Cullen asks MTS to correct record on Bill 64

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This article was published 08/06/2021 (1675 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even though the Manitoba legislature won’t reconvene until the fall, debate surrounding Bill 64 — the Education Modernization Act — is still taking place behind the scenes.

On Monday, Education Minister Cliff Cullen sent a letter to Manitoba Teachers’ Society president James Bedford, accusing his organization of spreading misinformation about Bill 64 and asking him to publicly correct the record.

“Bringing parents and students into the mix and sharing false information creates fear, politicizes the classroom and does nothing to support our leaders, students and families who need this support now, more than ever,” Cullen wrote.

Cullen took particular issue with a FAQ document that is currently available through MTS’ official website, which is designed to give parents and educators some insight into what Bill 64 is and how it could impact the education system as a whole.

As such, Cullen’s team provided MTS and the Sun with a 12-page summary of the “false information” contained within this FAQ document, including MTS’ characterization of Bill 64 itself.

Under the section titled “What is proposed in Bill 64?,” MTS representatives said that this legislation aims to replace democratically elected school boards with a single provincial education authority, which would be accomplished by amalgamating Manitoba’s existing 37 school divisions in 15 regional catchment areas.

However, the province insists that MTS’ use of the word “amalgamation” in this context does not correlate to how “amalgamation” is defined within the current Public Schools Act, which involves combining two or more school divisions together.

“We are not using that process in Bill 64,” a Manitoba Education representative wrote.

“Rather, the … school divisions are being continued under a single board that will administer education within 15 regions.”

However, the Manitoba Education representative would go on to confirm that all school trustee positions will be eliminated under Bill 64, with each new region being governed by a director of education and a school community council at every institution.

Because of this, Cullen said the centralized provincial education authority will not make any decisions in isolation, and will rely on local leaders to deliver kindergarten through Grade 12 education across the province.

“This will ensure that local decision-making will be stronger and will build upon successful programs that currently exist in your schools or new programs developed as identified through input from the School Community Council,” he wrote.

Later on in their FAQ document, under the heading “what are our key concerns?,” MTS reps voice their skepticism about this new management style, believing that this centralized structure “may not be equipped to respond to local needs.”

In response, Manitoba Education insists that “have” and “have not” school divisions won’t exist if Bill 64 comes to pass, since funding will not depend on how much taxes are collected or how much revenue is raised in a division.

“The new regions will have the capacity to maximize program delivery and build greater coherence in K to 12 education delivery though the province,” the rep said.

Manitoba Education also shot down MTS’ claim about how there is “no information” about potential job cuts, saying that “the province has already indicated that there will be no changes to staffing at the school level as a result of Bill 64.”

Plus, the province debunked MTS’ claim that principals are excluded from the definition of a “teacher” under Bill 64, when, in fact, Section 95(2) of the legislation specifies that “a person is not legally qualified to be employed as a principal unless that person holds a valid and subsisting teacher’s certificate.”

Overall, in his original letter, Cullen also wrote that MTS’ criticisms of Bill 64 are too narrow in scope, since the organization doesn’t take into account the broader reform that will take place under the province’s Better Education Starts Today strategy.

“It includes strong community involvement at the school level, supports the dedication and expertise of teachers and principals, and facilitates more student and parental engagement in the design and oversight of a system that is inclusive and respectful of the community,” Cullen wrote.

Bedford told the Sun on Monday afternoon that his staff is currently looking through this 12-page document in more detail and will provide any updates to their official website if some discrepancies emerge.

But Bedford said any kind of future miscommunication between the two groups could be avoided if Cullen simply agrees to host a face-to-face meeting with MTS representatives, rather than relegate communications about Bill 64 to press releases and technical briefings.

“I think it would be very constructive,” Bedford said. “I think it would be good for students in our classrooms today, good for students in our classrooms tomorrow and into the future for us to have a conversation about public education.”

Anyone interested in reading MTS’ FAQ on Bill 64 in its entirety can visit mbteach.org/mtscms/2021/03/24/bill-64-toolkit/.

More information about the province’s broader plans for education reform can be gleaned by consulting with bettereducationmb.ca.

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