Quebec City, March 12, 2024 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is pleased with the overall increase to education in the budget deposited today in Quebec by the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard.
The government allocated a total budget increase of 9.3%, which includes the negotiated salary increases and impact of regular cost of living for purchases and maintenance. The budget for 2024- 2025, after salary adjustments, will be a $381 million investment. Much of the budget will be dedicated to the hiring of the new “éducateur-trice en milieu scolaire” increased full-time positions and the attraction/retention of school personnel. There is also additional funding to support the acceleration of vocational training in the construction and health sectors.
“We are hopeful that school boards will be provided the 2024-2025 budget parameters by the MEQ in short order to avoid having to fill vacant posts at the start of the school year. School boards have already started their staffing plan for 2024-2025 and need to confirm positions for its current staff and fill vacancies,” said QESBA Executive Director David Meloche.
“We must underline however that we are disappointed that there has not been any increased funding for building infrastructure and maintenance, this remains a concern for school boards. Furthermore, the announcement to eliminate the Cybersecurity Enhancement Program also generates a level of concern for school boards. We would have liked to have more details on how the MEQ plans to meet this essential service and protect our digital infrastructure.
Overall, we are pleased with the budget allocations in education, however we need to wait for the budget parameters before being able to see the direct impact to boards and schools,” concluded the Executive Director.
QESBA is the voice of English public education in Québec and represents 100,000 students in over 300 elementary, high schools, and adult and vocational centres across Québec.