CAQ education plan favours parents

Disappointment does not begin to describe my reaction to The Record editorial on Feb. 5 : "Get ready for his comupins."

Regarding the Coalition Avenir Quebec school board reform plan, Sharon Mccully, warns Education Minister Jean-françois Roberge that he is about "to get schooled by Anglos on the English-speaking community's historic, cultural and legal right to democratically elect representatives to manage their schools."

She starts her article by making reference to Parti Québécois Education Minister Camille Laurin, who in 1983, wanted "to dismantle locally-elected school boards" but was forced to back down. Around 1997, Education Minister Pauline Marois transformed confessional boards (Protestant and Catholic) to linguistic boards - English and French. (In 1998, Francois Legault became minister of education and there was not one word about scrapping school board elections.)

At any rate, Mrs. Mccully continues by stating that "our own board would be wise to ponder what parents really mean when the say they want greater say in school board decisions and policies."

This is true for every board, and this is the reason the preamble of Quebec Liberal Party school board reform Bill 86, in 2015, clearly states :

"...to give schools a greater say in decision-making and ensure parents' presence within each board's decision-making body."

And that's where the disappointment lies: the editorial does not mention the QLP once, nor its plan, which the CAQ is roughly following.

CHRIS EUSTACE MONTREAL