Advancing Strategies to Combat School Dropouts
The delay in granting subsidies to education organizations is causing concern for groups fighting illiteracy and school dropout in Quebec. Many Community Service Centres (CSS) are uncertain about renewing agreements with these organizations for the current school year, leading to a cloud of uncertainty over employee contracts and potential layoffs.
The budget cuts faced by school service centers last June, totalling $510 million, have not been fully addressed. The head of the Quebec Federation of School Service Centers, Dominique Robert, has stated that budgetary efforts are still being demanded of its members, and they will have to take necessary measures to balance their budget while limiting the impact on student services.
The uncertainty stems from the fact that school service centers are still trying to determine where they will invest the partial reinvestment of $425 million announced last month by Education Minister Bernard Drainville. This reinvestment can only be used to finance direct services to students, leaving the future of organizations that orbit around schools, particularly those aimed at preventing school dropout, uncertain.
Melanie Marsolais, the general director of the Quebec Community Organizations Network for the Fight Against School Dropout, oversees 68 member organizations that intervene with 10,000 young people annually across the province. One of these organizations, with 29 employees, was to be deployed in 15 Montreal schools for the start of the school year, but their partnerships are still uncertain just days before students return to class.
The director of this organization stated that even if all partnerships were renewed, the offer of services would be delayed by at least "two to three weeks." The school network usually covers a quarter of the funding for these organizations, and agreements with schools serve as leverage to secure funding from philanthropic foundations and the private sector.
The director of an organization outside Montreal fears having to lay off interveners due to uncertainty about partnership renewals. Three member organizations of this network, operating in Montreal and outside the metropolitan area, are facing immense uncertainty regarding their partnerships with schools for the upcoming school year.
The "top gun" of education wants to help teachers without spending too much, according to reports. However, the director of one of the organizations contacted by Our Website stated that tuition fee increases are a significant challenge for several private schools.
The decision about continuing partnerships with organizations combating school dropout in Quebec will be made in the coming days by the relevant Quebec government authorities responsible for education and social services. The director of one of these organizations noted that the delay in signing agreements creates a question mark over employee contracts, potentially leading to layoffs. The current level of uncertainty about job security creates instability, according to another director.
In an effort to clarify the situation, Our Website spoke with the new head of the National Institute of Excellence in Education. The details of this conversation will be shared in a subsequent report.
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