In September, the Ministry of Education participated in parliamentary hearings on Bill 105, deposited in late spring of this year. Much to the relief of the nine English school boards within Quebec, the new Bill 105 appears at first glance to make for a watered down version of Bill 86, which called for the end of elected school boards.
The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is still working with the Minister of Education, Sébastien Proulx, to ensure that the new initiatives proposed by Bill 105 work to benefit the education system. The QESBA is following developments on Bill 105 very closely.
Mr. David D’Aoust, who serves as the Chairman of the Council of Commissioners for the New Frontier School Board, feels that one of the problems lies with the creation of an advisory committee for the distribution of resources, an agency which is meant to be managed by principals and center directors, as opposed to elected commissioners. In order to reject a recommendation from this committee, the Council of Commissioners would need a two-thirds majority vote as opposed to a simple majority vote. Instead, the QESBA has suggested a 50 plus one vote to the Ministry of Education. “We feel that it goes against the grain, against our rights as an English-speaking community. We don’t feel that we should give up our right to manage our own schools,” says D’Aoust. “They need to focus on being educational leaders and not be forced to become pencil pushing managers,” continues D’Aoust.
Some feel that some of the aspects of Bill 105 have less to do with student’s success, and more to do with control for the minister. According to a September article in the Montreal Gazette, the newly implemented Bill “…gives the minister the additional power to issue directives to school boards. As it stands, the minister’s actions are limited to ordering an inquiry or placing a problem-ridden school board under trusteeship.”
D’Aoust, who just completed a term serving as the President of the Association of English School Boards, explains that the QESBA is just being cautious, but that they are willing to suggest constructive changes to meet the Minister’s intentions. He is quick to point out the positive aspects of the new Bill 105, such as giving parent commissioners the right to vote. D’Aoust, as well as many of the commissioners, knows that the new minister wants to improve Quebec’s student graduation rate. “This should be the first priority for the Ministry, as well as for the school boards, as opposed to changes to the education act that will result in handing more power to the minister,” said D’Aoust.
