Southwest Pilot Evaluation Begins

An evaluation of the school board pilot project in southwestern Nova Scotia is getting underway this month.

The former Southwest Regional School Board was divided into two district boards in June 2000. Over the past year, a chief executive officer has been overseeing budgets and administrative services at both boards. Elected school board members in the Tri- County District School Board and the South Shore District School Board are responsible for delivery of education programs.

"The pilot project was established to let administrators take care of things like school buildings, busing and human resources so that board members could focus on the quality of education," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "This structure has been in place for a year and it's time to look at how well it's serving students in southwestern Nova Scotia."

A steering committee has been formed to guide the evaluation process. It has representation from both district school boards, the Nova Scotia School Boards Association, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, the Association of Nova Scotia Education Administrators and the Department of Education.

The committee will submit proposed terms of reference to the minister early this fall. Once the terms are accepted, a consultant will be hired to conduct an independent evaluation. Consultations with stakeholders will be a part of the process. A final report should be submitted to the minister around the end of the year.

"One of our goals with this pilot project is to increase accountability of the board and of government for the tax dollars we spend," said Ms. Purves. "We hope the evaluation will tell us whether the new structure is achieving this goal and also offer suggestions for improvements."

The department launched the three-year pilot project last year in response to the report of the Task Force on School Board Boundaries. The report recommended a new governance model for the Southwest regional board.