On school governance, Quebec hasn’t yet hit the mark

English community still has reasons for concern over Bill 105, Geoffrey Chambers says.

Schools are a cornerstone of the vitality of English-speaking communities. Any changes to Quebec’s Education Act should bear in mind the responsibility of our educational institutions to serve these communities and, ideally, enhance their ability to do so.

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) has carefully reviewed Bill 105, the government’s latest legislation to amend the Education Act.

QCGN and its community partners are pleased that Education Minister Sébastien Proulx has set aside the government’s earlier plan to eliminate school board elections. That suggestion, originally made in the now-abandoned Bill 86, was deemed by our community to be unconstitutional, because it usurped the community’s right to control and manage its schools.

In our brief on Bill 86, the proposed legislation that was soundly rejected by the vast majority of community and educational partners, QCGN stated that the purpose of all schools is to provide the best educational experience possible for its students. English schools — institutions of our linguistic minority community — have the added responsibility of preserving and promoting the unique culture of Englishspeaking Quebec. These are institutions of English-speaking Quebec, not merely institutions that provide services in English. Caring for these institutions, ensuring our children receive an excellent education, and reinforcing the school’s role as the centre of community life are responsibilities shared between the Englishspeaking community of Quebec and the education minister.

The QCGN has long held that educational institutions are both the products and the guarantors of the vitality of the communities they serve, a link that is the constitutional basis of the English school system. Bill 105 makes minimal reference to community. We believe that responsibility for community, social, cultural and economic development must be included in the educational projects of our educational institutions and the Commitment-to-Success Plans of our school boards.

In our brief on Bill 105 submitted to the National Assembly Committee on Culture and Education this week, we argue that school boards and schools, as well as adult and vocational centres, must support the development and vitality of their respective communities. This responsibility should be clearly defined within the Education Act, rather than being discretionary on the part of educational institutions.

On the other hand, the QCGN believes school boards should have somewhat greater latitude in selecting the commissioners they appoint for their special expertise. Bill 105 would require they come only from the health and sports sectors. We believe this is too restrictive, and fails to recognize social and cultural aspects of communities. We recommended to the minister that the current definition and eligibility criteria of these “co-opted” commissioners be broadened to include individuals with pertinent social and cultural backgrounds.

The QCGN and its Englishspeaking community partners are also opposed to the extraordinary, two-thirds majority vote required of a Council of Commissioners if it wishes to reject a recommendation by the Allocation of Resources Committee. These committees — composed of education professionals employed by the school boards — will have power far in excess of their supposed advisory role. Imagine the National Assembly requiring a two-thirds majority to amend recommendations of an administrative council of deputy ministers.

Furthermore, even if the

minister has said that any new ministerial powers would only be used in exceptional circumstances, the QCGN recommends setting reasonable limits on the minister’s powers to issue directives to school boards concerning administration, organization, operations and actions.

The QCGN strongly cautioned the government that adoption of this bill without modifications proposed by our community could render it unconstitutional.

The QCGN is pleased, however, with last week’s decision by the minister of education to hold public consultations on the future of education in Quebec. A dialogue on education — which includes a specific discussion on the future of the public English school system — is what we hoped for. The QCGN looks forward to working with education and government partners to improve the future of public education in Quebec for our children and our communities.