Today, Jan. 29, the province issued letters to outline specific directives for the elected members of Nova Scotia’s seven English school boards.
“I want to thank our board members for their service to their communities,” said Zach Churchill, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. “I appreciate very much our boards’ commitment to our students and an orderly transition. These directives are intended to assist with this transition.”
Last week, Mr. Churchill announced his intention to dissolve the elected boards, and replace them with a Provincial Advisory Council, as part of government’s response to Dr. Avis Glaze’s report, Raise the Bar: A Coherent and Responsive Education Administrative System for Nova Scotia.
The dissolution of the governing (elected) school boards will require legislative changes which will be introduced in the upcoming session of the House of Assembly.
During the transition period, decisions on some board matters will require the approval of the minister. They include:
— approval of any new school board policies
— entering agreements, or making substantive changes, including decisions on transportation, finance, operations and staffing
— initiating any new school reviews
— boards must continue to work with the department to implement universal pre-primary programming.
The purpose of the directives is to ensure that the Education Act is upheld, the interests of students and staff are protected, that public confidence in the education system is preserved, and that resources of the elected boards are being used in a responsible manner during the transition period.
The directives are effective immediately.
Copies of the letters, including a separate letter for Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP), can be found at ednet.ns.ca/adminreview.
Source: Release