REGINA (Staff) – An independent boundary commission to study school divisions may be set up by the Saskatchewan government.
Education minister Pat Atkinson told the annual convention of the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association Nov. 15, she has been discussing the possibility with other government members.
Betty Reynolds, a trustee from Saskatoon East School Division, told Atkinson that some boards find amalgamation a challenge because there are portions of existing divisions that want to leave, while portions of others want to join.
“A number of us find amalgamation not reasonable just because of the shape or size of the division that would be formed,” she said.
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Atkinson said she has been made aware of these concerns, but doesn’t think it’s up to the minister to decide school division boundaries.
“We need an independent process,” she said.
There are three amalgamation pilot projects under way: Prince Albert Public, Prince Albert Rural and Kinistino; Melfort and Tiger Lily; and Arcola and Oxbow.
Atkinson told the trustees the government “chose to take a measured, deliberate approach” to restructuring by implementing the pilot projects.
An advisory committee was formed earlier this year, which has developed criteria, reviewed proposals from divisions and made recommendations to Atkinson, she said. Final discussions on how the projects will be evaluated will be held in December.
“The evaluation will be conducted by a third party, to make the process credible and meaningful,” Atkinson said. “We also need to know if it will be financially successful and educationally sound,” she said. “Until the end of the projects, any funds saved will remain with the school division.”
Trustee association president Dorothy Fortier said restructuring has put pressure on the association in the past year. Some boards are unhappy pilot projects were used, instead of allowing boards to voluntarily amalgamate.
