II. PREREQUISITE SUPPORT

The structure of the Community-Operated Public School is similar to a Charter School (described in Chapter 3). The school would receive public funding and would need legitimacy through the provincial Education Act. None of the Maritime Provinces currently allows the formation of charter-type schools. The successful design and implementation of such an alternative needs the cooperation of the Department of Education, the regional school board and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU).

Support from the Provincial Cabinet and the Department of Education

A primary prerequisite for the introduction of legislation to enable the Community-Operated Public School is the willingness of the government to try such an alternative and to give it a fair chance of succeeding. Such "political will" among cabinet members is necessary to draft and implement this legislation. It implies significant change to the operation of the education system in the Province. In order for this to happen, it is proposed that the Community-Operated Public School be considered a "pilot project" and that it be enabled by interim legislation, with a 3-year term, yearly evaluations and appropriate resources from the Department of Education.

Currently, school boards in Nova Scotia have small budget for “education alternatives”. This proposal suggests that these resources be consolidated to support an officer of the Department of Education dedicated to overseeing the Community-Operated Public School pilot. This officer would assist the governing body and administration of the school to work through the logistics of the distribution of resources, program selection and timetable design. The officer would also act as a liaison between the school and the regional school board and preside over consultations and the evaluation procedures.