English-language school boards plan court challenge of Quebec's Bill 86

Quebec's English-language school boards plan to launch a court challenge of Bill 86,the proposed legislation tabled Friday which would abolish school board elections and give parents more control over schooloperations.

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If the bill is passed and Education MinisterFranoisBlaissaidhe would like the legislation in place in time for the 2016-2017 school year it would drastically alter the way school boards in Quebec are run.

No more school commissioners

The proposed legislation would eliminateelected school commissioners.

Instead, each of Quebec's 72 boards would be represented by a school council made up of 16 people:

• six parents,one of whom is the parent of a child with a disability
• two school principals
• one teacher
• one non-teaching staff member
• six community members

Each board's director general would also sit on the council, as a non-voting member.

Boards would still be responsible for administering matterssuch as student bus transportation and educational services,but some decision-making powers would go to the schools' parents and teachers.

School boards wouldalso be stronglyadvised to merge services as a way to cut costs.

'Abuse of power:'Mancini

Blaissaid the constitutional right of Quebec'sanglophonesto manage theirown schools would not be jeopardizedunder the proposed system.

"It's my responsibility to protect their rights,"Blaissaid.

However, AngelaMancini,who chairs theEnglish Montreal School Board, said she and other members of theQuebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) disagree.

"This is not a democratic process at all,"Mancinisaid. "This is an abuse of power."

"We have to be able to govern our own schools under the Charter, [under] article 23. And in order to do so, we must have the ability to choose who the members are thatare going to be our representatives and that has to be done through universal suffrage."

Mancinisaidcommissioners have the politicalclout to challenge the government on their budget allocation and policy issues, by virtue of having been elected by local taxpayers.

'Ensure parents' presence'

The billaims, as its namesuggests,to give "schools a greater say in decision-making and ensure parents' presence within each school board's decision-making body."

However, Mancini said there is already a high level of parental involvement on English-language boards.

"They're on governing boards already. They're on [the] central parents' committee and on our boards."

She said parent representatives do not have the right to vote on school board policies under the existing system, however, QESBAsupports giving them that right.

Parents eager to serve:Stein Day

SuanneStein Day, chair of the Lester B. Pearson board, saidparents in her school board would likely welcome more control.

"Frankly, in my school board I don't think it would be a problem finding parents who are willing to serve on council and have the vote," she told CBC before the bill was tabled on Friday.

However, she saidon the French sidethat may be more difficult.

CatherineHarelBourdon, the head ofMontreal's French-language school board, saidit'sunfortunate the bill is being tabled at the tail end of the session, and she hopes that doesn't stifle discussionon such an important issue.

"I find it a little disappointing," she said.

A delicate issue, Couillard says

Premier Philippe Couillard said Thursday reforming school boards is a delicate issue.

But he said the province needs tochange the way its school boards operate.

"Quebec's education system has many qualities, but we must go further, especially when it comes to giving more autonomy to schools, giving more space to parents, to teachers and I think that's the direction we're going in,"Couillardsaid.

Read the full bill below, entitled "An Act to modify the organization and governance of school boards to give schools a greater say in decision-making and ensure parents' presence within each school board's decision-making body."