another mandate. It's an intrusion into the private sector." He and other opponents of the bill argued the issue should be resolved voluntarily. Attempts to modify the bill were soundly defeated. One amendment, which would have allowed the majority of employees to set a company's Turn to SMOKING, 2B Many Able To Kick Habit By DAVID KARVELAS Free Press Capital Bureau MONTPELIER Less than 10 minutes after debate began on the smoking bill Monday, Rep. Edward Lucas, R-Bridgewater, got up from his desk and left the House chamber.

He stepped into the hall to have a cigarette while he pondered his upcoming amendment. Lucas, who tried unsuccessfully to water down the bill, said between puffs that some type of voluntary policy addressing smoking in the workplace was needed. "People look at smokers as though they're lepers," he said. "For the comfort of both parties, it's a good idea." The bill, which would limit smoking to designated areas in the workplace, is one of the few legislative issues capable of affecting virtually every adult Vermonter. Seventy percent of all Vermonters do not smoke, a list that includes Gov.

Madeleine Kunin, who kicked the habit on election night in 1980; House Speaker Ralph Wright, who put away his pipe five years ago; Republican House Leader Michael Bernhardt, who gave up two packs of Pall Malls 19 years ago, and Lt. Gov. Howard Dean, who never smoked in his life. The number of residents in the state who consider themselves smokers has been decreasing by roughly 7 percent annually, except among young women, according to the state Health Department. The bill passed by the House Monday came in response to scientific data that claims passive inhalation of tobacco smoke can be dangerous.

Forty percent of all deaths in Vermont are related to heart problems, and smoking is a leading contributor of heart disease, said Deborah Dame-ron, a health promotion specialist with the department. A person from a blue-collar background is nearly twice as likely to smoke as a professional worker, Dameron said, adding that surveys have shown that 41 percent of blue-collar workers smoked, compared with 24 percent of professionals. Of the 30 percent who smoke in Vermont, 32 percent are men and 28 percent are women, Dameron said. Smoking peaked during World War II, when about 45 percent of the people in the nation lit up, she said. immm 4 Mayoral Spending Reported By MARK JOHNSON Free Press Staff Writer Independent Mayor Bernard Sanders raised and spent more money than Democratic opponent Paul Lafayette in winning a fourth term as mayor of Burlington.

According to financial disclosure forms filed by the candidates, Sanders raised $37,480 and spent $37,024 in his re-election bid while Lafayette, a Ward 5 alderman, raised $34,843 and spent $33,963 trying to unseat Sanders. Sanders listed unpaid debts of $2,020 and Lafayette listed unpaid debts of $1,409. The financial reports also show Caryl Stewart raised $5,190 and spent $11,629 in her unsuccessful effort to win the Democratic nomination. She listed outstanding debts of $8,652, including a $6,000 loan from the Bank of Vermont. The amount spent by the candi-' dates, $82,616, comes close to the record of more than $86,000 spent in 1983.

However, unlike this year's head-to-head race following the Democratic caucus, there were three candidates in 1983: Sanders, Democrat Judith Stephany and Republican James Gilson. In 1985, three candidates, Sanders, Democrat Brian Burns and Diane Gallagher, a Republican alderman who ran as an independent, spent nearly $62,000 in the mayor's race. Sanders donated $1,000 toward his own campaign. The second-largest contributor was former Alderman Richard Musty and his wife, Sherrill, who donated $845. Other large contributors included Samuel "Frank" and Patricia Sampson, longtime Progressive supporters, $635, and Bruce Seifer, who works in the city Community and Economic Development Office, $583.

Public Health and Safety Director Stephen Goodkind and his wife, Kathleen Hibbert, donated $500. Lafayette's largest contributors were Marcoin Business Services and LTH Associates, which donated $1,000 each. The Burlington Democratic Committee donated $950. Other large contributors included the Shamrock Henry Club, $525, and Robert Desautels, $500. Most expenditures by both mayoral candidates were for radio and newspaper advertising.

Some of the aldermanic candidates filed financial reports. Progressive Tom Smith raised $1,867 and spent $1,587 in his successful Ward 3 aldermanic campaign. Smith's opponent, Democrat Dan Ryan listed contributions of $565 and expenses of $613. Republican Paul Robar did not file a report. Democrat Susan Wheeler raised $1,125 and spent $1,219 in the Ward 6 aldermanic race.

Bea Bookchin, who ran as a Green, raised $1,633 and spent $1,471. Republican Paul Sutherland, who won the race, did not file. In Ward 2, Progressive Alderman Terrill Bouricius raised $1,630 and spent $2,088 in defeating Democrat Rick Sharp, who did not file a report. Bouricius had a debt of $458. In Ward 5, Democrat Nancy Chioffi raised $1,280 and spent $1,396 before the March 3 election.

Chioffi, who had a $214 debt, faces a runoff election against independent Mary Bentley, who did not file a post-election report. The Committee for a Better Waterfront, a group of businessmen who supported the waterfront bond, listed contributions of $2,441 and expenses of $2,437, and a $102 debt. Free Press Photo by MARK T. SASAHARA Walking Tall Tomas Solej of Winooski heads up Hall Street in Winooski on stilts recently. Jason Barton, 8, left, and Tommy Cota, 6, watch during Solej's second turn around the block.

Board Denies Request by Hill By MARK JOHNSON Free Press Staff Writer The Judicial Conduct Board has declined to answer a question by Supreme Court Justice William Hill about whether it knew he had not been given a chance to respond to allegations about his judicial conduct before charges were filed against him. The request was one of several filed by lawyers for Hill in response to 25 counts brought against him, two ether Supreme Court justices and a former Chittenden Superior Court assistant judge. Among the counts filed against Hill, Justices Thomas Hayes and Ernest Gibson III and Assistant Judge Jane Wheel are allegations the justices intervened inappropriately on Wheel's behalf and on one occasion sought to have Attorney General charges filed, assume a role similar to a prosecutor and no longer advise the board on legal questions. Alan George, a Rutland attorney, is now advising the board on legal questions, according to Richard Mallary, the acting conduct board chairman. The board on Monday also gave its counsel an extension until March 21 to file responses to motions filed by the four judges.

In a related development, Burlington lawyer Edward Flanagan, a friend of Hayes', has said he would ask newly appointed conduct board Chairman Ralph Foote to initiate a probe of Mallary, whom Flanagan said failed to review adequately the justices' side of the story before the formal complaint was filed. Flanagan said he believes if Mallary and the board had reviewed the details of the justices' version of the events, they never would have found probable cause and the case would have been dismissed. Mallary said he had no comment except to say he believes if the board functioned improperly, there should be a forum for redress. The justice's attorneys, Carl Lisman and Michael Marks, also asked the board members to admit there is no precedent for eight of the 11 counts the board filed against Hill, who has denied all allegations. The board ruled Monday that the request by Hill's lawyers is "improper and therefore barred." "Were such a practice ever permitted, it would be the courts (here the Judicial Conduct Board) on trial, not the litigants," the ruling said.

"The board, however, like a presiding judge, is shielded by privilege from discovery of the kind here sought." The ruling did say Hill's lawyers could obtain evidence collected by the board by making requests to the board's special counsel, Douglas Richards and William Donahue. The two attorneys headed the investigation into the complaints that led to the conduct charges. Lisman said later Monday that he was "a little lost what the board is trying to tell us" and that it was not clear "who is going to play what role in this whole process" and who should be asked to provide the information they seek. Richards and Donahue prepared the complaint jor the board but now, with the Jeffrey Amestoy questioned about the length of his criminal investigation of her. The board, in an order filed Monday, denied a request by Hill's lawyers to have the panel answer more than 35 questions about the investigation, including the identity of all individuals who have provided information to the board, as well as to describe all communications that led to the charges against Hill..