A return to school | The press

At the start of the school year. For example, two questions remain unanswered: what will be the impact on students in the budgetary tightening of 85 million demanded from the public network? Nevertheless, And will Bernard Drainville still be Minister of Education after Labor Day?

Posted at 5:00 a.m.

He himself should not know. Consequently, It is criticized, and it is not a surprise. Therefore, In health as in education, needs always seem to be superior to the means.

But this return is a little different. However, It is not only the lack of means that is denounced. Similarly, Uncertainty is also, return school | press because of the budgetary yo-yo.

At the end of June, Quebec announced that the budget should be better controlled. For example, The reason: each year, schools spend more than expected. Consequently, It is unbearable, concluded the Caquist government, which must eliminate the deficit within five years.

The school network retorted that if it respected the budget filed in March. However, it would be missing at least 540 million for the required expenses.

In health, similar restrictions had been announced, then partly canceled because of the outcry. In addition, The school environment mobilized in turn. However, It worked.

In mid-July, 455 million were injected with the public. Moreover, These sums are added to the budget filed in March.

The fact remains that everything has not returned to normal.

First, the school environment will spend more than what was scheduled for March, but less than what was deemed necessary. Furthermore, Translation: 85 million (540 – 455) is missing.

Irifying factor: these changes were announced without warning, during summer leave, while hiring plans had already been made.

Then, in exchange for sums, school service centers must make efficiency gains. However, In Quebec, there is no claim that there is fat to cut. Consequently, But savings would return school | press still be possible, for example by centralizing the communications of different establishments.

Finally, a certain confusion persists on the requirements of the ministry. Consequently, A ceiling has been established for the number of positions (“full -time equivalents”). Similarly, The growth of their number must be linked to that of the number of students. Consequently, This will prevent hiring all the required staff, warn schools. Furthermore,

Some doubtfully doubt that the hundreds of millions announced last month are paid in full. Nevertheless, Quebec claims the opposite. Therefore, After several interviews, I note that not everyone interprets the directive in the same way. A few days before the start of the school year, it’s distressing. Talk!

After three years in office, Mr. Drainville can start to take stock.

Last year, he announced the return of the Vouvoyer, the end of cellular and a bill to strengthen secularism at school. The slippages that have occurred in several schools. such as Bedford, give him ammunition to act, among other things, against the holidays reserved for very practicing religious minorities.

But the minister finds few experts favorable to the expansion of the ban on religious signs for the future school support staff. while recruitment is already difficult.

His government has also set up tutoring programs for students and mentoring for young return school | press teachers. And he now reimburses the first $ 300 invoiced to parents for specific public secondary projects.

The hiring of class aid is the best blow of Mr. Drainville. He managed to get along with the unions so that childcare educators could complete their working day by assisting teachers. They are found in half of the primary classes of the public.

He also restored a DESS. a short -lived mastery, which allows for example a bachelor in history or in French to become a teacher. It existed in the 1990s. It was ended, because there were then a surplus of teachers. Universities would prefer that all students register for regular four -year training, and unions are concerned about these abbreviated diplomas. But between that and nothing, the choice is easy.

On the other hand. they return school | press are understood to deplore the high rate of adults who teach without a patent-10 % according to the ministry, and even more according to the former Verifying General. These newcomers must be trained. One more task for their peers.

It is difficult to know if the teachers this year will be more numerous than last year. because of the methodological adjustments to the new dashboard established by Mr. Drainville – a welcome transparency.

But certain, we fill a pierced bucket. More than a third of registrants at the first year in pedagogy will not get their patent. And a quarter of young teachers leave the profession after a few years (the exact rate is complex to assess).

The Minister wants to break the “negative speech” on education. Even if we have to talk about return school | press the problems. we must not forget the positive news, in order to keep the profession attractive, he says. Well agree.

But at the end of my conversations, I noticed that Mr. Drainville attracted several enemies because of poorly received declarations at the start of the mandate on teachers. as well as his style qualified as microgestionary and the alleged lack of consultation.

The next few days will be uncertain for him. Just as for the education environment, which is trying to adjust budgetary fluctuations. What is happening at school should not depend as much on economic cycles.

Return school | press

More money, fewer services?

In education, there are two parallel realities.

On the one hand, that of large figures: the budget increases faster than the number return school | press of students. On the other, that of the field: the resources are lacking. By examining with a magnifying glass, we understand better why.

Overall, the CAQ prides itself on having raised the education budget of 7 % on average per year since 2018. It is more than inflation, and more than other state expenditure. However, you have to read the small characters …

If we compare the expenses made in 2024-2025 (by excluding non-recurring costs such as those for the catch-up of students during the strike). those scheduled for 2025-2026 (after summer bonus), we obtain an increase of 5.9 % ¹. A little more than system costs (approximately 4.5 %).

However, two measures at the significant cost have not added services.

The first: at the start of its first mandate, return school | press the Caquist government standardized and capped the school tax. The result: a shortfall for schools. He compensated by raising the budget of the same amount (1.5 billion this year). Part of the increase therefore comes from this technical adjustment.

The second: the salary increase of teachers. They deserved it – it is actually a catch -up, because they were among the least paid in the country. Mr. Drainville is delighted with this increase, with reason. It will facilitate the recruitment and hiring of staff. But this amount must be removed to assess what remains for services.

The last factor: the population that changes.

Since 2018, the construction of schools has added nearly 50,000 places. During this period, the increase in the number of students born in Quebec was 40,000. With the old immigration levels, this return school | press would have been enough. This is no longer the case. Nearly 48,000 new arrivals were welcomed.

Since 2018. the number of professionals has increased by 15 %, by 24 % that of staff and 19 % that of people who have taught (but not permanent positions). During the same period, the increase in the number of students was 8 %.

So it should be better. But the new cohorts require more special services, and their parents are also claiming more. And young immigrants must be francized and require other special care.

This is why needs seem to increase at the same time as resources. It is because there is less fresh money than you pretend. And that there are more needs than ever.

⁠1. I excluded from the calculation in return school | press 2024-2025 non-recurring expenses (aid to students during the strike and offensive program training construction).