Latest news with #QuebecEnglishSchoolBoardsAssociation
Montreal Gazette
6 hours ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
EMSB joins legal challenge to stop Quebec's school budget cuts
The English Montreal School Board will ask a judge to put a pause on the province's latest round of budget cuts. In a special meeting of the council of commissioners on Monday, the board voted unanimously to join the legal challenge mounted by the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA). That challenge will probably be filed in court next week, and would ask a judge for a stay of implementing the 2025-2026 budgetary rules imposed on school boards and school service centres. Announced in June, the province's education ministry imposed $570 million in cuts on schools throughout the province. EMSB chairperson Joe Ortona said that even though the government appeared to correct its course by announcing a new budgetary envelope of $540 million, that is merely a distraction. The new money comes with far too many strings attached, Ortona says, arguing it is impossible for his board to get access to most of that funding. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ortona explained the cuts amount to roughly $20 million in the board's $450 million annual budget. Part of the reason the cuts are so dramatic is that they bar schools from using any surplus accumulated from previous years to affect this year's budget. 'It is impossible to balance the budget with these cuts that the government is imposing,' Ortona said. He added that if the board were to enact all the imposed cuts, some extracurricular programs would be cancelled, breakfast programs would be scaled back, and children with special needs would get fewer services. 'Parents are worried,' Ortona said. 'Because they don't know where the cuts will be coming from or what will be affected.' Ortona said the board is reaching out to other English-language boards. Since French-language boards have been abolished, he is urging lobby groups like Uni-es pour l'École and others to support the cause. Nearly 160,000 Quebecers have already signed a National Assembly petition opposing the cuts. 'There is strength in numbers,' Ortona said. 'We're actually fighting for all of the students in both the English and French public system, because they're both suffering from these harmful cuts.' He's called on the province to rescind the June cuts altogether, and said the school board intends to argue that the cuts amount to meddling with the English-speaking community's right to control its educational institutions, a constitutional right that was upheld by a court earlier this year. 'The legal argument is that we have a Court of Appeal decision that says that the government can't micromanage how we spend the money,' Ortona said. 'So they have to stop telling us that they're giving us money to be spent only on certain specific projects. ... They're acting illegally, they're acting unconstitutionally, and it's why we're hopeful that the courts will grant the stay, and ultimately the broader legal challenge.' He added that the board has reached out numerous times over the last few weeks to Education Minister Bernard Drainville, but has yet to receive a response. On Monday, The Gazette's calls to Drainville's office were not returned as of the time of publication. This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 4:28 PM.
Montreal Gazette
26-07-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec's English school boards to mount legal fight over budget cuts
By English school boards in Quebec plan to challenge the province's new education funding rules in court, calling them unconstitutional and unworkable. The cuts, which were initially announced in June, could force boards to cancel programs, reduce special education services, or even close schools, said Joe Ortona, president of the Quebec English School Boards Association. Ortona said at the centre of the dispute is Quebec's move to block boards from accessing their accumulated budget surpluses. The funds were saved for future needs and belong to the boards, not the province. 'That money belongs to us,' he said. While the province hasn't said it will take the money back, the uncertainty has left boards cautious. 'We've learned to expect anything from this government.' The new funding rules also introduce what Ortona called 'unrealistic and arbitrary' conditions. For example, one limit he described was how many staff boards can hire. This comes despite the period for staffing already being finalized in May under union agreements. 'Many boards can't meet the staffing cap without breaking union contracts,' he added. Ortona also warned the rules could force cuts to support staff and student services. Areas already under pressure, such as speech therapy, psychological services, and tutoring, could face deeper reductions. A legal challenge is being prepared and is expected to be filed before the school year begins. He said some boards have already signed on, while others are reviewing their finances before joining. 'We've been working with our lawyers since these cuts were announced,' Ortona said. 'We're trying to protect our right to deliver the services students need.' He did not provide further details about the legal action, saying it would be premature to comment.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
School officials question Quebec's new cellphone ban and civility code
Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville responds to the Opposition during question period at the legislature in Quebec City, Oct. 22, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot) The Quebec Ministry of Education has released its draft regulation outlining a complete ban on cellphones in schools, along with new civility rules for the province. In May, the government announced it would expand its cellphone ban by prohibiting students in elementary and high school from using their devices anywhere on school property. In addition to the ban, Education Minister Bernard Drainville also said students would have to follow a civility code and address teachers formally as 'sir and madame.' However, some education officials say that enforcement will be difficult amid budget cuts and believe the government should be focusing on more urgent matters. Joe Ortona, president of the Quebec English School Boards Association, questioned whether enforcement would lead to staff 'shortfalls.' 'With all due respect to the minister, his priority shouldn't be on ensuring that these rules get enforced. It should be on ensuring that we have adequate staff,' Ortona argued in a recent interview. 'Rome is burning, and the minister is coming out with rules about proper etiquette and formal ways to address people and a cell phone ban while we're dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars of cuts and what exactly that's going to entail.' According to the draft regulation, there are a few exceptions to the ban, including health reasons, special needs and for pedagogical use. Moreover, each school will have to decide what disciplinary measures to implement for students who contravene the new rules. Katherine Korakakis, the president of the English Parents' Committee Association of Quebec, said that the harmful effects of cellphones do need to be mitigated, but raised doubts about whether the ban is the right measure. 'From parents, what we've heard and what we've always advocated is taking away the cell phones without teaching children about the effects of sound cell phones becomes a punitive measure and doesn't do anything to address the crisis,' Korakakis explained. 'So now you're putting something in place that is not enforceable. There are not enough teachers on hand. There are not enough staff members on hand.' The ban was recommended by a committee of legislature members tasked with studying the impact of screen time and social media on youth. In an interim report published in April, the committee found that mobile devices were everywhere on school grounds, and it heard from specialists who said extending the ban could reduce students' screen time and encourage other activities, such as socializing. Korakakis added that parents have expressed concern about not being able to reach their children. 'We raised this with the ministry and explained that, for the English-speaking community, there are real concerns — like not being able to reach your child, especially for students with special needs who take public transit. The ministry told us that as long as phones are kept in lockers, it's not a problem. But they were already in lockers to begin with,' she said. The new rules come into effect in the fall. With files from The Canadian Press
CBC
18-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
School boards, staff slam Quebec for 'devastating' $570M budget shortfall
The Quebec government is under criticism for what school administrators are calling devastating cuts to the province's education system, which amount to $570 million less in funding for the upcoming school year. Teachers, parents and school principals are worried these budgetary restrictions could impact students' success and services offered to them. Joe Ortona, the president of the Quebec English School Boards Association, argues that this will make it impossible for school boards and service centres to stay true to their mission of educating students effectively. "We are completely shocked and devastated," Ortona said in an interview. "There is no way to be able to cut what the government is asking to cut. It is outright impossible. This will have an immensely detrimental impact on student success, without question." Ortona predicted that extracurricular activities, tutoring, arts programs and music programs will be on the "chopping block" across Quebec. He also added that these restrictions could mean fewer teachers, larger classrooms, more students falling behind and school closures if boards and service centres can't afford to keep them open. "The government is simply putting their mismanagement now on the backs of children's futures," he said. Jean-David Meunier, principal at François-Bourrin high school in Quebec City, said he had to re-read the letter he received from the Ministry of Education four times to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. "Every thousand dollars is important," Meunier told Radio-Canada. "We know we're in a difficult budgetary situation. But honestly, I didn't see that scenario coming." For his school of 575 students, he is being asked to work with several hundred thousand dollars less next year compared to the year that just ended. "It's going to be hard not to cut back on student services, because we're already being rigorous," said Meunier. "There's no fat." Drainville says school boards need to be more 'efficient' Bernard Drainville, Quebec's education minister, defended the government's position. Since 2018, the budget for schools has increased by seven per cent annually, he said, whereas this year the budget will increase by five per cent. "We will have to be more efficient with the money that's being spent, but at some point, school boards and [school service centres] need to respect the budget that they're given," Drainville told reporters on Wednesday, adding that over the past six years, the budget for education has increased by 58 per cent. Katherine Korakakis, president of the English Parents' Committee Association, said the budget shortfall will have an especially big impact on the most "vulnerable" students. She said some parents can afford for extra resources and tutors for their children, while for others, this isn't the case, making things "very stressful." Korakakis pointed out that parents already worry about student success and motivation. "How much more is this going to impede students staying in school?" she said.
Montreal Gazette
18-06-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
Quebec defends $570M in cuts, tells schools to avoid reducing student services if possible
Facing a backlash, Education Minister Bernard Drainville on Wednesday defended Quebec's decision to slash education funding by $570 million, saying he has asked that the cuts be made without touching student services. English school boards and French school service centres warn the provincial cuts will directly affect elementary and high school students. But Drainville pushed back, saying the education system has seen 'record investment' in recent years and those running the province's schools must help bring budgets back into line. 'It's not that it won't be an effort — it will,' he told reporters in Quebec City. 'But after a 58 per cent increase in the education budget since 2018, we believe it's time to make that money work better.' He added: 'The directive I gave to school (officials) is to use money more efficiently, to respect the budget without touching student services — or at least as little as possible.' School officials estimated the cuts amounted to at least $510 million, with some suggesting it could reach $1 billion. Drainville said they're in the order of $570 million. The education budget is growing by five per cent this year, or by about $1.1 billion, the minister said. School officials expected budgets to rise by seven per cent, as they have in previous years. But Drainville said seven per cent annual growth is not sustainable. Since 2018, student enrolment grew by eight per cent, he said. Over that period, the number of teachers rose by 19 per cent, while the number of professionals such as speech therapists jumped by 15 per cent. Support staff, such as classroom aides, increased by 24 per cent. 'We're entering a phase where we have to be more efficient,' Drainville said. 'Yes, difficult choices will have to be made, but the goal is to protect student services as much as possible.' School officials say they were blindsided by Drainville's directive. 'All services will be affected by the cuts, and it will be impossible to fully maintain all services for students,' Dominique Robert, head of the Fédération des centres de services scolaires du Québec, said Monday. The organization represents French school service centres. English school boards issued a similar warning. Joe Ortona, chair of the English Montreal School Board, said more than 90 per cent of his board's budget goes to direct services and salaries. Ortona, who is also president of the Quebec English School Boards Association, added: 'They're essentially telling us to close schools, cut teachers, cut staff, have overcrowded classrooms, and just put the entire education system in disarray. It's indecent.' This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 2:34 PM.
