In 1967 there were 270 school boards. There are now 30 formal joint service agreements. These joint service agreements involve two or more school boards voluntarily agreeing to jointly operate a single school. These agreements have resulted in the consolidation of 77 schools. Lack of government funding to enable further consolidation is now the only obstacle to more joint service schools.
Present circumstances call for further reform and improvement.
The Churches have supported all of government's initiatives pertaining to cost efficiency and quality education. Therefore they do not believe that a constitutional amendment or a referendum is necessary to achieve reform. Costs and Quality of Education Research has shown that two of the most pressing needs identified by the people of the province in the area of education reform are costs and quality of education. On the matter of costs, the changes proposed by the denominations and those proposed by government are virtually identical. If the Constitutional amendment is approved, the result will be secular schools with no guarantee of the integration of Christian principles into the mainstream of school life.