Mange iy INFO-PARENTS ee RY os
THE TEN MAIN ADVANTAGES _

6]

1.) Grouping together

the school boards

BEFORE

The nine nine existing school boards
who managed francophone schools were
isolated. They had a minimum level of
concertation regarding francophone
schools.

AFTER

The three francophone school boards
who manage the francophone schools can
more easily concert with each other,
consult each other and play a more active
role.

2.) Representativeness

BEFORE

“Francophonie” as a group had no
representation on school boards.

AFTER

All trustees who have a seat on the
francophone school board of their district
are elected by parents whose children are
enroled in French schools. Gradually all
francophones will be able to vote when
trustees elections are called.

3.) Process

of decision taking

BEFORE

The decisions taken by school trustees
regarding education in French could have
been influenced by external factors, such
as

... their effect on English programs;

... their effect on Immersion programs;

... anglophone voters opinion.

AFTER

When the francophone trustees will
take a decision some factors will weight
more, such as:

- the understanding of francophone
pupils education special needs;

- the concern for their well-being;

- francophone voters opinion.

4.) Use of facilities

BEFORE

Decision making was in anglophones’
hands who are more often sensitive to the
majority needs.

AFTER

All decisions are taken by
francophones according to the needs of
the francophone community and pupils.

5) Promotion of the program

BEFORE

The responsibility to promote
francophone school was left to parents
committees.

AFTER

The promotion of the program is one
of the main responsibilities of the
francophone school board.

6.) Fundings allowance

BEFORE

It was sometimes difficult to know if
the school received and used all subsidies
it was entitled to because the school
board received these subsidies. The
budgetary priorities were not necessarily
the same as francophones’ priorities.

AFTER

The allocation of funds will be made
by francophones. Available funding will
be collected and allocated to French
education.

@ Cultural

and linguistic policy

BEFORE

There was no cultural and linguistic
official policy promulgated by the
Minister. The policy that prevailed had
usually been worked out by teachers and
school principals without a formal and
continuous support of anglophone school
boards.

AFTER

School boards can establish clear
policies on the cultural and linguistic side

of school life with parents and school
principals support. Everyone will have
the opportunity to be part of the elaboration
and the application of these policies.

@ Child care Services

BEFORE

The anglophone majority does not
preceive child care services as anecessary
step toward the linguistic development of
the child.

AFTER

For francophones, child care services
is an important element for recruiting,
ACCUEIL and Frenchifying. These
considerations can bring the francophone
trustees to take decisions different to
those of anglophone trustees.

9] Parents participation

BEFORE

On top of their participation in decision
taking, parents organized fund raising
campaigns and pressure on politicians
through their parents committees. Even
if they had a right to vote, the probability
of their electing a francophone trustee
was extremely weak.

AFTER

They still participate to parents
committees activities, vote to elect the
school trustees of their choice et may
themselves be candidate to seat on the
school board. Their opinion may have
more weight when all school trustees are
francophones. The parents participation
will be different.

40 Quality of services

BEFORE

As specified by the Supreme Court in
1990 “linguistic minorities cannot be
certain that the majority will take into
account all their linguistic and cultural
preoccupations’. Those in authority often
put forward the small number of
francophone pupils to justify the shortage
of services offered.

AFTER

With the set up of their own school
boards, francophones will be in a better
position to answer their children
educational needs and ascertain that they
receive an education of quality which is
part of entering ina strategy of modernity.
Extract from: Le Chainon, June 1994.