Director General’s Message - November 4, 2024

During the past few years, there certainly has not been a shortage of challenges in the public education system, notably with the COVID pandemic, Bills 40, 21, 96 and of course - the labor disputes that took place last year – in addition to the typical, everyday realities we face throughout our network.  As always, the EMSB came together, regardless of the challenges faced and achieved remarkable success. 

Prior to the start of the 2024-25 academic year, senior management and in-school administrators gathered for a workshop   under the theme  “Unleash Your Inner Hero: Lead and Innovate with a Healthy Mindset.”

When I look at the people who work at our school, centres and administrative head office, I see nothing but heroes who work tirelessly. They are resilient and committed to our students both in the youth  and adult sectors.  I see leaders whose resilience is deeply rooted in the notion of service our students, staff, parents and the community we represent. 

We are the largest English public school board in Quebec and I could not be more proud of our success in spite of the challenges we face.  We succeed precisely because we prioritize our students. I recently came across a simple quote from a business leader who talked about taking the very same approach his teachers took in school – teachers whose focus was service to their students.  As an entrepreneur, he adapted this approach to his clients, stating that “Every company’s greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company.”  We have always understood this mentality  because we are all here collectively for our students. This is our raison d’être.  

This commitment, supported by our resilient spirit,  has led us to success. As we are all aware, our current graduation rate stands at an impressive 95.9 percent, marking a significant increase from the already high  previous mark of 92.7 percent.

By comparison, the province-wide success rate, which includes both public and private school results, stands at 84.2 percent. Broken down further, the public system’s average is 81.7 percent, while for the private sector, the number is 93.5 percent.

These impressive results are the direct result of the work we all do.  Our focus upon educational success – both in the youth and adult sectors – will be supported through continued professional development, mentorship programs and collaboration amongst all of our employee groups, all of which is based upon a data driven strategy and best practices. 

Let me  acknowledge our in-school administrators and their proud record of leadership in each of our schools.  The job has changed so much since I started as a vice-principal over 25 years ago. What these individuals  do is genuinely inspiring.

I also have to acknowledge the entire team at the head office that is here to support our schools.

Let me  start with our remarkable team in Educational Services. They  guide us pedagogically, forging a solid path to excellence in our classroom. Financial Services continues to manage an increasingly complicated budget with the utmost professionalism. Human Resources works tirelessly during a period when the entire province has been hit with a major labor shortage. Material Resources manages millions of dollars in renovation projects. School Organization  registers  our students while deciphering all of the changing language laws and organizing the transportation of thousands of students. In addition, that department oversees our Base Daycare and  Nutrition and Food Services   The team in Student Services has no shortage of challenges. Our number of special needs  students goes up year after year and the team is constantly looking to find solutions to what are often very complex problems. Being the parent of a young man on the Autism Spectrum I have a particular admiration for the work done in this department.   As for Information Technology Services, we all know how much our day-to-day responsibilities rely upon technology. This team is  absolutely crucial to ensure we can all complete our tasks.  The Office of the Secretary General continues to ensure all of our governance structures move in the right direction while overseeing our Archives and Translation Services. Turning to Legal Services, as the saying goes, we live during interesting times and how fortunate we are to have skilled lawyers to rely upon day after day. I should not forget to mention Internal Audit and Communications, both critical components of our operations. Our team in Adult Education and Vocational Services (AEVS) continues to work hand in hand with our centers to provide exceptional service while thinking outside the box to attract more students. We all recognize the important role AEVS plays in contributing to our board’s success.

Our Regional Directors Jimmy Giannacopoulos and Darlene Kehyayan continue to work hand in hand to support our in-school administrators, offering their leadership and expertise.

Of course, I have to recognize my Assistants Director General Pela Nickoletopoulos  and Jack Chadirdjian.   

Essentially, our board continues to lead proudly, not only in terms of pedagogy and andragogy, but in the area of minority rights.  During the past several years, we have focused upon themes such as Diversity and Respect.  We have also celebrated the strength of our French programs and the fact that our students enjoy the benefits of bilingualism.  Indeed, we went to great lengths to invite alumni, community and political leaders as we promoted the exceptional level of French being taught in our schools.  We will of course continue these initiatives,  but I am particularly excited about the process we have undertaken to establish a new specialized school in the Nesbitt facility.  This exciting project has been discussed for a number of years and I firmly believe that its time has come, once again,  in an effort to serve our students and community.