Now in our tenth year of existence, the Lester B. Pearson School Board is proud of the achievements to date of its students, staff and parent communities.  However, as part of our Strategic Plan and Mission Statement, we have pledged to provide the best possible service to our students. A review of our programs and services is undertaken periodically in order to maintain the excellence for which we strive.

As you will note in the following document, three particular areas have been selected for review:  Special Needs Delivery Services; French Program Delivery; and Magnet Schools versus Magnet Programs. 

LESTER B. PEARSON SCHOOL BOARD

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES – 2009 AND BEYOND

The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) is rightly proud of its development through the first ten years of its existence. The Board constantly ranks in the top 5 school boards in Quebec in graduation / success rates. The Board is recognized locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally as a progressive, innovative, student-centered school board. Our staff, students, and the Board itself have won praise and earned many awards that attest to the leadership role played by the LBPSB in education, inclusion, second language learning, international opportunities, community involvement, staff development, as well as many other areas.

Our Strategic Plan lays the groundwork for our development as a Board. It has set targets that were developed by consensus and, as of the mid-point evaluation of the three year plan, we can say proudly that the Board has already accomplished most of these objectives. While we take pride in our accomplishments, we seek to continue to grow and evolve. With that goal in mind, a serious and in-depth look at some of the major service and program areas was undertaken recently. For most of the year 2008, the Council of Commissioners and senior administrators of the Lester B. Pearson School Board reflected on the services and programs offered and supported by the Board. Three important areas of study were identified. They were: French Program Delivery; Service for students with special needs; and Magnet Schools / Magnet Programs. These areas represent a significant part of the basic philosophy of the Lester B Pearson School Board.
 
The following are summaries of the reflection undertaken as reported to Council in late November by the three committees established to study each area:

FRENCH PROGRAM DELIVERY
The basic issue for the committee was: How do we best fulfill our mission of equipping students to live and thrive in Quebec – while remaining fiscally responsible?

Two conclusions emerged. They were:
•    It is time to look at the quality of the French instruction, at all levels.
•    The issue is complex and will require consultation with all stakeholders.

While those conclusions were clear, the committee soon found that they had more questions than answers. Amongst those:
•    What is best for students?
•    Does the current system of delivering French programs require improvement?
•    What are the short range and long range implications of any change?
•    What would be the effect on community schooling, on bussing, on staffing, on both French and English language acquisition, on parental involvement, and on French at the secondary level?
•    Can the Board continue to provide the choice of two programs (Early Immersion and Bilingual) at the elementary level, practically or financially?
•    How do we improve student success in French?
•    What is the best way to consult all stakeholders?


DELIVERY OF SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The result of the months of discussion was a consensus in favour of the continuation of an inclusion approach. That said, there are many forms of inclusion and any proposed major change in policy would require, legally and morally, a full discussion and formal consultation with all stakeholders.

The sub-committee did agree on the following recommendations:
•    That in the case of a Major School Change process, special attention must be paid to students with special needs.
•    That the teachers’ collective agreement continues to be respected as to class size and the types of decisions that can be made at the school level.
•    That the French program delivery models be carefully studied given the concerns of the over-representation of students with special needs in one program over the other.
•    That the LBPSB Special Needs Policy be updated to reflect current practices.
•    That the LBPSB increase its efforts to lobby the Ministry of Education for increased funding for students with special needs.

The committee also reviewed a number of other issues for consideration though no specific recommendations emerged:
•    Continued Professional Development for teachers and support staff
•    Continued collaboration with universities to ensure appropriate training of personnel
•    Qualifications and training for integration aides and technicians
•    Services for 18-21 year olds with handicaps


MAGNET PROGRAMS
A major concern for this committee was the LBPSB’s declining population and the two main reasons for it: the first being the natural demographic decline and the second being the 15%-20% loss of students at the secondary level to private schools and other Boards. Throughout the discussions, a common focus emerged – every effort should be made to retain our graduating Level 6 students and increased efforts should be undertaken to attract new students to the LBPSB.

A number of possible magnet school models were discussed. A significant amount of time was spent discussing the existing and several potentially new magnet programs which could be available in individual schools. The consensus of the committee was that it is preferable to have any new program initiatives be community-driven. That said the feeling was that the Board could play a role in researching and preparing programs for willing communities. Financial concerns were also an important issue.

Several ideas were suggested, but none studied in depth. Among them were schools or programs for:
•    Academically gifted students
•    Enriched French
•    Math and Science
•    Arts

The committee agreed that open discussion and consultation were required with all stakeholders.


IN CONCLUSION
Each topic under review is complex in nature. Changes in any one of these areas may implicate other types of changes, such as school closures; attendance areas; transportation; staffing; funding distribution.

In order to ensure that all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate in an open and fair manner, a series of pre-consultation meetings will take place during January and February 2009. These will include meetings with unions and associations, Central Parents Committee, Governing Board Chairs, School Principals, Central Students Committee, and our parent communities in regional meetings.
These meetings will be organized along the lines of a town hall format, featuring a short formal presentation followed by discussion. We want all participants to be able to have input into the development of any proposals that may result in Community or Major School Change consultations. It is crucial that our stakeholders be a part of the process and that we work together to create the blueprint for the Future Directions of the Lester B. Pearson School Board.

SCHEDULE OF TOWN HALL MEETINGS (7:00pm – 10:00pm) 

January 27, 2009    East Sector Community
Beurling Academy:    6100 Champlain Blvd., Verdun, Quebec  H4H 1A5

January 29, 2009    West Sector Community
Macdonald High School:    17 Maple Avenue, Ste.-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec  H9X 2E5

February 3, 2009    Centre Sector Community
Lakeside Academy:    5050  Sherbrooke Street, Lachine, Quebec  H8T 1H8