WINNIPEG (Staff) – Four people decide to share a house. Each of them has a fridge. Which one goes in the kitchen?
School boards in the Parkland region of Manitoba will face more critical issues as they become “roommates” of sorts if a recent report’s recommendations come into effect.
The Boundaries Review Commission suggested that a mega-division stretching more than 200 kilometres from the Saskatchewan border to Lake Manitoba and reaching as far north as Lake Winnipegosis would make education in the area more equitable.
The change won’t save money. But some argue spending will be more closely targeted to the classroom. Although no one has taken an official position yet, trustees and superintendents are concerned that erasing the boundaries could create an administrative nightmare with few benefits for students.
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Sheer distance would be the main problem.
“You would need an airplane to get around the Parklands because you can’t drive it in a day,” said Joseph Mudry, superintendent for the Turtle River division.
Mudry also believes the commission made a mistake in drawing McCreary out of the new division, since its trading patterns go to Ste. Rose and Dauphin rather than Neepawa, in the neighboring division.
Lacking representation
There would be a maximum of nine trustees for the massive area, meaning some communities would have only one representative on the board.
Trustees would have a much larger constituency, heavier workload and more driving time. “Who is it that could be a trustee under this new suggestion,” asked Lynn Smith, a trustee in Dauphin. She said evening meetings would not likely be practical, but few people could spare time during the day.
“I think there’s no question that when trustee representation goes into the thousands of people … regional concerns are not going to get the attention that they have in the past,” said Howard Smith, superintendent of the Intermountain division.
The report says school advisory councils that include teachers and parents would fill some of the gap. These councils exist in most schools in the area.
Some mill rates up, some down
Mill rates would rise in three of the divisions, but would fall in the poorer and more sparsely populated Duck Mountain division. Syl Didur, a superintendent based in Winnipegosis, said amalgamation would benefit his division because students would be able to access more programs.
Meanwhile, staff in division offices are worried about their future. The new board would not support four sets of superintendents, secretary-treasurers, accountants, clerks and secretaries. Some smaller communities cannot afford to lose the jobs.
Dalton said he’s skeptical that more money would go to programs rather than administration.
“How do they know that? It hasn’t been proven anywhere else,” he said, adding he went through this same process when he worked in New Brunswick.
“I think (amalgamation) made for a chaotic structure for two or three years with some very unhappy staff, trustees and communities,” he said, which eventually affects the quality of education for students.
