Province expected to announce plans for community involvement in schools this fall

Nova Scotians asking for the return of elected school boards — which were controversially dissolved five years ago — should soon have an answer. 

The province’s Progressive Conservatives said during the 2021 election campaign they would modernize the school board model. But they stopped short of promising to reinstate the previous system disbanded by the Liberal government in 2018.

Since being elected, the PCs have said they plan to seek more feedback on public education and use that to inform how schools operate. So far they’ve spent about $80,000 to consult with Nova Scotians about how to bring more “local voice” into education policy and decision making.

Several thousand people, including parents, teachers, administrators and other school staff, participated in that consultation. The Nova Scotia NDP received some of the results through a Freedom of Information request, which the party shared with CBC News.

An undisclosed number of people surveyed said they want school boards back to advocate on their behalf, streamline communication and provide accountability. 

Sections of the government briefing document under the heading Ideas for Action were redacted. The report has not yet been released to the public.

A government spokesperson said next steps will be shared “early this fall.” They would not say whether the reinstatement of elected school boards is on the table. 

The previous Liberal government did away with English language school boards in 2018, following a recommendation from education consultant Avis Glaze. Glaze said voters were apathetic about school board elections, turnout was poor and board members were too often acclaimed. Still, the decision was decried as a blow to democracy by both opposition parties of the day, which included the PCs.

Boards were replaced with regional centres for education staffed by unelected officials. School advisory councils made up of parents, teachers and local residents were supposed to provide local input, but in many cases those councils have struggled to take shape.

NDP MLA Suzy Hansen, who was a school board member from 2016 to 2018, said many of her constituents tell her they miss the old system.

“It was a really good mechanism to be able to get some information, to hold the government accountable and as well to kind of speak for parents and teachers and staff,” Hansen said in an interview.