Province not keen to amalgamate divisions
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/04/2012 (4902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Selinger government isn’t showing signs of forcing amalgamation on school divisions — even though this week’s budget declared it’s a great money-saving idea to reduce regional health authorities from 11 to five.
An aide to Education Minister Nancy Allan declined Thursday to make the minister available for an interview.
Instead, Allan’s staffer pointed to a February radio interview in which Premier Greg Selinger said while all options to find greater efficiencies are on the table, the government prefers to let school divisions concentrate on educating children.
School divisions feel the same way, Seven Oaks superintendent Brian O’Leary said Thursday.
“We would discourage the province from any large-scale amalgamation,” said O’Leary, president of the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents. “If there are efficiencies to be found, they can be found in existing organizations.”
O’Leary acknowledged some small rural divisions might benefit from amalgamation, but MASS is not calling for it.
The NDP imposed amalgamation on school divisions in 2002, reducing them to 37 from 55.
Since then, a series of education ministers has made staff available should any division wish to amalgamate voluntarily. So far, none has, though Lakeshore did show interest in sounding out its neighbours a couple of years ago.
Other cities across Canada, including Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary, have just one public school division covering their entire city.
Former education minister Peter Bjornson mused about a city-wide school division, but he’s moved to another cabinet portfolio.
The province says amalgamation has led to better programs being available in the enlarged new divisions and administrative costs being capped and handled more smoothly.
One problem with perceptions about the 2002 amalgamations is then-minister Drew Caldwell promised there’d be $10 million in savings on administration.
Not only did that not happen, but as dozens of employee contracts were harmonized, the new deals included the top wages and benefits in the previous contacts.
nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca