MONTREAL – An overwhelming 91 per cent of parents said they are satisfied with the level of English instruction their children are receiving, according to a survey by the English Montreal School Board’s Central Parents Committee (CPC).
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That number dips to 73 per cent for French instruction.
About 850 families responded to the survey, with 69 per cent of parents saying they don’t believe the EMSB’s Commissioners value their opinion.
“I think it shows a lot of disillusionment about how decisions are made at the school board level,” said CPC member Andrew Ross.
“Two out of every three parents at the school board don’t believe the council of commissioners actually thinks about their opinions. For a commission that’s supposed to be looking at those views, that’s an astonishingly bad number.”
The survey was wide-ranging, covering questions from the reasons for sending children to English schools to government cutbacks.
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The results come at a time where the English school boards are fighting for survival.
In April, Education Minister François Blais announced a plan to abolish school board elections because of low voter turnout and high cost.
“We’re seeing that parents are demanding change. They have lost faith and lost confidence in the structure of the school board right now,” Ross insisted.
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The Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA) declined Global News’ request for comment.
According to the parents’ commission, the EMSB initially tried to block the survey from being distributed to parents.
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The board claimed that out of 19,000 students in their schools, the number of parents who responded was too low.
“It’s not significant to me in terms of the numbers saying we need to act quickly. However, there are obviously disgruntled parents that are sending us a message,” said EMSB Commissioner Angela Mancini.
More results from the survey are expected to be released after governing board meetings wrap up on Sept. 30.
On Wednesday, a group representing Quebec’s English school boards will unveil their alternatives for selecting commissioners.
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