The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is about to enter another legal challenge against the Legault government’s budget cuts to the province’s educational institutions.
Back in June when the cuts were first announced, QESBA denounced the cuts in a press release, calling them “unconstitutional and unworkable.”
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“This government is expecting us to make these astronomical cuts on the backs of our students, which is completely unacceptable,” said QESBA President Joe Ortona in the press release.
“These reckless decisions will have devastating and long-term consequences for an entire generation of students,” Ortona continued. “We are denouncing both the substance and the manner of this announcement.”
Ortona says that the announced budget cuts could force boards to cancel programs, reduce special education services, or even close schools.
The Legault government announced on July 16 an additional $540 million in investments in education, after weeks of mounting pressure and a petition.
But one of the biggest issues QESBA has with the current government is Quebec’s move to block boards from accessing their accumulated budget surpluses.
“The funds,” says Ortona, “were saved for future needs and belong to the boards, not the province.”
A legal challenge is being prepared and is expected to be filed before the school year begins.
QESBA is calling on all partners in education, parents, and community members to stand united against these cuts.
“The future of our children and the strength of our democratic institutions depend on a robust, equitable, and properly funded public education system,” they said in the press release.
QESBA represents 100,000 students in 306 elementary, high schools, adult education and vocational centres across Quebec.
