Failing grade for government on school boards: MacFarlane

Pictou West MLA Karla MacFarlane says she would give the Liberals a failing grade for their decision last month to scrap Nova Scotia’s seven elected regional school boards.

Having received advice from educational consultant Dr. Avis Glaze in January, the Liberals decided to axe the boards in favour of one central advisory council to run schools.

“Their track record on amalgamation, as we’ve seen with the [Nova Scotia Health Authority], would receive an F,” said MacFarlane, interim leader for the Progressive Conservatives.

The NSHA was previously made up of nine regional health authorities before being rolled into one central body in 2015, but medical professionals have complained that it just created more bureaucracy.

Regarding school boards, MacFarlane said that the government had to reach out to key stakeholders such as teachers before making any changes.

She warned the government was on track to fail again, saying they only had “half of a plan.”

“Step back and listen to the people,” said MacFarlane.

Speaking last month, Education Minister Zach Churchill said the proposed central advisory council would likely be appointed.

Current board superintendents will become regional executive directors focusing on student achievement, reporting directly to the deputy minister of education.

Under Glaze’s recommendations, schools will have advisory councils in all communities made up of parents, students, principals and community members. Their role will be to help guide the province’s education policy.

In her report, Glaze said the present education system was a collection of conflicting bodies including the province and eight boards, a setup that she says prevents students from reaching their full potential.

She noted that Nova Scotian students’ school performance lags behind those in other parts of Canada.

While the seven regional school boards face the chop, the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial will remain under a reformed education system.

However, axing school boards will require changes to the provincial Education Act, which can only be done by a legislative vote.

All told, Glaze’s report outlined 22 recommendations for reforming education in the province.

Her report and recommendations come roughly one year after teachers launched work to rule action in schools across the province, when contract talks between their union and the province broke down.