Changes to governance in N.B. schools possible language landmine
CBC
The Higgs government is wading into reforms that could lead to two different models of education governance for anglophone and francophone schools in the province.
And if that happens, it will be vital that the province explain why the two systems are required, according to one expert.
The government is looking at overhauling district education councils, the elected bodies that oversee schools in seven districts of the province.
But it may be required to keep a more democratic or elected structure for francophone schools to comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, even if it doesn't do so for the anglophone school system.
"There is always work and communication to be done by the provincial government whenever you put in place some sort of asymmetry, and this is going to be no different," says political scientist Stephanie Chouinard, who studies language rights.
Section 23 of the Charter says the French or English minority in each province of Canada have the right to have their children educated in their language.
Court rulings over the years have defined that right to include the minority-language community having "management and control" of schools, including "exclusive control" over aspects of education dealing with language and culture.
"It's very fragile and that's why we have to be able to have a say in what's going on in our institutions," said Francophone South district education council chair Michel Côté.
DEC members have been buzzing in recent weeks about the possible replacement of councils and parent school support committees with new structures that could have fewer elected members and fewer parent representatives.
In his 2019 green paper on education reform, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy said there was "widespread confusion" over how schools are administered and he'd be "empowering school governance" via a review of DECs.
Chantal Varin, president of the provincial association of francophone parents, says her group will meet with department officials next week to find out more about the proposed changes.
Côté said at his last meeting with officials in early February, the proposed model sounded "like a system that wouldn't be well-representing parents, and the community wouldn't be too involved."
Anglophone West DEC chair Thomas Geburt said he was told at a more recent meeting that the francophone system would likely have "an elected district accountability council" different than what the anglophone system would have, to comply with the Charter.
"You look at that and you say 'hmm,' but that's a real rabbit hole to go down that I'm not knowledgeable enough about," said Geburt.
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