Tensions mount at English Montreal School Board

More than 40 principals from across the island of Montreal showed up en masse to the English Montreal School Board council of commissioners meeting Wednesday night to show support for administrators.

Administrators are at odds with some elected commissioners they say are meddling and overstepping their roles.

In October, elected EMSB chair, Angela Mancini invited administrators and elected commissioners to a retreat so that they could better define their roles and responsibilities.

In response, administrators, who say they are “united team”, sent a letter signed by 12 managers, to Mancini and the council saying they face “a lack of respect” at council meetings.

The letter goes on to say that “Commissioners have a responsibility to promote a learning and working environment that ensures the dignity and psychological integrity of every individual” and that “there is a general lack of support and recognition on the part of Governance towards the work being accomplished by the Administration.”

The letter also asked for professional development sessions with an independent facilitator who would help define the roles and responsibilities of members, instead of the retreat suggested by Mancini.

At the two previous council meetings, commissioners overturned decisions made by school principals, decisions that were supported by senior administration.

Opposition commissioners say this latest dust up is a symptom of rampant “favoritism” at the English Montreal School Board.

There are also allegations that elected commissioners have tried to obtain employment for family members, when other candidates who should have been considered.

Opposition commissioners Agostino Cannavino and Julien Feldman, have written to Quebec Education Minister Sébastien Proulx asking that he place the board under trusteeship.

In the letter, the two opposition commissioners also suggest that Quebec’s corruption squad should be investigating the school board.

“We are concerned that costly contract change orders have systematically been approved by our Executive Committee and Council of Commissioners without adequate justification of the requests. It would not be unreasonable to consign these matters to the UPAC division of the Sureté du Québec to investigate.”

In a release sent out Thursday, the members of senior management at the EMSB say they want to disassociate themselves from the allegations.

“Unfortunately, our letter was leaked to the press and was subsequently used as a launch pad for a political smear campaign,” said Director General Ann Marie Matheson.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Unfortunately, our letter was leaked to the press and was subsequently used as a launch pad for a political smear campaign," said Director General Ann Marie Matheson.

“This was an internal and confidential correspondence between governance and administration and I deplore that it was sent to the media.”

She also said that putting the board under Ministry trusteeship is “disrespectful” and “tarnishes the school board as a whole.”