In February 1995 a white paper, Educational Horizons , proposed school councils, reducing the number of school boards from 22 to two or seven, and employment of superintendents by the province. School board members are elected. There are 165,000 students in Nova Scotia. School councils have been established at eight pilot sites and the province has advanced the amalgamation of school boards into the proposed six English and one French regional boards. Three of the regional boards are now in place and the others will be established by June, 1996.
Education is funded by the province and property taxes.
Collective bargaining is conducted centrally. The PEI government consolidated school districts from five to three, two English and one francophone, in 1994. At the same time the Educational Services Commission established in 1993 was scrapped and its duties taken on by the province. The ESC had taken over responsibilities such as consulting services which were previously within the mandate of school boards. The present 30 English and nine francophone trustees were appointed on an interim basis until the next election in 1996.