District HQ leaving Woodstock in district merger

The former L.P. Fisher Vocational School, which has served as a school district office since the mid-1980s, will not serve as the headquarters of the new mega district which includes Woodstock.

A move by the Alward administration to streamline school districts as part of the government's fiscal austerity measures has led to the end of an era of district headquarters in the Shiretown.

The cash-strapped provincial government announced in early January that a reduction of school districts in New Brunswick is planned.

The number of districts in the province will be cut in half to seven large districts from fourteen. The seven mega-districts will then be divided into sub-districts.

Upon making the announcement on January 11th, Education and Early Childhood Minister Jody Carr said the need to administer the education system more efficiently influenced the decision to merge the districts.

"We have an opportunity and a responsibility to build something better together," Carr stated in a press release published by Communications New Brunswick (CNB). "We must do things more efficiently and free up resources and focus our efforts to where they will have the most impact - our children."

Carr added that shareholders will have a larger influence on the system under the new setup.

"We are empowering our schools and parents across the province with a stronger voice in the future of education and early childhood development in New Brunswick."

The new school district structure will consist of four anglophone districts and three francophone districts.

The provincial government expects the reduction in school districts to save $5 million per year in administration costs, and allow districts to place a heavier emphasis on learning and results.

According to the CNB press release, another factor which influenced the decision to merge districts was decreasing enrollment in New Brunswick. The changes in the district structure would put New Brunswick's system "more in line with other education systems in Atlantic Canada."

The four anglophone districts would consist of a south district (Sussex, Saint John and Saint Stephen regions), a north district (Campbellton, Bathurst and Miramichi regions), an east district (Rexton, Dieppe and Moncton regions), and a west district (Fredericton, Oromocto, Woodstock and Edmunston regions). The three francophone districts would include a northeast district (Bathurst, Acadian Peninsula, Miramichi, and Rogersville regions), a south district (Saint-Louis-de-Kent, Dieppe, Moncton, Saint John and Saint Stephen regions), and a northwest district (Fredericton, Oromocto, Woodstock, Edmunston and Campbellton regions).

District education councilors were elected in the May 14th municipal elections, and the new councils will begin on July 1st.

According to the CBC, up to 65 jobs will be lost in the merger, but Carr told the CBC that "none of them will be in the classroom. They are mainly in administration."

As for the new district offices, the headquarters for the new English districts will be based in Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Miramichi, while the French district offices will be located in Dieppe, Tracadie-Sheila and Edmunston.

Though the headquarters for the new mega-district will not be located in Woodstock, Carr says that New Brunswick's First Town will still have an impact in the administration of the new district.

Jody Carr, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development (CNB Image)

"Each community with a former school district office will be the home of a new education support centre," Carr told The Shiretown Blogger in an email. "There will be basic transportation, human resources, and facilities management there."

 "Generally, the district office is located where the greatest number of schools and teachers are."

Carr added that the staff at support centres will also be in cooperation with the administration of the mega-districts.

"Each education support centre will be managed by a senior education officer," Carr explained. "This person will connect to the superintendent and be on the district senior management team, [along with] leading the local team and facilitating the support provided to principals and schools."

"All district offices and education support centres will be located within schools where possible."

Minister Carr quickly denied any political motivation behind the selection of locations for head offices, noting that neither the Premier nor the Minister of Education are getting district headquarters in their ridings.

"We made the discussions based on sound logic and what we felt was best for children, families, and communities overall."

He added that there was more behind the consolidation of districts than trimming expenses.

"This was not simply a cost-cutting measure, but a process to make improvements with a structure that provides better support to where it is needed most - within schools."

"With technology, we encourage connections and networks via internet [and] video conferencing. All of the savings from the reorganization will be invested back into schools."

With files from www.gnb.ca and www.cbc.ca