As work continues on the transition of the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District into the Provincial Government, changes are underway to support the next phase as the process shifts from the initial concept phase to integration. These changes will continue the long-term shift to a more modern provincial learning environment, and will ensure investments in education are focused on the classroom.

Effective today, a new board responsible for integration will replace the interim Board of Trustees appointed in November 2021. This “Integration Board” will include executive representation from Provincial Government departments that will oversee the integration process, including:

• Dr. Greg O’Leary, Deputy Minister of Education (Board Chair)
• David Heffernan, Chief Information Officer
• Michelle Jewer, Deputy Minister of Finance
• Elizabeth Lane, Secretary to the Treasury Board
• Cory Grandy, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
• Denis Mahoney, Deputy Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Deputy Attorney General

This board brings together expertise from across the Provincial Government, and will implement operational changes, policy changes and administration changes as the integration progresses. The board will also guide legislative changes to be brought to the House of Assembly for consideration.

Additionally, an Integration Team will be formed to replace the Transition Team appointed in November 2021, which has completed its work in advising the interim board of recommended executive restructuring at the English School District. These changes occurred in early June 2022.

The Integration Team will include staff from key Provincial Government departments and executive and director level staff at the district. This Integration Team will engage with staff at the district to ensure a full understanding of operations to determine how best to support these staff and their roles as they shift into the Provincial Government.

There will be no impact from these changes to school operations. All school-facing functions, including the daily operations of schools, teacher hiring and allocation, school transportation, and more will remain unchanged for the 2022-23 school year. The intent of the full transition is to move these functions into the Provincial Government, with no evident impacts to school operations.

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“I want to thank the members of the outgoing Interim Board and the Transition Team for their work over the past eight months in reviewing operations and making initial changes to the executive structure. Going forward, our focus is shifting from concept to implementation, and we are putting in place structures with the knowledge and experience to make this happen. This integration process will support staff through this change while maintaining key services for students, teachers, staff and school communities.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Education

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Media contact
Marc Budgell
Education
709-729-0048, 689-0430
marcbudgell@gov.nl.ca