Anne Lagacé Dowson for EMSB Chairman – Q&A – English Montreal School Board 2014 Election Q: When were the most recent EMSB elections? A: Previous election were seven years ago in 2007; prior elections were held in 2003 and 1998; Elections were delayed in 2011 by Education minister Michelle Courchesne, to implement electoral reform. District representation is being reduced from 23 districts to only 10 commissioner districts. The new council will be formed with 10 elected commissioners, three parent commissioners elected through the Central Parents Committee and two appointed (“co-opted”) commissioners chosen via two-thirds vote of the council of commissioners; Q: When was the EMSB merged from its predecessor boards, PSBGM (protestant), CECM (Catholic) and Jerome LeRoyer (Catholic)? A: The English Montreal School Board was formed in 1998, covering the eastern have of the Island of Montreal. The southwest and West Island are part of the Lester B. Pearson School board; Q: How many schools are there in the EMSB? A: There are 40 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools, 11 outreach schools, 10 social affairs institutions and 11 adult and vocational centres. Q: How many students were currently enrolled in EMSB youth sector schools as of Sept. 30, 2013? A: Elementary schools: 10,942; Secondary schools: 8,615; Total: 19,858; Teachers: 1,354 Q: What percentage of EMSB students are attending French Immersion schools? A: As of Sept. 30, 2013, approximately 1 in 3 EMSB students has access to a French Immersion program in elementary school, or approximately 3,400 students out of 10,900 (31%); Q: How many elementary students are enrolled in French immersion, 50-50 Bilingual and Core English schools Elementary Core English Bilingual French Immersion Special Ed. Total
Pre-k 176 214 14 11 315
K 333 644 465 59 1,501
1 339 591 514 63 1,507
2 409 566 487 83 1,545
3 337 508 465 107 1,417
4 338 522 447 138 1,445
5 367 509 504 166 1,540
6 Spec. Ed 341 505 508 29 192 1,546 126
Sub-total 2640 3,953 3,404 819 10,942
Q: Why is enrollment in French Immersion school expected to begin declining in 2014-2015? A: Busing services to French immersion schools have been sharlply restricted by imposing smaller busing territories for French immersion schools. The policy was introduced to slow an accelerating shift into French immersion schools which resulted in severe enrolment decline at Bilingual and English Core schools. Q: What is the enrolment of students eligible for English-language and second-language French immersion in Quebec English school boards?
A: The latest edition of the education department’s “linguistic indicators” reports that in the 2012-13 school year, across the province, 12 per cent of children eligible for English schooling were in French schools instead. No one knows how many students eligible for English certificates didn’t apply for them. Q: Which EMSB schools have been subject to school closure recommendations in recent years? A: In March 2011, a recommendation from the board’s long range planning committee called for the closure of nine schools in total from a potential group of 11, including St Gabriel or St John Bosco (Pointe St. Charles), Our Lady of Pompei or St Dorothy (Ahuntsic), St Brendan, Fraser Academy (St. Laurent), Bancroft (Mile End), Carlyle (TMR), Merton (Hampstead), James Lyng High School (Pointe St. Charles). St. John Bosco was ultimately closed. Q: What has the enrollment situation in recent years? A: The number of students in the EMSB dropped from 24,832 in 2006 to 19,858 in 2012, a reduction of 4,974 students or a 20% drop from 2006. Q: When will enrollment figures be available for 2014? A: Enrollment figures are submitted by individual schools on Sept. 30 of each school year and submitted to the Minister of Education and will be able the following week from the EMSB. School board funding from the Government of Quebec is based on the total number of students enrolled on that date; Q:what are the five-year (on-time) graduation rates for EMSB and other school boards? School Board English Montreal Lester B. Pearson CSDM (French sector)
Boys 68.6 73.4 40.6
Girls 83.3 86.6 52.6
Combined 75.7 79.7 46.4
