The Anglophone South District Education Council passed its budget after pressure from Fredericton which included a threat to dissolve the council. (Tamara Steele/CHSJ News)
The Anglophone South District Education Council begrudgingly passed their budget under a lot of pressure from Fredericton.
The DEC failed to pass it twice before citing concerns over funding educational assistants by stealing from other line items.
Chair Rob Fowler read Education Minister Dominic Cardy’s letter which included threats to dissolve the DEC if they didn’t pass their budget.
All of the DEC members spoke before the vote and many described Cardy as a bully.
Fowler says he will have to try and repair the damage.
“The budget that he has imposed is the budget they were given. We didn’t expect new money, we just wanted to be listened to and heard and that didn’t happen.” Fowler said.
Fowler says no one was expecting a pot of money to fund educational assistants but, what they still want is a seat at the table earlier in the process, so they understand their concerns over funding.
Fowler says passing a deficit budget when you are robbing from school maintenance and repairs to fund E.A.’s is a “dangerous precedent”.
The budget vote passed 5-4 with Fowler casting the deciding vote. One member of the DEC was absent.
Fowler said they had nothing to lose by passing it or rejected the budget.
“In the interest of moving on, let’s get to repairing the relationship, we decided to pass it,” Fowler said.
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