WATCH ABOVE: School boards got some support from their colleagues in English Canada Wednesday as they fight to maintain their institutions. Howard Cohen finds out why.
MONTREAL – Quebec school boards received support from colleagues across Canada in their fight for self-preservation as they launched another offensive to try to protect their institutions.
Last April, Quebec Education Minister François Blais served notice that he intends to abolish school boards.
“This is not simply a question of democracy,” said David D’Aoust, president of the Quebec Association of English School Boards.
“It is a question of the survival of our English speaking community in Quebec; a minority community.”
READ MORE: Can Quebec school board elections be saved? Should they be?
“Providing our communities with a voice in the decision process is democracy,” added Floyd Martens, vice president of the Canadian School Boards Association.
“Electing representatives gives community a voice in who makes decisions on our behalf.”
But not everyone agrees.
Andrew Ross, a parent commissioner of the English Montreal School Board, wants to take advantage of the reform to increase the representation of parents in school governance.
“Parents need to have that stronger role,” he said.
“So it’s out with the old system and in with something new.”
Turnout at last fall’s school board election was 17 per cent for English school boards.
“Our system right now is a relic of a bygone era,” said Ross.
“The turnout of elections for school boards is an indicator that the general public does not have an interest in having these elections take place.”
Chris Eustace, a former teacher, welcomes the change.
“The government should pay more attention to the classroom, not the boardroom,” said Eustace.
He also argued that the money saved by abolishing school boards would result in cost savings.
Yet, opponents continue to raise concerns.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” said D’Aoust.
“We firmly believe that the government’s time would be better spent working on reaching agreements with our teachers, professionals and support staff for the benefit of our students and also find ways to improve the present electoral system.”
The education minister is expected to table his school board reform bill sometime this fall.
Until that happens, school boards will continue to fight.
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