A busy time in education

There will be lots on the docket for the Eastern Townships School Board in the coming months, both pedagogically and outside the school walls. There isn’t a meeting that goes by where Bill 40 (the CAQ’s proposal to abolish elected school boards and replace them with service centres) isn’t discussed by the council of commissioners. Last week local politicians and community stakeholders attended a press conference organized jointly by the four Estrie school boards, to offer their support and maintain pressure on the education minister to withdraw the bill in lieu of a vast consultation on education. While the future of school boards is for the moment still uncertain, it’s business as usual at the ETSB. The board is in a negotiating year for collective agreements with teachers and school and centre support staff. Appalachian Teachers Association President Megan Seline got the ball rolling during question period at Tuesday evening’s council of commissioners meeting by asking the board for a response to union demands. Chairman Mike Murray replied that the board had been briefed by the negotiating team, but because agreements are agreed upon collectively, the ETSB could not address demands specifically. See full story in the Friday, Jan. 31 edition of The Record.