Six of the nine board seats for the Commission scolaire de langue française (CSLF) will see contested elections May 28, while the remaining three will have trustees elected by acclamation.
The CSLF, P.E.I.’s French-language school board, said it has been working hard since March to increase the number of candidates and, in the past two months, has tripled the number of contested elections.
During previous school board elections, only two trustees were elected by competition while six were elected by acclamation. The minister appointed the last trustee because no candidates came forward.
The CSLF said collaboration with Elections P.E.I. and the Fédération des parents de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard, social media posts and public information sessions were effective in encouraging potential candidates.
The CSLF also hopes to achieve a higher voter turn-out.
During the last election, 138 citizens exercised their democratic right to vote.
The CSLF said it believes 10 candidates vying for six seats could triple those results.
The CSLF’s policy has two other objectives – ensuring the school board governance respects section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and to increase parents’ contribution to the board’s decision making in between elections – which it hopes to implement progressively over time beginning in September.
