School system isn’t working

Report recommends scrapping most N.S. boards into single aligned model

Nova Scotia’s school system is failing its students, according to a provincially ordered report that recommends all Englishlanguage boards be scrapped in favour of a single “aligned model.”

Education consultant Avis Glaze released a report Tuesday that says the system is not working because of a “lack of clarity and coherence,” and as a result, students are in many cases performing below average compared to the rest of the country.

Glaze says the administrative system should be realigned to reflect a unified and provincewide focus on students, with any savings directed back to classrooms.

She said she heard a lot about mistrust within the province’s school system during the course of her consultations across the province.

“They (people she consulted) said they had made recommendations in many cases and they have not been listened to. They have said that too many of our actions were political, and people mistrust when they think there is a political rationale rather than an educational rationale.”

Glaze, who formerly served as Ontario’s education commissioner and as advisor to that province’s education minister, was hired by the province last October to look at all areas of administration and operations.

Under one of her 22 recommendations, the seven regional school boards would retain their boundaries and names but operate as regional education offices.

The province’s Acadian school board would retain its current structure while following provincial curriculum guidelines.

Glaze said local voices would be maintained through the creation of school advisory councils with input from parents, students, principals and community members.

Asked whether eliminating elected English-language boards could be seen as undemocratic, Glaze said that was for the government to decide.

“People feel the status quo is not working,” Glaze said. “We have had an opportunity to improve the achievement of the children of this province and it is not happening. They felt that they need a new structure in order to make that happen.”

But those involved with school boards said they were shocked by the recommendation.

Hank Middleton, president of the Nova Scotia School Boards Association, said the boards “embrace” change and agree with many of Glaze’s recommendations, although they feel she is going too far in saying school boards should be eliminated.

“Those school boards represent individuals in communities,” said Middleton.

“I don’t think that somebody in an office in Halifax is going to have that understanding.”