The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

per school while the ordinary schools that followed them in forming and
maintaining school councils got nothing, raising questions about whether the
SBM project can actually be considered a pilot project.
8 The specifi c fi nancial irregularity in the Chignecto Central Board was
the expenditure of $1.7 million by board offi cials without the approval or
knowledge of the elected board.
9 For example, Bill 20 (NS Department of Education, 2002g) eliminates
discretionary funding for boards and standardizes accounting practices,
effectively allowing the Department to dictate how boards spend their money,
while at the same time devolving responsibility to boards for the achievement
of learning outcomes and diffi cult initiatives such as integration.
10 Program funding in Nova Scotia is still dependant on a small but not
insignifi cant contribution from municipal units (see Table 7). This has created
inequalities in programming across the province and particularly between more
urban municipalities with strong tax bases and more rural areas with relatively
weak tax bases and larger geographies over which to provide service to small
communities.
11 An example of this is Bill 20 (NS Department of Education, 2001f), which
standardizes fi nancial procedures for school boards. While this act in some
ways responds to highly publicized and embarrassing fi nancial irregularities
in school boards, it also places boards more squarely in the position of having
to do the dirty work of translating the government’s high-minded ideals into
practice with inadequate funds.
12 As David MacKinnon points out, there is nothing in the higher level, essential
graduation learnings, general curriculum outcomes, or key stage curriculum
outcomes that is specifi c to Atlantic Canada (2001: 128). Rather, these outcomes
represent generic economic rationalism.
References
Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation. 1995. The Atlantic Canada framework
for essential graduation learnings in schools. Halifax, NS: APEF.
-- 2002. List of Publications: March 2002. Halifax, NS: APEF.
Audas, R., and C. Curtwill. 2002. Testing and accountability: They keys to
educational excellence in Atlantic Canada. Halifax, NS: Atlantic Institute for
Market Studies.
-- 2003. Grading our Future: Atlantic Canada’s High Schools Accountability and
Performance Context. Halifax, NS: Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
-- 2004. Grading the graders: AIMS 2004 report card. Halifax, NS: Atlantic
Institute for Market Studies.
Black Learners Advisory Committee. 1994. BLAC Report on Education: Redressing
inequity – empowering Black learners. Halifax, NS: Black learners Advisory
Council.
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