Québec City, March 10, 2020 – The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is satisfied with the 2020-2021 Québec budget. The government funded the normal annual increase in the costs of the elementary, secondary and adult education sectors, has expanded a number of programs and has financed certain initiatives which will benefit students.
Using the Expenditure Budget documents, the QESBA estimates that the 2020-2021 increase for school boards is approximately 5.8%, which is higher than overall program spending by the Government of Québec.
In addition, the commitment to expand the ten-year capital investment budget to fund much needed upgrades to Quebec schools is a welcome measure.
“The 2020-2021 spending levels reflect the importance of public education in Québec. Of course, school boards have to wait for the budget rules, which provide the necessary details of the government’s transfers. One area of concern is the funding for the school elections in the English network scheduled for November 1 of this year. If these elections are to be successfully held, the Government of Québec should consider adequately funding school boards for their expenses,” said QESBA President Dan Lamoureux.
“Despite our current dispute with the Government of Québec regarding school governance, QESBA remains, as always, committed to working with the government of Québec on all issues which we believe will improve the education of our students,” concluded the President.
QESBA is the voice of English public education in Québec and represents 100,000 students in 340 elementary, high schools, and adult and vocational centres across Québec.