The Ministry of Education refuses to finance the French-speaking part of a specialized private school in Montreal, which nevertheless receives public subsidies… on the English-speaking side only.
Centennial Academy, a secondary school located in premises adjacent to the Collège de Montréal, welcomes approximately 146 French-speaking students and 174 English-speaking students. 95% of these young people have been diagnosed with learning disabilities: dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety or language difficulties.
The institution, initially English-speaking, opened its doors in 1976. Today, for students studying in English, “we have the subsidies,” confirms the general director, Angela Burgos, in an interview. But on the French-speaking side, it’s more complicated.
Until 2016 and for 40 years, Centennial Academy welcomed only English-speaking students and received public funding granted to all private schools, i.e. around $5,000 per student, explains Mme Burgos. In 2016, the school opened its doors to French-speaking students. She first received six students sent by social pediatrics centers, relates the general director.
Two years and a move later, in 2018, the institution was able to require a new permit. Like dozens of private schools in Quebec, it therefore sent a grant request to the Ministry of Education. The request was refused. The opening of the school to French-speaking students was considered, by the government, as the creation of a new establishment, notes Mme Burgos.
However, in fact, the French-speaking clientele of Centennial Academy has increased, to the detriment of the English-speaking clientele. In 2016, the school welcomed 220 students, and barely 3% of them (6 students) were French-speaking. In 2024, the school will have 320 students in its classes, and 46% of them are French-speaking.
Priority to public school
In a response to Duty, Ministry of Education spokesperson Bryan St-Louis confirms that Centennial Academy has been approved for subsidy purposes since 1976 for the English component. “Since 2018, the Academy has offered a French-speaking component, which is not covered by the previous accreditation,” he writes. For what ? “No new approval has been granted since 2008, because public schools have been prioritized in recent years,” replies Mr. St-Louis.
In letters sent to Centennial Academy in September 2022 and June 2023, the ministry said it refused to grant a permit to the French-speaking part of the school due to “limited budgetary resources”. On the other hand, the school received, in April 2022, one-off aid of $600,000.
In a letter, the former Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, explains that he gave this grant in order to “promote access for French-speaking and English-speaking students to quality education adapted to their needs”. The elected official said he was “happy to see that the efforts made by the members [du] staff translate into concrete results for students and that they contribute to giving them the tools, motivation and sense of belonging they need to complete their school career.
More graduates
In interview, Mme Burgos points out that the five-year graduation rate is 80 percent for Centennial Academy students. Across Quebec, this rate is 46% for students with disabilities, social maladjustments or learning difficulties (EHDAA).
Mme Burgos adds that his school does not require the funding given to specialized schools, which is around $17,000 per child. “We only want to have $5,000 [par élève]like all private schools,” she says.
Parents of students at Centennial Academy pay approximately $22,000 per year. “These are big sacrifices,” emphasizes the school’s director of advancement, Julie-Anne Roy. “On the French-speaking side, the majority is in the middle class. They are not wealthy, but they know that if they send their children to the public sector, it will not be enough, they will not have the necessary support. »
Mme Burgos, who has worked in public schools for 26 years, believes Centennial Academy should serve as an example for other institutions. “Our parents can say that it has changed their family life, the mental health of the students, the well-being. […] It’s really a formula that works,” she emphasizes.