Small school councils were better

In 1998, Education Minister Pauline Marois chose to merge school boards. Their number increased from 156 to 72.

At the time, the government expected to save up to $100 million. Today, on the contrary, We are far from certain that this is the case.

mistake

On the ground, we then moved from an organization at the humanitarian level to an organization where our presence was limited to numbers.

We have lost efficiency and luxury when creating these massive administrative structures.

In our small school district, it was easy to talk to the HR director. The school principal was not in the service of the organization, but in the service of his school. Decentralization was not an unattainable dream. Kindness was more than just a buzzword. We lived it.

Obsession

In 2014, it was Minister Bolduc’s turn to want to reduce the number of school boards from 72 to 46.

The idea remains the same: make structures more efficient and save money. We want to give more powers to schools, not school boards.

This project was abandoned in 2015 by Minister Bliss.

Centrality

In 2020, it was Jean-Francois Roberge who delivered on a CAQ promise to abolish school boards. He justifies his decision with the same reasons used by his predecessors. Like the rest of the story His bill is nothing more than an “orphan” method. Which is not linked to any goal of improving success, and therefore will not be subject to any formal evaluation. The evidence for this is that its reform is not part of her ministry’s strategic plan for 2019-2023.

In 2023, it’s Bernard Drainville’s turn to promise us increased efficiency.

For the first time in 25 years, he declared that decentralization is just wishful thinking.

It remains to be seen whether he will have the humility to evaluate his good ideas.