Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The board superintendents do have the flexibility if there are issues being addressed and they’re not in agreement with my department. Obviously, they can voice their concerns still through the board chairs. We have been going through the process where I deal with the board chairs, and the superintendents also deal with my senior staff. Obviously, that reporting mechanism will still be captured as part of the DEC’s board chair. Currently, he reports to them and that will continue. Yes, there will be some feedback or criticism behind the scenes from the superintendents, but that’s always been the case, and we work with that.

The superintendents, as I stated, will continue to report to their respective DEA and DECs. The DECs, the district education councils, will continue to employ, hire, and also dismiss and evaluate their superintendent. All the superintendents, obviously, still have to follow the Education Act. All of them. As it stands now, they’ve been following that and will continue to do so. The Education Act, under Section 78, already requires the superintendents to perform the duties assigned to them by the act and the regulations in respect to education bodies and the directives of the Minister. That has been ongoing for a number of years now and that will continue.

I understand where the Member is coming from, but the reporting mechanism still falls under the regime of the board district education council. As the Minister responsible, I still have to work with the board chairs in that manner, but at the end of the day, they report to the board district education councils.