Source: The Gazette
School boards should chop junkets
Last month, the National Assembly passed Bill 100, which imposed a 10-percent cut in public-sector administration costs by June 2014, and a cut of 25 per cent in spending on travel, training, and publicity, effective immediately.
Last week, Montreal Island homeowners received their annual school-tax bills, along with a slip that states: “ The school-tax bill finances about 20 per cent of the operating expenses of school boards.” ( That’s about $ 83.2 million.)
Soon, a delegation of English board commissioners will be travelling to Newfoundland to attend the costly annual Canadian School Boards Association Congress. Next year, they plan to be in Ontario. In 2012 it’s Manitoba, and so on. These trips are of no economic, cultural, or educational value to the English or French classrooms of Quebec.
In the spirit of Bill 100, maybe school boards should curb their spendthrift ways by eliminating the pricey, distant meetings and conferences that are funded by the overburdened, fed-up taxpayers.
Submitted by: Chris Eustace
Charest is in a panic over what to do about out-of-control school boards and the rampant drop-out rate – fearing this issue at the next election, even more than the expected pounding on corruption. Expect more legislated trusteeship provisions.
MELS gives school boards too much funding for so called “Professional Improvement” funds.Money is being spent on irrelevant trips, conventions eyc.
But you don’t understand Chris. Great things happens at these conferences. Like a few years ago they had to redefine why they existed. There are more educational associations in Canada than textbooks in our kids classrooms. Something seriously wrong here.
This crap has been allowed to go on far too long at the expense of our children. MELS stands by and allows it to fester like a virulent boil.