School boards chopped by McNeil government
CBVRSB chair says he has more questions than answers
The chair of the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board walked away from a session Wednesday with the province’s Education Minister about pending changes to the education system with seemingly more questions than answers.
“Today, we’re involved in pre-budget planning but whether we will be voting on a new budget, it’s up in the air,” Steve Parsons said in a phone interview from Halifax.
Whether or not the elected board will have that authority — or even be in existence — at its traditional budget time is a very real question after Minister Zach Churchill announced the McNeil Liberal government’s intention to act upon the findings of a report with recommendations to improve the Nova Scotian education system, including dissolving seven elected regional boards. The boards were elected in 2016 to a four-year mandate.
Parsons and other board chairs were gathered Wednesday morning for a meeting with Churchill in advance of the minister’s public response to the Avis Glaze report released a day earlier. That’s when they were informed of the province’s intension to dissolve the regional elected school boards. The province’s Acadian board will remain, due to its special status, Churchill said.
While he told them of their boards’ impending dissolution, Churchill was short on specifics on how and when changes will roll out, Parsons said.
“From a board’s perspective, we’re always concerned about local issues and local concerns as it relates to potentially school review and or individual students’ requests for TAs and so on and so forth,” Parsons said. “Some of these pertinent details as it relates to delivery of education is always a concern to parents and we just hope that parents have that voice.”
In her report, Glaze said the local voice could be protected through beefed-up school advisory councils. Churchill said there will also be a provincewide advisory council, although he didn’t release any details about what its composition will involve or how they will be selected, although it is to have representation from the various school board regions.
“We were a little bit distraught with the idea that there is really no action plan as it relates to going forward,” Parsons said.
When Churchill was pressed for a timeline as to when changes could go forward, he noted there are legislative changes required and 30 days notice must be given prior to a new session of the house. He did say the intention is to have the new framework in place by the next school year.
Parsons said the provincial government has had Glaze’s recommendations for three weeks and to go public “without an action plan” was disappointing.
“The concerns of parents are not going to stop tomorrow because the government has decided to take on a new structural system,” Parsons said.
Parsons said boards recognize changes were needed and have themselves put forward some of the recommendations proposed by Glaze.
“We’ve tried many times to put things forward to no avail,” Parsons said. “I think it’s somewhat frustrating at times, you identify opportunities within your district and you take it forward and because it’s not a provincial issue, then it’s not an issue.
“Sometimes a cookie-cutter approach is not fitting everyone.”
Churchill told reporters the recommendations will help “transform the system for the better.” He said there are no plans to lay-off anyone in current school administration, but reduction is eventually expected to come through attrition.
The government also intends to remove principals and viceprincipals
from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. Churchill said the province could compensate the union for its lost union dues. He said they will also establish a self-regulating college of educators.
Churchill said Glaze challenged the province to look at the systemic challenges facing education, calling the system fractured and noting student performance differs from one region to another.
“As we’ve experienced this past year, we have front-line staff who are frustrated, who feel they have lost the empowerment that they once had in our system and who do want to see that returned,” the minister said.
He added he believe the
moves will put more resources into classrooms over time and result in a more responsive system.
The changes would also see teachers have the ability to work throughout Nova Scotia without affecting their seniority.
In a news release, NSTU president Liette Doucette said that without any meaningful consultation with parents, teachers or students, the premier had decided to legislate away more collective rights from teachers.
Churchill said his department is working with the Department of Justice to draft legislation.