The Saskatchewan School Boards Association says a report suggesting three possible options for a governance structure has identified concerns that boards have been hearing for some time.
Dr. Shawn Davidson, chair of the Prairie South school division, said people worry about further amalgamation and the loss of local voice in the education system.
“Many of us that represent rural boards … we lived amalgamation once 10 years ago. We know how complex it is. We know how much work goes into it,” Davidson said.
He said he was encouraged that the report done by Dan Perrins, a longtime civil servant, noted unanimous support for no further amalgamation.
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Still, that is one of the options Perrins presented in his report delivered to Saskatchewan education minister Don Morgan last month.
Perrins’ options include consolidating the existing 18 public school boards into a single board that would manage all 606 public schools, a regional model of four boards, and a divisional model similar to what exists now but perhaps fewer of them to reflect changing demographics and geography.
Saskatchewan already has the lowest number of boards in Western Canada, but also has the lowest number of students at about 176,300.
The report noted that although Perrins didn’t conduct formal consultations, he did meet with 32 stakeholders, including boards, teachers and the general public.
He heard unanimous support to maintain elected boards as the most effective way for local voices to be heard, and for no further amalgamation.
The boards were last amalgamated in 2006 and in addition to the 18 public boards, there are eight separate Roman Catholic divisions, one separate Protestant division and one francophone division.
Davidson said elected, local boards must be maintained, particularly in rural areas where the school is often the heart of the community.
“Whether you do full amalgamation or redraw boundaries or any of those sorts of things, you can’t ever forget the human element that goes along with it.”
Davidson said energy should be focused on students, not administration. After the most recent amalgamations, it took several years for the focus to be put back on students, he said.
“Absolutely we want to keep it there,” he said.
A six-member panel is now formally consulting on the options and is to report back to the government by the end of January.
The public can find the report and participate in the consultation online at www.saskatchewan.ca/government/public-consultations/share-your-thoughts-on-the-k-12-education-governance-review.
Submissions are due by Jan. 23 and all responses will be posted online after the process ends.
