| | QESBA delegates elect new President | | | | Sherbrooke , October 29, 2011 - The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is pleased to announce the election of its new President David D’Aoust. Commissioners from the nine member English school boards from across the province were present in Sherbrooke over the weekend for the QESBA Annual General Meeting and Fall Professional Development Session where they exercised their right vote for the next Association President. Mr. D’Aoust has worn many hats in education over his career. He has served a French Immersion teacher, Principal, Director of Educational Services, Secretary General, Director General on Montreal’s South Shore and as Associate Deputy Minister with the Ministry of Education of Quebec. During his tenure in education, he also served as Executive Director of QESBA for four years. He is currently the Chair of the New Frontiers School Board. QESBA delegates also elected by acclamation over the weekend Mr. Frank Verrillo as Vice-President. Mr. Verrillo has served in the past as QESBA’s Vice-President from 2005-2007 and is a Commissioner with the English Montreal School Board. He holds a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and has worked at the elementary, high school and in adult education sectors as a teacher and administrator Out-going President Debbie Horrocks has served the Association for two consecutive two-year mandates. The QESBA delegation celebrated her commitment to English public education over the weekend. QESBA is the voice of English public education in Québec serving some 110,000students. | | |
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| | QESBA a proud third-year sponsor of "Chapeau, les filles!" | | | | English school boards salute talented and successful young women studying and excelling in non-traditional fieldsMontreal, May 2, 2011 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is proud to salute all of the talented, courageous and determined winners announced at todays’s gala presentation of ‘Chapeau, les filles!’ (Concours 2010-2011). The gala was held in the National Assembly in Quebec City. QESBA is a third-time sponsor of this important program, which honors and encourages women to pursue their studies and careers in vocational fields traditionally dominated by men.“Chapeau, les filles! is a vitally important partnership of school boards, government and industry partners that encourages Quebec women of all ages to pursue their professional dreams,” noted President Debbie Horrocks. “Success in school can come in many different ways and at different stages in life. QESBA and its fellow stakeholders in education are proud to accompany and support our students as they pursue their individual path towards academic and professional success.”QESBA is please to congratulate the third laureate of the Prix de l’Association des commissions scolaires anglophones du Québec : Nichelle Hocaloski, a student in the Electricity program at the Pearson Electrotechnology Center of the Lester B. Pearson School Board. “Like so many of the contestants, Ms. Hocaloski has demonstrated skill, determination and perseverance in her studies,’’ noted QESBA Executive Committee member Stephen Burke, who represented the President at the awards gala. “We wish her and all of the other contest participants every success in their professional lives.’’ | | |
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| | Local leadership, governance are the keys to student success | | | Government should be facilitating, not obstructing school board efforts Local leadership, governance are the keys to student success By Debbie Horrocks, Audrey Acteson, Moira Bell, Steve Bletas, Michael Chiasson, David D’Aoust, Angela Mancini, Michael Murray, Jean Robert and Suanne Stein Day Staying in school. Mastering French. Adapting to changing technologies and learning styles. Acquiring the tools and sensitivities of global citizenship. These are the kinds of priorities that Quebec’s nine English school boards have set for the 105,000 students we welcome into our classrooms each morning. Addressing those priorities is a challenge as well as a cherished opportunity for the teachers, administrators, professionals and support staff employed by our school boards. There is, of course, a coordinating and financing partner – the Ministère de l’Education, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) -- upon whom we must depend to discharge our daily duties. With increasing frequency, and to our growing frustration, that partner has been behaving more like an adversary than an ally. If this continues, our students will sadly bear the consequences.Here are but four current examples that the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) and its nine member boards have identified:- Quebec school boards were informed last week – without warning and despite budget promises to the contrary – that they must absorb an estimated $110 million in cuts over the coming year. The news was delivered with a directive as unnecessary as it was inappropriate: do not touch services to students. Unnecessary? Our school boards are local governments that consistently deliver services to students while maintaining the lowest administrative cost ratio of any public network of establishments, including municipalities, hospitals and the provincial government itself. We don’t need to be told that direct service to students is always the budget priority. Inappropriate? With close to three-quarters of school board costs allocated to staffing and salaries – an operation that collective agreements require us to have virtually completed by now – it will be extremely difficult to find the marge de maneouvre to implement these new and unforeseen cuts. Will their impact be felt ultimately in the classroom? It is unrealistic to expect otherwise.
- Recent government announcements regarding investments in classroom technology and intensive English second-language immersion at Grade 6 were made with but a modicum of discussion or debate with school boards or the educators we employ. The initiatives might well prove positive but will we get to tailor those technology investments to the local needs and diverse stages of progress at each of our boards? New smartboards are interesting but with new budget compressions, will the necessary support for installation, professional development and curriculum development be in place? Will our students and teachers be included in reciprocal French exchanges as part of the Grade 6 initiative? We are now actively seeking answers but should have been at the table long before such announcements were made.
- Education Minister Line Beauchamp convened a summit last Fall on the major issue of how Quebec schools are addressing the subject of students with special needs. She is about to convene another summit, in conjunction with the Minister of Employment and Solidarity, on aligning vocational education with marketplace needs. In the first case, English school boards have fought to make sure that the delicate balance we have largely achieved is maintained between inclusion of all students and effective and tailored learning to account for individual needs. We trust that the Minister’s expected orientations to be announced in June will only come with our full involvement in and cognizance of their contents. In the second case, English school boards must continually struggle to adapt to a one-size-fits-all government approach to vocational education that is leaving our students with huge gaps in program opportunities and our regional communities deprived of a source of skilled and bilingual workers. QESBA and its member boards will make these arguments and raise these concerns when they are assured of seats at the table at this summit.
- Quebec’s current school board members were duly elected for a four-year mandate in 2007. A law delaying scheduled elections this Fall was adopted last year. Ever since, there has been nothing but silence and ominous speculation about when and if our school board members will again meet their electorate. For our English school boards, who enjoy constitutional protection while representing the only level of government directly accountable to the English-speaking communities they serve, this vacuum is cause for concern.
Student success is, first, the fruit of hard work, dedicated teachers, facilitative administrators and enlightened school board governance. Here is just a sampling of innovations that have been implemented in the English sector as a result of this long-standing and effective partnership: - Canada’s only one-to-one laptop computer initiative (Eastern Townships School Board)
- an integrated youth and adult distance education program, rendering complementary courses accessible to all students at a school board with a territory that equals that of Belgium (Western Quebec)
- a constantly updated French second-language approach at the world’s birthplace of French immersion (Riverside)
- a school success rate of 83 per cent – about 20 per cent higher than the French school board on the same territory (English Montreal)
- Canada’s first system-wide program in “digital citizenship” (Lester B. Pearson)
- a system-wide focus on Community Learning Centres, making schools the active hubs of their communities (New Frontiers)
- a shared governance model of English and French school facilities (Eastern Shores)
- a systematic and continuous mentoring program ensuring that school principals master pedagogical leadership (Central Québec)
- the only hands-on career exploration lab in the system (Sir Wilfrid Laurier). Quebecers count on their government to support such innovation and leadership, not stand in its way. Our school boards ask for no more. We will settle for no less.Debbie Horrocks is the President of the Quebec English School Boards Association. The following are Chairs of their respective school boards: Audrey Acteson (Eastern Shores) Moira Bell (Riverside) Steve Bletas (Sir Wilfrid Laurier) Michael Chiasson (Western Quebec) David D’Aoust (New Frontiers) Angela Mancini (English Montreal) Michael Murray (Eastern Townships) Jean Robert, Vice-Chair (Central Québec) and Suanne Stein Day (Lester B. Pearson) | | |
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| | Public education sector blind-sided by post-budget cutbacks, QESBA claims | | | | Montreal, May 2, 2011 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) reacted with anger and disappointment to final budget rules announced by the government late last week that could have an impact on the quality of services delivered to students in public schools across Quebec. The final budget rules call for estimated compressions totaling $110 million that will have to be absorbed by school boards across Quebec “We were totally blind-sided by these new numbers,” said QESBA President Debbie Horrocks. Finance Minister Raymond Bachand deposited his budget on March 25th with a proposed 4.3 per-cent increase in system cost allocations for public education, for a total of $330 million in expenditures. “Now, with absolutely no consultation or exchange with the school boards, the government has ordained a major series of cuts,” said Horrocks. “We are managing our resources responsibly, and maximizing every penny we spend in the classroom. QESBA expects that in doing so, it will have a partner in government to work with. This sudden announcement leaves us wondering if that is, in fact, the case.”During his inaugural address, Premier Jean Charest promised to make education a priority while announcing investments in technology and special projects that were reflected on Budget Day. “The government neglected to mention that these major cuts were coming,” Horrocks added. “At this late date, our school boards have already initiated the process of committing the staff resources to their schools, which represent more than three-quarters of Board expenditures. I know that our member boards will do everything possible to protect our students from the impact of these cuts but they’ve been saddled with an untenable situation,” said Horrocks.“We are anxious to see this government’s actions match its words when it says that education is its priority. This announcement hardly fits that claim,” concluded Horrocks.The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is the voice of English public education in Quebec representing 9 English language school boards and some 105,000 students. | | |
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| | QESBA decries Legault plan as “simplistic and short-sighted” | | | | Montreal, April 12, 2011 – “The challenges facing public education are complex and the stakes are high, but the answers won’t come from dismantling democratic structures or denigrating the role of teachers,” noted Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) President Debbie Horrocks in a statement released today. She was responding to proposals from former Education Minister François Legault that include abolishing elected school boards, testing teachers on the student marks they produce and creating patchworks of local schools, each with their own hiring authority. “Quebecers understand that public education is a sacred trust, and they aren’t about to sacrifice the future success and well-being of their children to simplistic and short-sighted solutions,” Horrocks noted. Abolishing duly elected school boards and asking teachers to meet assembly-line targets for student marks are hardly constructive paths towards improvement in public education.” Legault’s “Coalition pour l’avenir” calls for an end to Quebec’s universally elected school boards and their replacement by regional councils based on the existing network of administrative regions. “Our nine English school boards across Quebec are a constitutionally protected level of government,” Horrocks added, “and one that ensures our parents and communities are fully engaged in the control and management of the English schools we operate. Elected school boards ensure our ability to adapt programs to keep high school graduation rates far above the provincial average, to deliver superior French second-language programs, to answer to the communities we serve. That is not always an easy task but we are accountable for it each and every day. It is a mystery to me why a former Education Minister would decide that an overhaul to structures is the magical pathway to a better public school experience for the students who come through our doors each morning.” QESBA has long called for improvements in the salaries paid to Quebec teachers – now among the lowest in Canada. On that point, Horrocks echoed M. Legault’s preoccupations. The Association rejects, however, the suggestion that teachers’ job security be abolished as a consequence. “We have philosophical and practical problems with that suggestion,” she noted. “First, it’s intellectually dishonest: every study in Quebec shows that, on a 15-year horizon, shortages of teachers at almost every level will continue. That means that there are not enough teachers to meet the demand. Second, QESBA believes fundamentally in accountability, and we have high expectations of our teachers across Quebec. They face complex and human challenges each day, in ensuring that every child reaches his or her full potential, in addressing a diversity of student potential and problems; we call on our teachers to accompany children in their whole development and to work with and report to parents on the progress they make. QESBA is not about to reduce that essential process to some arbitrary system of spot tests like M. Legault seems to be proposing.” QESBA is the voice of English public education in Quebec. Its nine member school boards serve some 105,000 students in 340 elementary and high schools, adult and vocational centres. | | |
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| | QESBA and QPAT sign historic collective agreement | | | | Montreal, April 6, 2011 – Debbie Horrocks, President of the Quebec English School Boards (QESBA) and Serge Laurendeau, President of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT) today signed an historic collective agreement in Montreal. The agreement, prescribing working conditions for some 8,000 teachers at the nine member school boards of QESBA, culminates two years of provincial teacher negotiations. “This is a milestone agreement for teachers who go the extra distance,” said Debbie Horrocks, referring to a ground-breaking initiative on value-added remuneration included in the entente. “This agreement recognizes teachers that go above and beyond their primary functions by spending time with students outside the classroom,” said Ben Huot, President of the Comité patronale des négociations pour les commissions scolaires anglophones (CPNCA), the management negotiating consortium for English school boards. Mr. Huot is also Director of Labour Relations at QESBA. QESBA President Debbie Horrocks and QPAT President Serge Laurendeau sign the new teacher agreement. Joined by QESBA Executive Director David Birnbaum and the President of CPNCA Ben Huot | | |
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| | Marcus Tabachnick resigns | | | | Marcus Tabachnick completes quarter century of service to public education QESBA expresses profound appreciation for major contributions of former Association President to English public schooling Montreal, March 28, 2011 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) expresses its profound appreciation to Marcus Tabachnick, former QESBA President (1998, May 2003- January 2008) and current Chair of the Lester B. Pearson School Board upon the announcement that he is leaving public education, made at a news conference earlier today. “Mr. Tabachnick has given 20-plus years of leadership and dedication to the English public education network,” noted current QESBA President Debbie Horrocks. “Those years have been marked by a rigorous commitment to the welfare of our students and the defense and promotion of our English public schools. He’s been a formidable advocate. I wish Lester B. Pearson School Board every success as it moves to build on the strong legacy that Mr. Tabachnick has helped put in place.” In his four years as President of QESBA, Tabachnick spearheaded projects like the seminal QESBA Advisory Council Report, a commissioner certification initiative and a watershed collective agreement with all English sector education employees. The Advisory Council report in 2006 was one of the first to call for linguistic exchanges to better serve the students of Quebec. Such exchanges, of course, were front and centre in Premier Jean Charest’s inaugural address earlier this month. “Mr. Tabachnick has been a force for our network,” said QESBA Vice-President, Carolyn Curiale. “Whether it be with successive Education Ministers, our French counterparts or within our very own network, he has always fought for what is right, especially for the students.” QESBA thanks Marcus Tabachnick for his years of dedicated service to English public education and wishes him well in all his future endeavors. | | |
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| | Budget 2011 - 2012 | | | | Education system costs protected Numbers promising
if school boards get tools to turn budget promises
into classroom realities: QESBA Quebec City, March 17, 2011 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) reacted with cautious optimism to the education measures included in today’s provincial budget delivered by Finance Minister Raymond Bachand. The key figure for QESBA’s nine-member school boards – and ultimately, the 105,000 students served by English public schools across Quebec – is the 4.3 per-cent increase for a total of $330 million projected in system cost allocations to public education. That figure pays for salaries, infrastructure maintenance, debt service, new programs and all other operating costs of public schooling in Quebec. QESBA was also looking for evidence in this budget that some major new initiatives to improve services to students in the classroom would be, first, adequately funded and, second, flexible enough to allow English school boards to properly deliver programs adapted to their students’ particular needs.“QESBA sees some real positives in today’s numbers,” noted Vice-President Carolyn Curiale, who was present at the budget lock-up in Quebec City. “That said, this budget, like every other one, will prove its worth when the details become clear. We will be working very hard with the Ministere de l’Education, du Loisir et du Sports to ensure that our English public schools fully benefit from measures aimed at improving classroom technology, maintaining and upgrading our school buildings and refocusing on after-school activities.”Specifically, the budget earmarks $240 million over the coming years for new technology expenditures, on Smart boards, computers and teacher training in this area. QESBA welcomed the announcement of this plan in Premier Jean Charest’s inaugural speech earlier this month. Many of our school boards are already well-advanced in providing such technologies, however. QESBA is encouraged that today’s measure appears to support teacher training and related expenditures in this area. That will be essential if we are to move forward. “We don’t want our Boards penalized for being ahead of the curve,” Curiale explained. “Where Smartboards and personal computers for teachers are already in place, we expect the equivalent resources to be given to us to move further ahead in equipping our students and teachers for the 21st century. ”QESBA is eager to play an active role in the intensification of English second-language instruction, for which annual recurring expenditures of $25 million are projected by the year 2016. Quebec’s English public schools and the 8,000 teachers who serve it have world-class expertise in second-language instruction and, of course, in teaching in English. QESBA’s member boards have indicated their readiness to work with the francophone counterparts on linguistic exchanges. The Association will be expecting precisions from the MELS on how this program might move forward, and how the students in English public schools will be included in such linguistic exchanges. A third budget measure, prescribing additional support to school sports activities, is also of interest to the Association. Once again, the key consideration – not answered in the budget documents – is: How will our students benefit? “Our English sector has a proud tradition of commitment to school sports and extra-curricular activities. Student success is all about inclusion, teamwork and developing the whole child,” said Curiale. “This budget provides for at least one school sports team in every high school. At some of our schools, students travel from so far that they can’t stay after school for activities. This budget measure must provide us the flexibility to include all of our students, not just those who live close to school.”Finally, QESBA reiterates its frustration at the continued and almost total exclusion of Quebec’s English public schools from a major budget measure of $22 million that reduces the number of students per class at the elementary level. This budget does so, at the Grade 5 and 6 levels in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and in Grade 4 elsewhere. Because of the huge territories and low-density student populations in many of Quebec’s English elementary schools, QESBA projections indicate that virtually no students will be beneficiaries of this initiative, virtually no new classes will be opened, virtually no new teachers will be engaged. “We have brought this serious problem to the attention of two different Education Ministers, to no avail,”, Curiale said. “This is a major government expenditure, and it’s not acceptable that it is one from which English-speaking Quebec is basically excluded.” | | |
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| | Back to school 2010 | | | | Rigor, stability and success will be watchwords for new school year By Debbie Horrocks August 25, 2010 - There is something in the air on that first morning of school. Rain or shine, the energy and atmosphere just feel different. Maybe, it’s because the stakes are so high, or because we all remember what it felt like when we were children. Maybe, it’s because that first school day, and the 200 or so that will follow to June are such a big part of the roadmap to each child’s future and, ultimately, our collective one here in Quebec. On behalf of the 105,000 students at our nine member school boards, the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is also preparing for the new school year – one that it hopes will later be remembered for its rigor, stability and success. There are some important issues that will determine if those qualities ultimately define the year when school is out next June. Rigor. Quebec’s first graduates of the reform are now headed for CEGEP. Their eleven years of elementary and high school studies have been marked by a progressive, if sometimes-uneven curriculum that has been hailed around the world but too-often maligned here at home. As this school year starts, QESBA is relieved that the new Education Minister has accepted our advice and that of so many others, and delayed implementation of yet another round of changes to report cards and evaluation. QESBA has always maintained that parents must be given information about their child’s academic progress that is crystal clear. Parents are the key partners in the educational progress and welfare of their kids, and they must have the tools to properly play that role. Nonethess, QESBA is not of the view that a single “national” report card is required to make this so, nor can we support the government’s plan to reduce drastically the place of “competencies” in the evaluation of our students. Rigorous programs and a transparent set of objectives for knowledge acquisition are essential; that doesn’t mean that the complementary goal of teaching our kids the analytical skills and the personal automomy to manipulate such information should be somehow downgraded. Our teachers and school administrators have worked so hard to give our students the best of this hybrid approach. They will continue to do so. Quebec results on a battery of international tests consistently show our students to be near the top of the class in the key subjects. The standards and programs are in place; now is a time for consolidation, not further change. Stable. English public education is a cornerstone of our community across Quebec. The foundation upon which it sits is not always as solid as it might be, and thus, vigilance is constantly required. Two issues will command QESBA’s careful attention over the coming months: Access to English schooling is always a concern. During the approaching hearings on Bill 103 and its proposed amendments to the French Language Charter, QESBA will argue for a formula that will provide some needed oxygen for our English public schools, while allowing them to play a rightful part in promoting the French language rather than being absurdly targeted as adversaries to that objective. As always, QESBA will actively intervene with the government bureaucracy to defend against any erosion in the daily process of addressing English school eligibility. An upcoming summit on education, confirmed by the Premier last month, will address questions about the governance of public education and the future of elected school boards. As the only level of government directly elected by members of the English-speaking community, Quebec’s English school boards are a vital voice for stability and representation. QESBA will be vigilant and vocal in defending that voice. Success. The tools are definitely in place for a successful school year. QESBA and the unions representing teachers, professionals and support staff have signed collective agreements in principle that lay the groundwork for the delivery of quality services to our children for years to come. Additional resources are in place, and a new and ground-breaking system of value-added remuneration will soon give our teachers important recognition for going the extra distance on behalf of their students. Our English public schools have always identified high school graduation as the key component of student success. QESBA is a key partner in the renewed government focus on “la perseverance scolaire”. That initiative targets 80 per cent graduation rates for the year 2020. Our system, on average, is already there. Success, this year and every year will be measured by further improvement on those graduation rates. Whether this first day of school has you accompanying a young child to the school yard or just reminiscing about your own Day 1, public education requires the involvement and partnership of all Quebecers. A successful, stable and rigorous school year will depend upon it. Debbie Horrocks is the president of the Quebec English School Boards Association. | | |
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| | Line Beauchamp named Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports | | | | QESBA welcomes fresh perspective on Education Montreal, August 11, 2010 - The President of the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) Debbie Horrocks welcomes the nomination today of Line Beauchamp as Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports. “Line Beauchamp is a seasoned politician having successfully held two other ministries in this Liberal government. Fresh perspective in any sector is always good and can be very positive,” said Debbie Horrocks. The Fall will bring an Education Summit along with many dossiers associated to Bill 88 and Bill 103. “QESBA has always held positive relationships with former Education ministers and we will work closely to ensure that this continues with Madame Beauchamp. We are looking forward to meeting with Madame Beachamp in short order to discuss many dossiers affecting the English Education sector. “We also congratulate Madame Courchesne on her nomination as President of the Treasury Board and we wish her all the best in her new duties and we thank for her passion and dedication to education,” concluded Horrocks. QESBA is the voice of English public education in Quebec. - 30 - Information: Kim Hamilton Director of Communications and Special Projects 514-919-3894 | | |
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| | A word of appreciation to our teachers | | | Newsman Dan Rather once said, “The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth'." It is Teacher Appreciation Week from February 7th-13th, and Rather's message is a timely reminder of the challenges we place before our teachers and the rewards we all reap from their dedication, compassion and expertise. Education today is a demanding sector in which to work. The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) would like to express its profound thanks to the more than 8,000 teachers who, each day and often, beyond school hours, do our English public school network proud across the province. Our network is responsible for educating some 110,000 youth and adult students, preparing them for a rapidly changing world, in French as well as English. Not only do our students bring with them an endless diversity of potential, challenges and backgrounds, they come to the classroom ready to think and learn in ways that no one has yet fully assimilated. It's a dynamic time in education, and our teachers are responding with professionalism, integrity and commitment. Another public commentator, historian Jacques Barzun, once said: “Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition”. QESBA, its member school boards, along with all Quebec parents, the community and our provincial government must to do everything we can to restore that lost tradition. We must each do our part to ensure that this most important of professions is properly rewarded, in a manner that is commensurate with the responsibilities it entails. “Teachers who inspire realize there will always be rocks in the road ahead of us,” to quote a final, unnamed source. “They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how we use them.” We tip our hats to teachers, this week and every other. Debbie Horrocks President | | |
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| | Highest court declares Bill 104 unconstitutional QESBA welcomes ruling, seeks clear and constructive response from Premier | | | Ottawa, October 22, 2009 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) reacted with satisfaction today to a ruling by the Supreme Court of that Bill 104, which further restricts access to English public schooling in Quebec, is illegal under Canada’s Constitution. The judgment validates the position taken by QESBA when it intervened before the Court in this case last December. The Court said that Bill 104 was “excessive” in its absolute elimination of the right of access to English public schooling of students who sought to be rendered eligible based on their attendance for at least one year in a non-subsidized Quebec private school. The Court did, however, give the government of Quebec one year to find a solution. “QESBA is gratified with this morning’s decision,” noted QESBA President Debbie Horrocks. “Now, we will be calling on the Premier to meet with us to consult on a solution that will respect the judgment, respect the needs of our English public school community, all the while respecting the importance of protecting the French language in Quebec. Meeting those three objectives in is not only entirely possible; in fact, the Supreme Court insisted upon it in today’s judgment. QESBA intervened in this case because the future strength of our English school boards depends on maintaining student enrolment. The English school network is the cornerstone of our communities across Quebec. Bill 104 eliminates access to English schools of at least 500 students per year – primarily in the greater Montreal region. Those students are essential to our system, and the consequential impact on the French school system would be very modest. “Students in Quebec’s English public schools are given every opportunity to master French and to contribute fully to Quebec society” Horrocks continued. “QESBA member boards contribute to the promotion of the French language; they don’t in any way threaten it! Our schools are part of the solution, and we expect the Premier, by his response to this judgment, to show us that his government fully agrees.”
The court seems to be sending a message that it’s time for the Quebec government to find a definitive and positive balance between the rights to English public schooling in Quebec and the core objectives of the Charter of the French Language. “We take from this decision that the Quebec government needs to sit down with us and other key partners to, once and for all, find and confirm that balance. | | |
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| | A new school year: New challenges and opportunities | | | | QESBA turns 80! Montreal, August 27, 2009 - Welcome back! On behalf of the directors and staff of QESBA and our nine member school boards, we want to offer our warmest wishes for a stimulating, safe and productive 2009-2010 school year. In the coming days, some 110,000 students will begin another chapter – or start a first one – in their educational life within the 340 schools, vocational and adult centres of the QESBA English public school network across Quebec. Our principals, teachers, professionals and support staff will be there to accompany them each step of the way. Click here to read the full article. | | |
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| | Government must recognize English public schools as allies, not adversaries | | | Montreal, June 2009 Impending Bill 104 decision on English school access:
By Debbie Horrocks The current government of Quebec, like every one before it, will soon face another inevitable test on how to maintain its central obligation to protect and promote the French character of Quebec while honoring its legal and moral obligations to Quebec’s English-speaking minority. That test will come with a pending decision from Canada’s Supreme Court on whether or not Bill 104 is legal. This law, enacted 25 years after the Charter of the French Language was adopted in 1977, eliminates the right of students who have attended unsubsidized private English schools in Quebec to then gain access to English public schools. The case goes to the heart of how Quebec’s English-speaking minority can co-exist and contribute to a predominantly French Quebec. The answer will come in the response of this government to the eventual ruling. The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) intervened before the Supreme Court of Canada last December to argue that Bill 104 is unconstitutional. We did so to ensure the long term survival of the institution of English public schooling in the province. We are optimistic that the Court will strike down the law. Should it not, however, the future of our English public school network could be irreparably compromised. If the Court does strike down the law, it is our hope and expectation that the government will move swiftly and deliberately to implement the ruling. QESBA insisted in Court, and we reiterate now, that the government of Quebec can demonstrate leadership, vision and responsibility by exploiting this opportunity to honor the two obligations noted above. In doing so, it would properly recognize Quebec’s English public school network as an ally, not an adversary in the quest to strengthen the French language of Quebec. That is the reality of Quebec’s English public schools today. Our fundamental role in maintaining a strong and vital English community presence and partnership in Quebec is only matched by our determination to render the graduates of our schools fluent in the French language. For more than a generation, Quebec’s English school boards have been designing and implementing French second-language programs that go far beyond the requirements of the Quebec Education Program. Our schools were the birthplace of a French immersion model that is now duplicated in countries across the world. The students who enter our schools are not circumventing Quebec’s language law; in fact, they are respecting the central objective of it. If this essential institution of English public schooling is to truly contribute to the future of Quebec, then Quebec must contribute to the future of this essential institution. The resolution of language-related questions is never simple; that is a given in Quebec. The answer, however, is sometimes easier than it appears. QESBA estimates that the striking down of Bill 104 would have the effect of opening access to English public schools to some 500 students each year. That number is enormously significant to a school system facing chronically-declining enrolment, a birthrate lower than that of its francophone counterparts and a continuing trend towards outmigration. The consequent loss of students to the French school network is proportionately modest. Compromise always involves some cost. When it works, compromise reconciles two legitimate priorities in a mutually beneficial way. This compromise works.Inevitably, there will be suggestions that the government enact new legislation to circumvent the Court decision. Some will allege that any concession to English school access is automatically threatening to the French language and that this is just an incremental step towards the dismantling of The Charter of the French Language. QESBA expects that the Court will have rejected such arguments. We certainly do and we trust that public opinion will follow. Our association has been told by successive Premiers and Education Ministers that our English public school system is a vital institutional component of Quebec society. QESBA now asks that these words of inclusion, fairness and equity be matched by deeds. By implementing an eventual Court decision striking down Bill 104, this government will send a signal of confidence in Quebec’s future and a deeply-appreciated message of our valued role in it. Debbie Horrocks is the President of the Quebec English School Boards Association. | | |
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