CedarBridge Academy may be forced to drastically reduce after school activities in the new year.

Only one-third of the funds needed to run such activities has been allocated, according to Bermuda Union of Teachers general secretary Sen. Milton Scott.

Estimating that it will cost between $90,000 to $100,000 a year to properly offer extra-curricular activities at the senior secondary school which has more than 1,100 students, Mr. Scott said the $30,000 committed by the Education Ministry will not be sufficient.

"I don't know if they will have extracurricular activities up there in the new year,'' Sen. Scott added.

But senior manager of the Education Department's human resources, Raymond Latter, told The Royal Gazette officials there had allotted as much money as possible for honoraria at CedarBridge.

"The level of honoraria came out of the review board some seven years ago, into the terms and conditions of teaching,'' Mr. Latter said. "That's what the honoraria should be.

"The union are saying that CedarBridge is a special case and more money should be put into it.

"They are saying if we give kids more to do, then they would not get into so much trouble, which is true. But we have already put more money into CedarBridge.'' Under the collective agreement which expired in August, funds for extra-curricular activities are to be allocated to schools according to size, Mr. Latter explained.

One-form entry schools received some $3,000 a year while CedarBridge -- which would as a high school only be entitled to about $14,000 -- will receive some $30,000, he said.

However, Mr. Latter admitted that the Ministry would like to be able to allocate more to the school.

"We are sympathetic with what the union is saying and we're trying to do all that we can,'' he said. "But we have to operate within constraints ourselves.

It is a matter of balancing our budget and doing all that we can with what we can.'' Shortly before Christmas BUT executives were given a draft proposal of what the Education Ministry could provide in honoraria, Mr. Latter added.

"At the moment we can see where possible -- if some schools don't use all their money -- how we can shuffle some more money to CedarBridge,'' he said.

"Unfortunately our funds are allocated on a financial year basis, but the school year runs differently.

"We recognise their needs, but we just can't give them everything they want at this time.'' When asked about the matter, Education Minister Jerome Dill said he would like to see the honoraria issue and others concerning teachers' working conditions exhausted by union and Ministry officials before getting himself and his Cabinet colleagues involved.

Dill's CedarBridge vow: Page 7