| English Montreal School Board Commission scolaire English-Montréal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Canada | |
| District information | |
| Schools | 30 Elementary Schools 3 Elementary/Secondary Schools 21 Secondary Schools 7 Social Affairs Schools 10 Adult and Vocational Education Centres[1] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 44,000[2] |
| Other information | |
| Website | www |
TheEnglish Montreal School Board (official name: Commission scolaire English-Montréal English-Montréal School Board; CSEM or EMSB) is one of five publicschool boards and one of two English-language school boards on theisland of Montreal inQuebec, Canada. Its territory consists of 14 of Montreal's 19 boroughs[a] as well as the municipalities of Côte-Saint-Luc, Hampstead, Montréal-Est, Montréal-Ouest, Mont-Royal and Westmount.[3]
The Administration Building of the EMSB is located at 6000 Fielding Avenue[4] inNotre-Dame-de-Grâce. The building was formerly occupied by theProtestant School Board of Greater Montreal (PSBGM).[5]
TheGovernment of Quebec reorganized the province's public school boards in the mid-1990s. School boards in Quebec had been organized along religious confessional lines,Catholic andProtestant, since beforeCanadian Confederation. The province of Quebec was guaranteed a confessional public school system by theBritish North America Act, 1867, now known as theConstitution Act, 1867. The provincial government was required to ask thefederal government to amend theCanadian Constitution if it were to reorganize school boards along linguistic lines (English and French). The amendment was passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate, notwithstanding the unresolved constitutional debate between Quebec and the rest of Canada.
The EMSB officially began operations on July 1, 1998, after[6] the English sectors of theProtestant School Board of Greater Montreal (PSBGM), theMontreal Catholic School Commission (CECM), theCommission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer and theCommission scolaire Sainte-Croix were amalgamated to form the EMSB.[7]
Enrollment in the English Montreal School Board's schools and centres continues to decline as it does in most English-language public school boards in Quebec. This is a part of an ongoing decline following the enactment of theCharter of the French Language by the Québec government in 1977.[8][9]
Since the EMSB's creation in 1998, the board has closed 21 schools, most recently 2 elementary schools and 1 high school in 2020. The School Board's chairperson attributes the declining enrolment toBill 101, families moving to cities with lower home taxes, such asLaval; and the general decline in birth rates.[10]
In 2020, Joe Ortona, president of the board, was imposed a two-week suspension for violating the board's code of ethics after making disparaging remarks about a fellow commissioner. Julien Feldman, also a commissioner and vice-president of the board's ethics committee, had previously received six ethics complaints deemed founded, resulting in four reprimands and two suspensions.[11]
The EMSB had the highest voter turnout among all school boards in Quebec, with 21%.[12]
In 2016, EMSB was investigated by UPAC, the Quebec anti-corruption squad, in regards to its international student programs. The allegations relate to several Asian recruitment companies that were paid millions of dollars by the EMSB to facilitate the enrolment of foreign students, who in turn paid high tuition fees to the EMSB. Some teachers complained the international students did not have the necessary language skills to participate in the classroom and as a result the overall quality of education was diminished. At least one teacher resigned over the issue.[13][14][15]
In 2019, the EMSB was placed under partial trusteeship under investigation for alleged mismanagement and ethical violations, after a preliminary report revealed a mishandling of "millions of dollars".[16][17] TheMinistry of Education appointed former Liberal Member of Parliament,Marlene Jennings, as the trustee in November.[18]
At 92.4 percent, the English Montreal School Board has the highest rate of students who earn ahigh school diploma among all public school boards in Quebec. This success rate is considerably higher than the provincewide average of 81.8 percent, and is only slightly lower than the 92.9 percent success rate for private schools.[19]
In 2019, the EMSB said it would not enforceBill 21, the Government of Quebec's proposed ban of public servants wearing religious symbols, stating that the board has never received a complaint from a parent or student about a teacher's religious symbol.[20]
The EMSB deployed efforts to persuade federal government to challenge the legality ofQuebec CAQ government's 2021 Bill 96 for a ruling to the Supreme Court.[21]
The Director General of the EMSB is Nick Katalifos,[22] who is the school board's chief administrative officer.
Structurally, the EMSB has two Assistant Directors General: Jack H. Chadirdjian and Pela Nickoletopoulos. The school board also has three regional directors: Demetrios Giannacopoulos (west sector), Darlene Kehyayan (east sector), and Angela Spagnolo (adult education and vocational services). The school board also has a secretary-general: Mtre Nathalie Lauzière, who has a key role in the board's functioning.[23]
| Name | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|
| George Vathilakis | July 2, 1998 | August 20, 2001 |
| John Simms | September 12, 2001 | November 21, 2003 |
| Dominic Spiridigliozzi | November 25, 2003 | November 9, 2007 |
| Angela Mancini | November 14, 2007 | July 15, 2020 |
| Joe Ortona | November 6, 2020 | Incumbent |
| Name | Ward | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic Spiridigliozzi | 15 | July 2, 1998 | November 21, 2003 |
| Elizabeth Fokoefs | 3 | November 25, 2003 | November 9, 2007 |
| Sylvia Lo Bianco | 15 | November 14, 2007 | November 7, 2014 |
| Sylvia Lo Bianco | 7 | November 17, 2014 | September 26, 2018 |
| Joe Ortona | 10 | September 26, 2018 | November 6, 2020 |
| Agostino Cannavino | 6 | November 11, 2020 | December 19, 2023 |
| James Kromida | 5 | January 18, 2024 | November 9, 2024 |
| James Kromida | Saint-Laurent | November 13, 2024 |
This school board oversees 30 elementary schools, 3 elementary and secondary schools, 21 secondary schools, 7 social affairs institutions and 10 adult and vocational centres, in which over 44,000 students are enrolled.
6000 Fielding Avenue Montreal, QC H3X 1T4
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