English school boards hope Education Minister Pierre Moreau ices Bill 86

School boards and teachers' unions are welcoming former municipal affairsminister Pierre Moreau's appointment to the education portfolio as a chance to correct the mistakes of Moreau's predecessor, Franois Blais.

Blaisbecame Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity in Thursday's cabinet shuffle.

"Moreau comes to us with the reputation of someone who listens, someone who tries to get all the informationand thinks about the kinds of decisions he has to make," said Marcus Tabachnick, executive director of the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA),which represents the province's nine anglophoneboards.

"We're hoping that he brings that attitude. Our biggest problem over the past year has been a lack of communication with the education minister," he said.

Tabachnick said he hopes Moreau will put on hold Bill 86, theproposed legislation to abolish school board elections.

Franois Blaisdidn't listen toteachers' concerns, FAE says

The Fdration autonome de l'enseignement, Montreal's largest teachers' group, had similar complaints aboutMoreau's predecessors.

"We think that hecan hardly do worse than Mr. Blais and Mr. [Yves]Bolduc before him," saidNathalie Morel, the FAE'svice-president ofprofessional issues.

Most of FAE'smembers teachin the greater Montreal region and facechallenges such as student poverty and large numbers of students who don't speak French as a first language.

"We're French-speaking teachers... and that poses some obstaclesthatMr. Blais and Mr. Bolduc did not take that into account," Morel said.

She said the last two ministers were out of touch with what teachers were facing in their classrooms.

"Theywere taking decisions in their offices in Quebec City," Morel said."Mr. Moreau can do better by listening to our propositions, to oursolutions andimprove our conditions."

Moreau'spast stance on CEGEPsa concern

College students are more wary of Moreau's appointment to the top education post.

The Fdration tudiante collgiale du Qubec(FECQ)recalled that during theLiberal party leadership debates in 2013, Moreau questioned the relevance of CEGEPs today.

"College students are concerned about these past declarations," FECQ president AntoineCt said. "We ask him simply to re-frame his way ofthinking today."