An important message from the Office of the Director General

Dear members of the EMSB community,

As you have likely heard in recent news reports, yesterday Education Minister, Jean-Francois Roberge, announced that the responsibilities of the EMSB Council of Commissioners would largely be suspended for six months and transferred to a trustee, Ms. Marlene Jennings - who is a very well-known and respected figure in the English community of Quebec.

In light of recent announcements, I write to the EMSB community today to reassure you that this temporary change in the board's governance structure will have no noticeable impact on the staff nor the students. Moreover, the excellent day-to-day services provided to our schools and in our schools will not be impacted. The service departments of the board will continue to provide important resources to our school teams. The same knowledgeable and caring principals, teachers and staff will continue to work with the students. And ultimately, the educational success of our students will remain the primary mission of the EMSB.

In short, despite some administrative processes that need improvement, the EMSB, with a 92.4% student success rate - the highest of all public school boards in Quebec, remains an education leader in the province and we all have much to be proud of!

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity", Albert Einstein once said.

So in conclusion, I want to share with you the level of commitment with which the EMSB directorate takes on these difficulties. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Jennings to the EMSB. There are many questions about what this new governance structure will mean in practical terms. As soon as we receive more information, I will share it with our community.

Until then, I remain.

Yours truly,
Ann Marie Matheson
Director General