WHEREAS    the Education Act provides for an elected board within the French Language School Board but not the PSB, and

WHEREAS    it was promised by the current Liberal government that an elected school board would be implemented within the PSB, and

WHEREAS    the Education Act has currently bestowed all decision making authority in regard to school matters upon three appointed trustees who answer to Minister of Education, and

WHEREAS    it is a perceived conflict of interest that the Deputy Minister of Education is also the Chair of the appointed board, and

WHEREAS    the current model which includes District Advisory Councils bestows no decision making authority upon parents or community members within local school communities, as members of the DAC’s are in an advisory capacity only, and

WHEREAS    members of the DAC’s would be able to continue on in an advisory role, if so desired, by advising the elected school board trustees, and

WHEREAS    the Charting the Way Final Report of the Education Governance Commission March 2012  provides 48 key recommendations, after extensive research and collaboration with stakeholders across PEI, which includes the recommendation  that “School Districts be governed by elected boards of trustees”, and

WHEREAS    a key determinant of student success is parental and community involvement in school decision making at the local level, and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the PEI Home and School Federation request that the Minister of Education, Early Learning and Culture and Cabinet revise the Education Act and designate decision making authority regarding educational matters to an elected Board of School Trustees, one for each Family of Schools, with School Board Elections to coincide with provincial government elections.