School Board Consolidation

Education Minister John Ottenheimer says the consolidation of school boards announced in Budget 2004 is necessary given substantial declines in student enrollment since 1996-97 when school boards were last consolidated.

The province has undergone a significant period of enrolment loss over the past three decades. As part of Education Reform in 1996-97, 27 denominational school boards were consolidated into 10, and a French-language School Board was established. Since that time, enrolments have declined by another 23 per cent, and there are 29 per cent fewer schools, but the numbers of school districts, administrators and program staff have remained constant or have increased.

"With enrolment forecasts projecting just over 60,000 students by 2011, further consolidation of school boards is warranted," said Minister Ottenheimer. "To gain efficiencies in administration and ensure education resources are targeted to the classroom, government will merge the 11 existing school boards into five in time for the 2004-05 school year."

The new school board structure has been established as follows:

• Labrador Board - There will be no change to the district serviced by the Labrador Board. This region currently has 16 schools and a projected September enrolment of 4,466.
• Western Board - The Western Board will incorporate the Northern Peninsula/Labrador South Board (District 2), as well as the current Corner Brook/Deer Lake/St. Barbe Board (District 3) and the Cormack Trail Board (District 4). Eighty-two schools will come under the jurisdiction of this board, with a projected September enrolment of 14,807.
• Central Board - The Central Board will include the current Baie Verte/Central/Connaigre School Board (District 5) and the Lewisporte/Gander Board (District 6), which serve 75 schools. In September, the enrolment for the new district is projected to be 14,752.
• Eastern Board - The Eastern Board will be formed from school districts 7 through 10 (Burin, Vista, Avalon West and Avalon East). The new board will serve 127 schools with a projected September enrolment of 44,756.
• There will be no change to the Conseil scolaire francophone provincial. This school district covers the entire province and currently has five schools with a projected September enrolment of 204.

Just four years after the 1996-97 reorganization, the Sparkes-Williams Report of the Ministerial Panel on Educational Delivery in the Classroom (2000), commissioned by the previous government, considered recommending further school board consolidation. It stated:

"...that some $13.8 million is dedicated to the operation of school board offices, and efforts to achieve efficiencies through future board consolidation would seem achievable and necessary within the next several years."

Today, school board administration costs more than $17.3 million annually - the largest annual educational expenditure other than teachers' salaries.

Government is cognizant of the many uncertainties associated with a large structural reorganization of this nature and is committed to ensuring there will be minimal effects felt by children and teachers in the classroom

The Department of Education will work with its existing school boards to ensure the transition is undertaken to maximize benefits to students.

Media contact: Lynn Salter, Communications (709) 729-0048

2004 03 30                                         3:10 p.m.