Local Journalism Initiative

School leaders vow unity as 60,000 return to class

Sophie Demers

OUTAOUAIS – The directors of Outaouais’ four French school service centres and the English Western Quebec School Board (WQSB) gathered on August 25 at École secondaire du Versant to speak with the media about the upcoming school year.

After the provincial government cut education budgets earlier this year, then restored part of the funding, administrators have spent the past months preparing for the return to school.

Student numbers continue to grow while budgets shrink. Each director stressed the importance of collaboration and sharing best practices to provide the highest quality education possible.

This fall, more than 60,000 students will attend the region’s 150 plus schools. Every day, school buses cover nearly 50,000 km, and the combined education budget surpasses $1 billion.

“It is a message we want to send not only to the public but to our staff — the importance of collaborating, not competing, and using everyone’s strengths to help each other,” said Manon Dufour, director of the Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs, noting the region’s high school success rate is now 80%.

Daniel Bellemare, director of the Centre de services scolaire au Cœur-des-Vallées, emphasized efficiency: “Our administrative and management costs are below 5%. It is difficult to find lower costs than what we are able to maintain.”

WQSB director George Singfield highlighted the shared commitment: “The challenges are large, but know that we are working together to improve the future of students, regardless of language.”

WQSB delays budget amid legal challenge

Later that day, the WQSB postponed adoption of its 2025–2026 budget until September 23. Earlier in August, the board voted to join a Quebec English School Board Association court challenge against provincial rules restricting the use of surpluses.

The government’s rule prevents boards from using accumulated surpluses, which in the past served as a cushion during budget shortfalls. The WQSB has about $15 million in its surplus account.

“We have the right of control and management of our funds,” said WQSB chair Joanne Labadie. “We’re not contesting the cuts. We understand we have to tighten our belts. But as minority-language right holders, we have the right to decide how to spend our money, including our surplus,” she said, citing Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The proposed 2025–2026 budget totals nearly $154 million with a deficit of just over $380,000. The board delayed approval to see if the court will grant a stay, which would suspend the surplus restriction until a decision is made.

Labadie said the delay means the board can currently access only one-twelfth of its budget. While this covers salaries and bills, any unplanned expenses cannot be met with surplus funds.