Several proposed changes would be implemented in the anglophone sector, effective July 1, 2023. There will be no day-to-day changes to classrooms.
Parent School Support Committees (PSSCs)
- Continue to play a key role advising schools and principals.
- More training and updated materials on school improvement planning.
- Approve School Improvement Plan (SIP) goals and objectives.
- Learn more
District Education Councils (DECs)
- Continue to play a key role in the governance framework.
- Continue to exist with elected councillors. Transition to an advisory capacity. Will no longer supervise the superintendent.
- Learn more
Districts
- Each of the anglophone school districts will become separate legal entities. District staff will continue to report to superintendents.
- District staff roles and organizational structure will remain the same.
- Ongoing discussions with districts will be held to identify the scope of adjusted responsibilities.
Superintendents
- Maintain authority over their districts.
- Will now report to the Deputy Minister of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD), not DECs.
- Authority to create processes and procedures aligned with EECD policies.
- Learn more
Provincial Advisory Committee on Alignment and Accountability (PACAA)
- PACAA will be introduced by regulation in the coming months.
- Advise the Minister of EECD on provincial priorities, policies and guidelines.
- Focus on accountability of EECD and superintendents/districts.
- Meet with the minister and superintendents at Minister's Forums.
A clear reporting flow will be established:
School → District → Superintendent → Deputy Minister → Minister
- DECs will no longer supervise the superintendent.
- Superintendents will now report to the Deputy Minister of EECD, not DECs.
DECs and PSSCs will provide critical advisory and accountability roles.
DECs will continue to be comprised of elected members and will transition to an advisory role moving forward. They will retain a critical and important voice, but will no longer supervise the superintendent.
PSSCs will continue to play a key role advising schools and principals and will now receive increased training to allow them to approve the goals and objectives of School Improvement Plans.
The PACAA will be a new entity created from DEC members (including students and Indigenous leader), teachers, and the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association. The PACAA will advise the Minister and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The focus will be on provincial priorities, policies, and guidelines and to hold the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, superintendents, and districts accountable for system performance.
Students will have increased participation, responsibility, and influence.
Changes are proposed for the francophone education sector to increase accountability and to responding to the needs of students.
One of the guiding principles has been our Charter obligations to preserve and promote the rights of the minority.
What’s staying the same
- There are no day-to-day changes to classrooms.
- DECs will retain their existing authorities and responsibilities in the francophone sector.
What’s changing
- Francophone district education councils will be responsible to establish effective consultations with families, students and community members aimed at better identifying the diverse needs and educational priorities of the school district communities. Part of this engagement work will involve the DECs meeting at least annually with parent school support committees and student councils to share information and perspectives.
- Annual accountability forum where DECs and the superintendent will present their plans and results to Minister and the minister’s delegates.
Learn more about the changes:
Both anglophone and francophone sectors will see the following changes:
- Enhanced role of parent-school support committees.
- Students will have increased participation, responsibility, and influence.
- Student councils with new authorities will be formally established in each high school in both anglophone and francophone sectors.
- The governance model will create a new space for students to be active citizens. The student councils will meet with their PSSC and DEC to discuss needs of the students at the school and district level.
- A seat on the DEC will be created for an additional student-in-training to ensure continuity of a youth representative.