ENGLISH FOLLOWS

PRESS RELEASE

The CSFP responds to the recommendation to abolish the province’s two school boards

The Premier’s Economic Recovery Team, chaired by Moya Greene, recommended that the province’s two school boards – the English school board and the Conseil scolaire francophone provincial – be abolished to reduce costs. The CSFP wants to act on this recommendation.

There would be virtually no savings to be made by eliminating the school board’s board of directors, as trustees are not paid for their services and the vast majority of its meetings are already held virtually. The CSFP is the only minority-language school board in Canada whose trustees are not paid.

In light of the Greene Report, the CSFP has undertaken a preliminary analysis of its operations and finances to see how it can achieve additional savings. We will report back to the provincial government in the near future to present a proposed cost-cutting plan. However, we are concerned that any major budget cuts will result in a reduction in services. Our goal is to reduce costs while maintaining the quality of educational services for children.

The abolition of school boards would remove an essential level of responsibility available to parents. Currently, a parent who has a complaint or suggestion can forward it to the CSFP, which is entirely dedicated to French-language education and has the resources to address the problem. If this level of responsibility were removed, complaints or suggestions would have to be sent to the Minister of Education and would most likely end up at the bottom of the priority list, behind the much larger English-language school board.

The language rights of minorities in education are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As such, the CSFP is convinced that it can make a strong case against its abolition. In all cases, the CSFP will use all means at its disposal to ensure that the rights of Francophones to adequate representation in French regarding their children’s education are respected at all levels by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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PRESS RELEASE

The CSFP responds to the recommendation to abolish the province’s two school boards

The Premier’s Economic Recovery Team, chaired by Moya Greene, has recommended that the province’s two school boards – the English School District and the Conseil scolaire francophone provincial – be abolished as a cost-saving measure. The CSFP wishes to address this recommendation.

There would be virtually no savings to be achieved by eliminating the school board’s Board of Trustees, since the trustees are not paid for their services and the large majority of its meetings are already held online. The CSFP is the only minority language school board in Canada whose trustees are not remunerated.

In light of the Greene report, the CSFP has undertaken a preliminary analysis of its operations and finances to look at how it could achieve additional savings. We will report shortly to the provincial government outlining a proposed cost saving plan. However, we are concerned that any major budgetary reductions could result in a decrease in services. Our goal is to reduce cost while maintaining the quality of education services to the children.

Abolishing the school boards would remove an essential level of accountability available to parents. Right now, a parent with a complaint or a suggestion can send it to the CSFP, which is totally dedicated to French-language instruction, and which has resources to address the issue. Should this level of accountability be removed, complaints or suggestions would need to be sent to the Minister of Education and would very likely end up at the bottom of the list of priorities, behind the much larger English School District.

Minority language rights in education are protected by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As such, the CSFP is confident that it can advance strong arguments in opposition to its abolition. In any event, the CSFP will use all the means at its disposal to ensure that Francophones’ rights to proper representation in French regarding the education of their children are respected at all levels by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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