Education minister to school boards: make deep cuts or face an audit

CTV Montreal: Bolduc tells boards to tighten Quebec Education Minister Yves Bolduc on hand of the start of Public Education Week said school boards need to tighten their budget.

Quebec Education Minister Yves Bolduc again asked school boards to tighten their budgets as he appeared at an event Sunday for Public Education Week.

“For us, public schools are very important because they are they are the essence of our society,” said Bolduc, from Ecole Barclay in Park Extension.

Meantime, he said school boards have to find a ways to make the cuts without touching services to the students.

The English Montreal School Board, for example, is facing $3.8 million in cuts, while the Lester B. Pearson School Board is facing $4 million – though a $1.4 million surplus will help ease the blow a little.

“For sure the cuts will affect our students she says especially those with special needs,” said Celeste Tougas of Ecole Barclay.

Last week, the English Montreal School Board voted to run at a deficit instead of implementing government-imposed cuts.

Bolduc said, however, the EMSB must fall in line or face an audit.

“It needs to have a budget that will be ok for us,” he said.

Meantime, other boards are saying the cuts are too deep.

Suanne Stein Day, chair of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, said Quebec isn't looking at each board’s circumstances.

“Who is spending more per child to educate them, who’s spending less? Overhead costs and let's look at those factors and take action accordingly,” she said.

Meantime, schools boards say maintaining the quality of education is their main priority.

As for the future of school boards, Bolduc says he isn't ready to talk about abolishing them.