Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

New Frontiers School Board director general Mike Helm says thoughts of summer vacation are far from top of mind for school administrators, as boards and service centres continue to grapple with government-imposed budget reductions.

The NFSB is facing what could amount to a $4.9-million adjustment once the government’s final budgetary rules and parameters are received. The NFSB had been anticipating these figures in early July to begin seriously crunching numbers; however, as of press time, the parameters had not been delivered.

Helm says he is hopeful the government will have revised its position following feedback provided by school boards and service centres after plans to reduce education funding by at least $510 million dollars. “Reductions may be needed but maybe not to this magnitude,” says Helm. “Maybe we could spread it out over a couple of years instead of trying to take it all out in one year. That would certainly make it a little easier than what we are going through right now.”

As it stands, Helm says he is fairly confident the NFSB can meet its target for full-time equivalent positions, but he is less certain there will be enough funds to cover all the other expense categories. “That is where our bigger concern is now,” he admits.

Considering this uncertainty, the council of commissioners held an extraordinary meeting on July 8 where a motion was passed that calls on the government to withdraw its budgetary rules, withdraw the cuts, and reinstate the rule allowing boards to access any accumulated surplus. The resolution argues it is “neither feasible, nor responsible to fully implement the proposed cuts,” and mandates the NFSB administration to request authorization from the education ministry to run a deficit budget.

“This does not mean that we are not going to be prudent in the budget,” says the NFSB council of commissioners chair, John Ryan. “We are going to be as responsible as we can. Obviously, the government is short on funds, but we have an obligation to provide the services that we do,” he explained.

Helm says he is grateful for the council’s support as they wait for the final parameters. He has spoken with school administrators, and everything is on hold for the moment. “We are going to wait until we know where we stand,” he explains, noting that if reductions are necessary, the board will have to balance these with the potential impacts on students.

“We are dealing with some challenging times, but our intention is to provide to the maximum all of the services, programs and opportunities that we possibly can,” says Helm.

Public outcry continues

Both Ryan and Helm say they are encouraged by the public’s response. “It is not about English or French schools. This is impacting everybody equally. That’s why we are seeing so many different people speaking out in different ways on this,” says Helm, who suggests the cuts could lead to long-term impacts depending on how the boards and service centres manage the situation.

A petition sponsored by Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Bérubé on the National Assembly website has now been signed by over 157,000 concerned citizens. The “Ensemble, unis pour l’école” (Together, United for Schools) coalition representing teachers, support staff, education professionals, and administrators, including those at the NFSB, has also continued to grow.

At least seven new groups have joined the coalition, including École Ensemble, the Quebec English School Boards Association, the Association of Administrators of English Schools of Quebec (AAESQ), the Quebec Intellectual Disability Society, the Association Montréalaise des directions d’établissement scolaire (AMDES), the Coalition de parents d’enfants à besoins particuliers du Québec (CPEBPQ), and the Fédération québécoise de l’autisme (FQA).

The Centre de Services Scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands has not commented publicly on the budget restrictions potentially impacting their schools and centres; however, the Syndicat du Champlain, which represents CSSVT teachers and support staff, issued a statement to its members on June 26 denouncing the measures. The union has also joined the coalition and is demanding school service centres stand up to the government by refusing to implement the proposed budget restrictions.