By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) is scrambling to adjust to drastic new budget cuts imposed by the provincial government, according to Chair Mike Murray. The cuts are part of a $510 million reduction to education spending across Quebec, announced last week with little notice and no room for negotiation.
In an interview with The Record, Murray described the situation as “impossible” and said the ETSB has already suspended all hiring for the upcoming school year. “We have obligations under all of our collective agreements to maintain those jobs we can,” he said. “What we have to try and do is find the kind of deep cuts… and so far it’s going to be very difficult to cut enough.”
The board estimates it must cut 5 to 5.5 per cent of its total budget—roughly $6.5 million—mostly from the small portion not tied up in salaries. That leaves student services and programming vulnerable. “Everything parascolaire, every kind of extra activity that students are able to enjoy now, [may] have to go,” Murray said. “Outings, clubs, sports—these things are at serious risk.”
Murray also noted that essential support services are on the chopping block. “Especially aides and classroom aides that were to help students—particularly disadvantaged students… not necessarily handicapped but those that need extra coaching.” Professional development for staff is another likely casualty, he added.
The cuts come on the heels of another $200 million slashed earlier this school year, prompting a sharp rebuke from the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA). In a June 13 press release, QESBA President Joe Ortona called the move “a direct assault on the viability of our public education system.” He said the decision allows for only 24 hours of consultation and prohibits boards from using any accumulated surplus to soften the blow.
“Our answer is a clear and resounding NO, full stop,” Ortona said. “This financial crisis was not created by school boards, and we will not allow our school system’s integrity to be sacrificed to solve this government’s deficit.”
Murray echoed the sentiment, calling the cuts “wholly political.” He pointed to last year’s collective agreement negotiations, when the Treasury Board sidelined experienced negotiators and agreed to what he described as “very large salary increases.” The financial implications, he said, were not fully understood by the government, and have now ballooned into a budgetary crisis.
The government has framed the cuts as a necessary “budgetary effort,” Murray said. Directors General of school boards were summoned last Thursday to a midday meeting and presented with fixed budget reduction targets. “Don’t argue, it’s not up for negotiation,” was the message, according to Murray. Any feedback had to be submitted within 24 hours.
Despite appeals sent to the education minister outlining the severity of the situation, Murray said he doesn’t expect any change of course. “This is all Treasury Board trying to manage their budget,” he said. “And I’m not minimizing the problem the Treasury Board has.”
Internally, the ETSB is holding daily meetings of its resource allocation committee and has already convened a large management meeting involving principals and centre directors. “We’re working through 4,000 or 5,000 item budget[s], trying to find economies somewhere,” Murray said. A special council meeting will likely be required in July to finalize the budget.
Murray urged concerned parents to act. “Yes, contact your MNA and tell them it’s idiocy,” he said. “Whether they’re government side or opposition side, they have a voice in the National Assembly.”
The QESBA has likewise called on all education partners, parents, and community members to stand united against the cuts. “The future of our children and the strength of our democratic institutions depend on a robust, equitable, and properly funded public education system,” Ortona said.
The ETSB’s next council meeting is expected to provide more concrete details on how the cuts will play out locally. Until then, Murray said, “we will continue to be working very hard on this until certainly next week.”
