The Nova Scotia NDP’s education critic is calling out the province for their handling of School Advisory Councils.
As a part of the changes to the education system, SACs have been given more say as well as a budget for school improvements.
But Claudia Chender says her Freedom of Information request shows government didn’t have a plan when that announcement was made.
“So it was sort of an idea, which, based on these emails, seems to have not come from anyone from the department of education but out of the premier’s office,” says Chender.
Chender says the emails she obtained from the education department show the province rushed to put certain parts of the Glaze Report in place, while neglecting other recommendations.
The emails show staff discussing stipend amounts for SACs in February 2018.
They also show staff drafting information for MLAs to use when constituents ask questions, days before the announcement was made that SACs would have enhanced rolls (August 30).
“And the school advisory councils were not even given any guidelines on their enhanced role until many months after that announcement and even so, it doesn’t seem like that role has been enhanced much at all, if any in the end anyway,” says Chender.
Chender says the new structure of the education system is confusing and it’s unclear how decisions are made within the Regional Centres for Education.
The NDP is calling on the McNeil government to clearly outline their plan going forward.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
