Latest news with #Beckstead
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Solid double for Thunder
The Dunedin Thunder completed the home stretch of their New Zealand Ice Hockey League campaign with a pair of solid wins over the Canterbury Red Devils at the weekend. One more doubleheader awaits — the always tricky road trip to play the Stampede in Queenstown — before the playoffs. The Thunder beat the Red Devils 6-2 in the first of two games at the Dunedin Ice Stadium. Jack Lewis scored the home side's opener after 11min, and Ian Audas and Cole Beckstead — with a short-handed goal — made it 3-0 halfway through the second period. Fabian Hast pulled one back for the Red Devils but Luke Stegmann got the Thunder back to 4-1 heading into the final period. A sharp Haydn Boul gave the Cantabrians some hope before Audas scored on the power play. There were a flurry of penalties late in the game before both Tristan Darling and Hast copped game misconduct penalties for fighting, and the pair were immediately suspended for game two. When the dust settled on the brouhaha, Beckstead scored a second short-handed goal with just 3sec left on the clock. Beckstead and Christopher Eaden each added two assists for the Thunder, who had 44 shots to their opponents' 23. The Thunder won game two 5-2. Audas opened the scoring after just 2min 56sec on the power play, and while Boul quickly equalised, Adam Stitlely fired the Thunder back in front. Dima Maistrenok-Zubkovskii and Beckstead traded goals in the second period before Beckstead got a second early in the third and Audas sealed the win with a short-hander close to the finish. It was another niggly game with a bunch of penalties that culminated in Canterbury forward Garth Te Rangi-Henare being marched for abusing an official. The Thunder move to third in the table with a record of eight wins, one overtime win and five losses. In the first of two games between the teams at the top of the table, the Stampede came from 2-1 down to beat the Botany Swarm 4-2 in Auckland on Saturday night.
Business Insider
19-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A HENRY aims to save $100,000 for his kids' futures but won't push college: 'Trade school is a really good option'
Cimarron Beckstead, 39, has put over $20,000 into his two kids' college savings accounts — and he didn't have to put any of his own money aside. Instead, he thanks the state of Alaska for annual oil dividend checks. "We wanted to put it into an investment account for their future rather than just spend it on a new TV or whatever else we want right now," Beckstead, a father of a five- and seven-year-old, told Business Insider. "We're going to recalculate everything as they start getting a little bit older and see if we need to start adding more ourselves. But as of right now, we have not actually put any of our money in there." Beckstead is referring to Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend. The state's revenue department allocates an annual payment to Alaska residents from the investment earnings of oil and minerals revenue. The amount of the check varies based on the fund's performance. The 2024 dividend amount was $1,702, up from $1,312 a year prior. Beckstead and his wife both work for major telecommunications companies, and he said theircombined income is in the low six figures. He identifies as a HENRY — or high earner, not rich yet — a group that typically makes a six-figure income but, due to cost-of-living, student-loan debt, or a mortgage, must be cautious in order to live within their means. Are you a HENRY (a high earner, not rich yet)? How are you thinking about big financial decisions, like college savings, housing, or childcare? Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@ Beckstead said that he wants to ensure his sons are aware of all the postsecondary options they have, like trade school, when they get closer to college age. Neither Beckstead nor his wife had to take out student loans for their educations due to their jobs paying for their degrees; Beckstead said his degree in IT business management has not yet furthered his career, but he's grateful to have pursued his degree because he believes "knowledge has more value than just career prospects." His goal is to have a combined $100,000 saved for both of his children, allowing them the same financial freedom that Beckstead said he was grateful to have. "We feel very fortunate that we both ended up with companies that paid for our college, but by no means is that guaranteed," Beckstead said. "So we wanted to give our kids an opportunity in life where we kind of felt like we got lucky." 'Trade school is a really good option' Beckstead puts Alaska's yearly dividend checks directly into the state's 529 accounts. These are state-sponsored investment accounts that allow money to grow tax-free and can be used to cover education expenses. Alaska offers one of the top 529 plans due to its low expense ratio and benefits for future University of Alaska students. If his kids express interest in a college route that's more expensive than costs at a state school, Beckstead said he would likely withdraw some money from his savings or 401(k) to help supplement any additional expenses. "I think we should be okay," Beckstead said. "We should be in a good enough financial position to pay for college within reason, as long as it's a public school within in-state, or a trade school, or something like that." The higher education sphere is rapidly changing as more young people are questioning the value of a college degree, and there's a growing interest in alternative postsecondary routes like trade school or directly entering the workforce. President Donald Trump's administration has even joined the trade school push — Trump recently suggested that federal funding for Harvard should be redirected to trade schools, an area of investment which he said is "badly needed." Still, college continues to be the primary route that students take after high school. The New York Federal Reserve recently found that college graduates continue to earn more than those without a four-year degree; the median worker with a college degree earned about $80,000 a year, compared to $47,000 for a worker with just a high school diploma. "I'd like to give them their options," Beckstead said. "I'm really going to try to push them to do something in-state because it's more economically feasible, but honestly, if I had to push them in any direction, I think trade school is a really good option." While some Americans are able to pay off their student loans if they are able to find a steady-paying job after graduating, BI has previously spoken to dozens of older borrowers who have been paying off their student loans well into retirement with no end in sight, and regret pursuing their higher educations. The future of Alaska's yearly checks is uncertain. Some state lawmakers have introduced legislation to lower the annual dividend amount to a flat rate of $1,000 and would eliminate the dividend for anyone making over $50,000 a year — or $100,000 a year for a married couple — which would make Beckstead ineligible, if passed. Beckstead knows that the annual checks might not last forever, and he still wants to ensure his kids will have the funds they need for whichever path they choose. He said that he will plan to supplement with his savings if the dividends go away, and that, regardless of where the contributions are coming from, the 529 accounts will continue to grow. "I'm hoping they'll have enough, depending on what they do, that there would be plenty to pay for the whole thing if they decide to go to college," Beckstead said. "And if it's going to cost more at that point than we have money saved, then we'll just hopefully be able to help them pay for whatever the remainder is."
Ottawa Citizen
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Explainer: What provincial investigation of the ODSCB means
Article content That possibility hasn't disappeared. In 2018, Nova Scotia dissolved elected school boards. School governance is managed by advisory councils appointed by the provincial government instead of school boards. Article content Why was the OCDSB under supervision before? Under Mike Harris' Conservative government, the province and cash-strapped school boards were battling over who had control of education. In 1998, the province took away school boards' taxation powers. Ottawa always had a strong tax base. That led to the expectation that education extras could always be provided for by raising taxes. The school board spent its last $20 million in reserves in 2001-2002. The following year, it faced trimming $26 million and submitted a deficit budget. The province sent forensic auditor Al Rosen to Ottawa to check the books. Rosen's report blamed trustees for the shortfall, saying they had 'self-inflicted' their own financial pain, and recommended the province appoint a supervisor. In August 2002 Merv Beckstead, the pragmatic and plain-spoken former chief administrative officer for the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and the City of Nepean, was appointed to supervise the OCDSB. He became a lightning rod for parents and opponents of the Harris government. Junior kindergarten, transportation and special education were on the chopping block, but the most emotional discussions were about closing schools. Failing to close schools had resulted in the school board losing millions in grants, Beckstead reflected in a 2003 op-ed he wrote for the Ottawa Citizen. 'Many trustees apparently refuse to acknowledge the instability and uncertainty they have created by failing to make organization changes, in areas for which they have control, to maximize quality operational effectiveness and efficiency, and to maximize funding eligibility,' Beckstead wrote. There were major cuts to other Ontario school boards under supervision. The supervisor of the Toronto District School Board recommended $90 million in savings in a budget that included no money for teacher salary increases. There were reasons to freak out in Ottawa. One consultant's report recommended that the OCDSB close 58 schools over 15 years. That didn't happen. There were court cases, including one in Ottawa, where education activists tried to get Beckstead's appointment overturned, claiming that appointing a supervisor was unfair, unlawful, discriminatory, arbitrary and 'offends to values of democracy inherent in the Canadian Constitution.' They lost. Did anything good come of it for schools? The process forced the province to acknowledge that underfunding of education was an issue. Beckstead had to borrow $13.9 million. A 2002 report by Mordechai Rozanski, president of the University of Guelph, recommended a $1.8 billion cash infusion over the next three years. The province responded with $250 million for special education over two years. Two days after Rozanski's report landed, another $340 million was announced to settle teachers' contracts. Three days later, there was $20 million more for transportation. The OCDSB received $20 million out of the total cash infusion. Are schools currently underfunded? The Ontario government says it has invested more than $29 billion in total education funding for the 2024-25 school year. However, according to analysis by the Ontario Public School Boards Association released earlier in May, there's a funding gap of more than $1 billion. Actual per-pupil funding from the province is increasing a small amount from $13,584 to $13,834, an increase of $250 or 1.8 per cent compared to last year. In 2018, per pupil funding was $12,282.44. Funding increases do no take inflation into account, the analysis said. 'Funding, when adjusted for inflation, now sits at $11,506.03, a gap of $776.41 per student. This is the lowest level of per pupil funding in more than 10 years.' Article content Article content That's not the stated objective, but it will probably help. However, even if the review produces savings, they would be a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed. The cost-cutting is not over yet. Article content OCDSB director of education Pino Buffone told trustees earlier in May that the education ministry had spoken to school board representatives for years about structural issues, including running multiple tracks at the elementary level being 'an impossible reality.' Article content The board is spreading itself too thin and needs to streamline to two program offerings, English and French immersion, Buffone said. Article content 'We need to get smarter with our resources, mobilize them ore effectively,' he told trustees. 'We're not taking any money from this review and putting it in our back pocket. We are remobilizing what we have to serve students better than when we load schools in multiple tracks.' The school board has been 'distracted by a series of other things,' Buffone said. 'We are an organization that has taken away from our core business, and we have strayed.' Article content Article content Article content Minister of Education Paul Calandra has not minced words, saying the province will be 'relentless' in holding school boards accountable. 'We have been clear: Transparency and accountability from Ontario school boards is mandatory,' he said. 'Further actions will be taken if the situation at these school boards does not improve. As the new Minister of Education, I will be looking at every avenue to bring more transparency, consistency and accountability to all school boards across the province.' Article content What does history have to say about the situation? The investigator's report may not lead to supervision and could lead to vindication of the argument that the board is underfunded, said Rob Campbell, who was chair of the Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils when the OCDSB was last under supervision. He was later a two-term trustee. It may depend on the investigator and how the government responds, Campbell said. 'Do they play tough with the school boards? There are a lot of political questions here,' he said. 'The investigator will report, but it's up to the province to decide what next steps to take.' School closures are not on the table this time. In fact, the opposite is true, and there's a moratorium on closing schools. The report may show that inflation and other new expenses have overwhelmed provincial funding, Campbell said. 'Best-case scenario, the report may recommend more money.'
