More English Catholic schools to close in Montreal (Canada).

Montreal--It's politics as usual for the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). Over the roaring objections of parents, the EMSB decided in January to close four more schools as of June 30. Three of the schools are Catholic, and the commissioners voted along confessional lines. (The EMSB was formed in July 1998 when Quebec abolished confessional school boards in favour of linguistic boards. The EMSB was built upon the administrative infrastructure of the former Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal--this includes Jewish representatives--a point felt keenly by the English Catholic community.)

It was the first time, however, that the religious issue was on the front burner, where prejudice was called by its name. Accusations of anti-Catholicism and fierce denials made for a lively evening news. The fact is, the board appears to have targeted specific schools for closure, and then written reports to support their position. Parents want the school boundaries redrawn before closures are made, because new boundaries may give targeted schools more life. The board, on the other hand, wants to close schools and then redraw the map.

Even as parents warned they would take legal action against the board, the Minister of Education, Francois Legault, advised the EMSB that he wanted them to turn over several buildings to the French board, including Francesca Cabrini school, which was just put on the chopping block. The school board, which is much better at being a bully than dealing with one, swiftly reversed itself on the closure of Francesca Cabrini. Not to be outdone, Mr. Legault is introducing legislation to require the EMSB to sell the schools, including Francesca Cabrini, to the Commission Scolaire de Montreal.