MONTREAL- Changes to the governing board rules in Quebec mean that for the first time parents and families will get a say as to who becomes chair of the school board in their region.
The official nomination period starts September 23rd and runs until Sunday, the 28th.
A social media campaign was mounted urging broadcaster and former NDP candidate Anne Lagacé Dowson to run as chairperson of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB).
Monday, she announced she is running.
She’ll be facing off against current EMSB chair Angela Mancini.
“I have watched the school board meetings online and you can see how dysfunctional they are,” Lagacé Dowson explained.
“Those of us who have kids in the system, bang up against some of these bureaucratic roadblocks.”
Lagacé Dowson’s priorities include more French in schools, protecting special needs funding and a need for more transparency at the school board.
She says she’s also committed to solve the issue of declining enrollment.
“It’s an opportunity to jump in and make a change,” she said.
Over the years, English school boards have had a hard time getting students in their classes; citing low birth rate, changing demographics and Quebec’s language laws as the culprits.
Quebec school board elections will be held on Sunday, November 2nd.
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