July 17, 2002
Education, Training and Youth Minister Drew Caldwell today welcomed the passage of the Public Schools Modernization Act, calling it a historic piece of legislation that will go a long way to modernize the public school system and yield significant benefits for Manitoba students.
"The passage of the bill is good news for children, parents, teachers, school boards and the general public," said Caldwell. "With its passage, amalgamating school divisions can now have confidence that their hard work in facilitating this process will endure, and that the challenge of redirecting resources into classrooms can continue."
On Nov. 8, 2001, Caldwell outlined a plan that reduced the number of school divisions in the province by one-third through the merger of various divisions and the creation of new division boundaries throughout Manitoba including the reduction of the number of Winnipeg divisions from nine to six. On May 2, Caldwell introduced Bill 14, the Public Schools Modernization Act, in the Manitoba legislature. It included provisions to:
"By reducing the number of school divisions, limiting the size of school boards and placing limits on the administration costs of divisions, we are able to reduce administrative duplication and associated costs," said Caldwell. "This enables us to shift resources from the boardroom into the classroom for the benefit of our children." The minister added that the provision to limit the number of trustees on school boards is expected to reduce the number of school trustees across the province by approximately 134--from 445 to 311--after the October municipal elections.
Caldwell said, that by allowing for the establishment of interim boards and clarifying the division of assets of amalgamating school divisions, Bill 14 also provides greater predictability and stability during the transitional period for school divisions that are amalgamating.
"I thank all of the members of the public who attended and made presentations at the public hearings," said Caldwell. "Their views, along with the significant public discussion that has occurred since the Norrie Commission in the mid-1990s, have provided important perspectives as we modernize the public school system in the province."
Caldwell said that all of the amalgamating school divisions have displayed strong leadership in pursuing amalgamation. "The process has been underway for some time with divisions already choosing new names for their divisions, establishing new ward boundaries and determining the number of trustees to sit on boards," said Caldwell. "Now, in the lead up to the October elections, interim boards will be able to concentrate on administering and streamlining the operations of the new divisions."
It is anticipated that the new division boundaries will come into effect Friday, July 19, pending appropriate regulatory authority.
Caldwell noted that, in recent years, changing populations and enrolment in rural Manitoba have resulted in a number of school divisions having declining enrolments. Despite this, the last major consolidation of school districts occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
"By consolidating, school divisions will be better able to enhance programming, provide more top-quality services, access technological resources and provide more career development options for teachers," said Caldwell. "In this way, the modernization of the public school system will create opportunities for our children by freeing up resources that will go back into the classroom to support their education."
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