CAQ's Legault pledges to abolish school boards

The Coalition Avenir Qubec is promising to do away with the provinces 69 school boards and replace them with 30 regional service centres to manage student and school needs.

CAQ leader Franois Legault announced the plan at a Saturday morning newsconference before hitting the campaign trail.

The plan is nothing new for CAQ and Legault, who made a similar pledge during the 2012 provincial election.

This isnt a question of cutting for the sake of cutting. Our goal is to bring people and resources closer together and provide services directly to students, Legault said in a newsrelease issued Saturday.

Its simply a question of efficiency and good sense.

One education-related plank from Legault's2012 platform that he has decided to drop is his call for a 20 per cent pay raise for the province's teachers.

On Saturday, Legault said a raise isn't possible given the province's economic situation.

"I want to but we just don't have the room to manoeuvre given the $2-billion deficit that the Parti Qubcois has left us with," he said Saturday.

School boards "wasteful"

CAQ described the province's school boards ascostly,increasingly unnecessary andeven "wasteful."

Legaulttold reporters Saturday that the plan would save Quebechalf of the $600 million that it allots annually to itsschool boards, which employ nearly 4,500 people.

Thosesavings would help to improve services for students and would eventually lead to the abolition of school taxes, he said.

It would be the end of bureaucracy, reports, paperwork and committees, Legault told reporters.

On Thursday,Legaultpledged to save Quebec families an average of$1,000 a year through the progressive abolition of school and health taxes.

Quebec's nine English school boards would be replaced by nine service centres if CAQ is elected on April 7, Legault added.

Couillard questions plan

Quebec Liberal Party leader Philippe Couillardsaid Legault's plan did not take into account the need for regional and English-language school boards.

"School boards are of the utmost importance for English-speaking communities because this is the institution where they have direct control, where community is represented, where they have direct access," he said.

"Not even to know that shows a total lack of knowledge and preoccupation and sensitivity tothe community."

He also questioned whathe saw as Legault'scontradictory claimsof wanting to savemoney by abolishing the boards and protecting job security.

Couillard, however, did agree with the need to streamline the work done by the school boards, saying less bureaucracy and more services were necessary.

English boards "protected" by Canadian Constitution: EMSB

Michael Cohen, spokesman for the English Montreal School Board, went so far as to sayCAQ's proposal was unconstitutional.

"The English boards are protected by the Canadian constitution," Cohen contendedvia an email to CBC News on Saturday.

"It is a proposal without any meat on the bone."