Bill 86: Hearings on school board reform underway

Legislative hearings into a Quebec bill to end school board elections began Tuesday, with more than 50 groups and individualssigned up topresent their positions.

If passed, Bill 86 would abolish school board elections and councils of commissioners.Elected councils of school commissionerswould be replaced by new school councils with 16representatives, which are either elected or appointed.

These councils would be composed of:

• six parents,one of whom is the parent of a child with a disability.
• two school principals.
• one teacher.
• one non-teaching staff member.
• six community members.

The bill has faced fierce opposition, especially from English school boards, which have said they would challenge the law in court.

• Bill 86: school board reform could violate Anglo rights, expert says
• English-language school boards plan court challenge ofBill 86

One concern is that the new system would jeopardize the anglophone community's constitutional right as a language minority group to manage its own schools by electing representatives.

Opponents of the bill even foundan unlikely ally in Parti Qubcois leaderPierre Karl Pladeau.

"If they want to reform school board governance, they must respect the anglophone community's rights," Pladeausaid to the surprise of many.

The committeeon culture and education will hear from the Commission scolaire de Montral and that board's parentassociation today. Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday this week.

Hearings were supposed to startlast month but were postponed when PremierPhilippe Couillard made a last-minute cabinet shuffle, replacing education minister Franois Blais with Pierre Moreau.

Another stir happened when the province's two largest Englishand French-language school boards were at first refused slots on the agenda. The government eventually bowed to public pressure and added them to the list of presenters.