Rob Fowler chairs the District Education Council of the Anglophone South School District. (Photo: Brad Perry/CHSJ News)
Spring 2020 will bring flowers, potential flooding — and new faces on municipal councils and district education councils.
Rob Fowler, longtime chair of the Anglophone South district education council, is not re-offering.
He has watched many governments come and go over the years and he’s worked with several education ministers.
“There was a strong emphasis on inclusion when Jody Carr took office. That’s been the biggest single change but it’s pretty much stayed the same beyond that,” Fowler said.
Fowler says classroom challenges beyond the finances include composition with the number of students with special needs growing exponentially every year.
“It takes money and it takes resources and it takes careful planning to make sure they are dealt with in the proper way and get the best experience they can get,” Fowler said.
The Anglophone South district educational council has dealt with its fair share of controversial policy 409 processes which can result in school closures.
Fowler says it’s a challenge especially in rural areas where they sometimes feel under attack.
ASD has the same struggles as other districts with transportation costs, low enrolment and old school infrastructure.
Fowler recalls the process a few years back involving Lawrence Station school.
“Those kids, who were in kindergarten to Grade 5, would have been on the bus for an hour and a half each way and that’s just not acceptable.”
Fowler says it’s a challenge when you are trying to run a district with shrinking budgets to provide a proper educational experience for everyone.
The Anglophone South district education council serves schools from Sussex to St. Stephen, N.B.
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