Winnipeg parents express concerns with Manitoba's proposed school community councils
Some Winnipeg parents had the opportunity to express some of their concerns with Manitoba's proposed school community councils, outlining some barriers facing parents.
During a virtual meeting with Winnipeg parents on Monday evening, Manitoba's Deputy Education Minister Dana Rudy, along with other education officials, listened to parents' concerns with Bill 64 and the overhaul of the education system.
The bill would merge Manitoba's school divisions into 15 regions and would eliminate elected school boards, opting instead for school community councils of parents for each school.
One member of a school community council from each of the 15 regions would be elected to the Provincial Advisory Council for Education which would advise the Minister of Education.
It is a proposed change that one parent feared could allow parents' concerns to go unheard.
"This individual is going to speak for my school – my neighbourhood, but they are also going to speak for Lindenwoods, they are also going to speak for the North End," they said. "Somehow this individual is going to be able to stay in tune with everything going on in this hugeness that is Winnipeg."
The idea is also raising some concerns with some parents who told the education officials that many parents are facing barriers when it comes to becoming more involved with the education system.
One parent said a concern they have with proposed school community councils is the time commitment required from parents.
"My concern is that certain demographics are going to be left unrepresented just because of their family situation – maybe both parents work full-time," they said.
"I'm concerned that the representation of even just certain communities are going to go unheard."
One parent who said they immigrated to Canada said they had a very difficult time navigating Canada's school system as a parent.
"I do work full-time. I do have a very tight schedule, but I am very much willing to participate. I just don't know what that is supposed to look like," they said.
"We don't engage because we don't have the information – we don’t know how."
Another parent said the province's Bill 64 does not address poverty, and small class sizes – which they said both represent barriers to parents.
Parents questioned the inclusivity of school community councils – asking how the province will address language barriers for parents, and make sure those leading the councils will come from diverse backgrounds.
"I think the buck probably starts from the provincial government," one parent said. "To really encourage with the individual schools, so that we start seeing real diversity, and real representation, and real inclusion."
Rudy told the parents their comments will be used to structure these school community councils.
"This isn't the end. This the beginning of an 18-month journey around what it will take to build parental engagement and participation from multiple groups," Rudy told parents.
Rudy said the province will be holding another telephone town hall on Tuesday, along with more regional meetings in the future.
Manitobans can register for the telephone town hall by visiting EngageMB.ca. The deadline to register for the town hall is 11 a.m. on June 15.
Manitobans can also submit questions to the province by email.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Swiss fans get ready to welcome Eurovision winner Nemo back home
Swiss Eurovision fans were getting ready Sunday to give a hero's welcome to singer Nemo, who won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with "The Code," an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.