ETSB cuts

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On a happier note, Turcotte also spoke about the decreased drop-out rate for students within the ETSB. In 2005, the drop-out rate was close to 40 per cent. Turcotte said the current rate is below 20 per cent.

Chairman Mike Murray didn’t mince words about the budgetary rules passed down from the ministry, calling them Draconian measures.

Murray questioned the thinking of ministry officials in Quebec City, appalled by the suggestion the cuts could be achieved by reductions in administration without affecting services to students.

“Every cut to administration affects students,” Murray said. “In difficult times, good administration is more important than ever.”

Murray pointed out that the rules from the ministry are required to translate into a balanced budget that will go into effect in 35 days, basically giving the board roughly two weeks to account for $1.3 million in cuts.

Murray boldly offered an apology on behalf of the faceless bureaucrats responsible for the budgetary rules, and for the government’s lack of sensitivity.

“I’ll give you more details on the horrors next month,” he said.

Following his address, Commissioner Mary Kirby commented, “Thank you for calling a spade a spade.”

During the committee reports, word from the Quebec English School Board Association suggested that merger talks have been withdrawn.

Murray said the focus of the new Education Minister, Francois Blais, is on governance.

School boards that volunteered to merge following the directive of the previous minister will continue the process, according to Murray, decreasing the French boards to 42. Those that didn’t, won’t be forced to, was his understanding.

The government’s position is that elections by universal suffrage are not a viable or sustainable process for commissioners, Murray said. Boards are being asked to explore alternatives, electoral colleges being one option on the table.

Murray, basing his opinion on past experiences, described an electoral college as a lousy system that encourages dysfunctionality.

“I don’t know how a less democratic system is more democratic than a democratic system with low participation,” he said.

A stand-off is likely in the fall when the government is expected to table legislation.

While the ETSB and other boards are willing to take legal action to defend Anglophones’ constitutional right to govern their own schools, the government’s position is that there is no law stating that the governing body must be elected.

During the question period at the end of the meeting, one member of the public asked what happens to funds left following renovation projects that are negotiated under budget.

Michel Soucy, director of operations, replied that the money is kept in the budget, but is only available for other capital projects, and usually reserved for occasions when a project or renovation goes over budget.

The member of the public also asked when the call for tender would go out for the renovation of the locker rooms at Alexander Galt Regional High School.

Soucy said the work at Galt will be done in two parts, and the call for tenders for the first wave of renovations should go out by the middle or end of June.

Megan Seline drew attention to a potential double hit to special needs students, with austerity measures, combined with the current collective agreement negotiations. The Management Negotiating Committee for English-language School Boards (CPNCA) is proposing the removal of advanced weighting codes, which would normally allot specific funding directly from the government for those students.

Seline asked, if the CPNCA’s demand comes to fruition, will special needs students face additional challenges due to budget restraints?

Murray replied that it is still not known what will end up in the new collective agreement, but went on to say that it is a concern, adding that the ETSB is among the boards with the highest population of coded students.