Berkeley Institute's board of governors has accused the Education Ministry of reneging on several promises, including providing 11 new staff members and resources for September.

And the board warned that Berkeley will not be able to accept any new students in September, if the Ministry does not honour its previous commitment.

That point was stressed yesterday in a five-page statement issued by the board and when some one dozen parents converged outside the House of Assembly with a petition bearing about 80 signatures.

The petition called for the Ministry to abide by an agreement reached between the Ministry and Berkeley to provide all of the additional teachers and resources needed for September.

Berkeley -- which is intended to become the second of Government's senior secondary schools -- originally did not plan to take in classes of new students until next year.

But after several meetings and correspondence with the Ministry, Berkeley agreed in March to take in 90 of some 360 students -- finishing middle school -- to assist the Ministry in freeing up space at CedarBridge Academy.

However, the board clearly outlined its terms for accepting such students, including a request that the Minister (at the time Jerome Dill) approve hiring for 39 teachers -- an increase of five teaching and six support staff.

Mr. Dill agreed that Berkeley would receive the staff and resources needed to take in 90 students and announced this at a Press conference on April 15.

But since that time, the board stated, "the actions of the Ministry of Education have served to undermine the very foundation of trust and mutual cooperation upon which the agreement was reached''.

Pointing to specific examples of this, the board said: the Chief Education Officer allocated more students to Berkeley without prior discussion; the failure of the resource person to produce a timetable -- the sole purpose for which that person was requested and provided; the unannounced production, by the same resource person, of a report on staffing requirements which was based on incomplete data and prepared without the board and the principal's knowledge and input; the Ministry's decision to reduce the previously agreed staffing levels by four persons (two teaching and two support staff); the failure of the Ministry to approve two additional scale posts (Year Head for incoming students and a Head of Guidance who would coordinate the support staff); and the inclusion by the Ministry of three students with very serious behavioural problems, contrary to the previous Minister's assurance.

"The Board wishes to publicly reaffirm its commitment to providing the same high quality of educational experience to the student population in September 1998 as we have over the past 100 years,'' it stated. "The Board can do this if, and only if, the Ministry of Education fulfils all of the terms of the agreement that we have negotiated in the best interest of the incoming students.'' It also pointed out that "the Berkeley family'' had consistently demonstrated it willingness to compromise, including by agreeing to participate in education reform as a public school; agreeing to accept 90 additional students; and by accepting $600,000 for repairs to the school when estimates were in excess of $1 million.

"We trust that we can depend on the integrity of the Minister in this vital matter,'' president of Berkeley's PTSA Wilfreda Lightbourne said before handing the petition to Education Minister Tim Smith.

Mr. Smith, who is scheduled to meet with Berkeley's board chairman Calvin White next Wednesday, told the House of Assembly last night that: "I have every confidence that these matters will be dealt with next week. I'm committed to making sure the Ministry resolves these matters very soon.''