Richmond, May 27, 2005 - An historical agreement between an Anglophone and a Francophone school board
Partnership that will benefit Anglophones in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and Francophones in British
Columbia
It is with great pride that the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) in Quebec and the Conseil scolaire
francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) (British Columbia’s Francophone School Board - School District
No.!93) signed earlier today a partnership protocol that will facilitate the exchange of expertise and establish a spirit
of cooperation. Although both partners operate in a minority setting in different parts of the country, they believe in
the sharing of expertise that will allow them to remain at the leading edge in developments in their area of specialty. It
is expected that this partnership, the first one to ever be established between two school boards from different
provinces and operating in different languages, will greatly benefit both school communities.
As a result of this agreement that promotes the sharing of expertise, as well as the exchange of proven practices and
learning and administrative resources, the ETSB and CSF will be able to benefit from their new partner’s strengths.
Both partners operate in different provinces, however they share a common goal: to offer an education of quality to
students living in a minority setting.
According to the terms of this agreement, the Eastern Townships School Board will share its expertise and resources
related to its Dennis McCullough Initiative - Enhanced Learning Strategy, which consists of providing a laptop
computer to every student from grades 3 to 11. The CSF will make available its knowledge in distance education and
professional development, as well as its know how in the area of technology as it relates to portal development, the
use of videoconferencing technology, and the creation of a virtual campus.
"I’m very excited to be part of this historic agreement. Our school boards, although different in size, are similar, more
particularly in the fact that we are both minority school boards in Canada,” stated Mrs. Margaret Faulks, Chairman,
Eastern Townships School Board. "We look forward to the sharing of expertise and the opportunities that will be
generated from this partnership."
"The CSF is proud to work alongside a partner that values the sharing of knowledge in an effort to offer an education
of high quality. This support will enable the Conseil to continue to offer British Columbia parents and students a
French-language school system that is the envy of many Francophone communities across the country," explained
Mrs. Renée Popov, President of CSF.
"We are pleased to embark into this very promising partnership with another minority language school board. From
our initial contact, it became obvious that our school boards face very similar challenges: recruitment, scarcity of
learning resources, teacher-student-community needs, to name a few. It is clear that such a strategic partnership will
be of mutual advantage, and we will invest all our energies to make this collaboration a success," added
Mr.!Ronald!Canuel, Director General, Eastern Townships School Board.
"When one works in a minority setting, it is of utmost importance to establish links with partners living a linguistic and
educational reality that is not unlike ours. Whereas the principal language of education may differentiate us, we are
united by our common desire to innovate and to work towards the development and well-being of our respective
communities," stated Dr.!Jean!Watters, CEO/Superintendent of CSF.
With approximately 7,000 students, the Eastern Townships School Board is comprised of 20!elementary schools,
three high schools, one alternative high school, two vocational education centres, two adult education centres and
one Centre of Excellence. Its school buses cover over 16,500 kilometres daily. Bi-literacy learning is a priority, and
the ETSB is well ahead in implementing its extended Language Initiative, which is designed to enhance French and
English language instruction. Their latest initiative is the Dennis McCullough Initiative-Enhanced Learning Strategy.
Since its creation in 1995, the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique offers educational programs
and services geared towards the growth and cultural promotion of the province’s Francophone learners. An active
partner in the development of British Columbia’s francophone community, the Conseil has presently in its system,
and distributed across 77!communities in the province, approximately 3,500 students and 37 schools, which includes
19!homogeneous schools.
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Information!: Chantal Beaulieu, ETSB (819) 868-3106
Renée Popov, CSF (604) 214-2602