Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board Outgoing Chairman Wants to Set the Record Straight

ROSEMÈRE, QC, Oct. 21, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Chairman of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB), Nick Milas is proud to announce that through various partnerships, such as the one with the Lester B. Pearson School Board and Edu-Edge, the School Board has been able to secure a new vocational health centre in Laval for the International Student Program. The anticipated revenues of this program are $2,828,000 and projected profits are $643,000 for this school year alone.

This additional source of revenue will benefit the students of the SWLSB through technological, complementary and educational services which stem from established budget priorities set by Council. "These initiatives are at the heart of the Board's Strategic Plan. Despite the $5.8M in budget cuts over the recent years, Council has worked to ensure our students' needs are met and that resources are available to them to guarantee their success," stated Milas.

Mr. Milas will not be running in the upcoming school elections due to personal professional obligations, however, he wants the current Council of Commissioners to leave a positive legacy. "I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished with the International Student program and our School Board in such a short time. The next Council will be able to oversee this initiative moving forward."

The Council of Commissioners mandated, by resolution, at its June 25, 2014 meeting that the Director General seek partnerships for the development of the International Student program. Plans began to be put into action this summer with travel taking place to India and China.

"Accusations made by certain commissioners on the details surrounding my trip to India have been deemed unfounded by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board Ethics Commissioner," continued Milas who was cleared of all nine allegations of breaches of the SWLSB Code of Ethics.

Milas was appalled with the ethics complaint stating, "Such unfounded accusations:

• Put at risk the reputation and credibility of the SWLSB.
• Threaten relationships with other school boards.
• Compromise potential partnerships with private enterprise.
• Jeopardize the reputation of the entire Québec English education system at the international level.
• Discourage employees from being innovative in times of budgetary constraint."

"I will not accept that the work done over the course of the past years be destroyed by some commissioners who have personal agendas," affirmed Mr. Milas who hopes the International Student Program will continue to grow in the coming years. "The way certain commissioners acted is not an example of appropriate school board governance and the over $11,000 it cost, in this ethic complaint alone, is a serious waste of money in times of budgetary constraints. This has taken funds out of our schools to meet these individual's personal agendas. This is NOT putting students first!"

I want to ensure that the next Council is not left dealing with issues from the previous Council. I hope this brings an end to the gossip and rumors that have been a distraction to our School Board so we can maintain the stability, trust, transparency and positive momentum we have going at the SWLSB.

Best of luck to the new Council, you are coming to an incredible board, with a current graduation rate of 85.2%!

SOURCE: Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board

For further information:

Susan O'Keeffe, 450-621-5600, ext. 1351