“Right now, we are in excellent shape,” said New Frontiers School Board director general Mike Helm, with less than a week to go before students return to classes for the 2026-27 school year.
“We are set. We have our full slate of teachers. We have our full admin team,” he reported, noting that the hiring of support staff has also gone extremely well and that daycare supervision positions for are being filled as required.
Helm met with the NFSB council of commissioners on August 18 and the administrative team the following day. “This year, our focus and what we are talking about is positivity and the benefits and effects of that mindset,” he said, adding that after several stressful years, things feel different.
With staffing completed, Helm explained that school administrators have been able to focus more concretely on what they want to accomplish in their buildings while also preparing for the return of staff and students.
“I don’t think we can appreciate what a difference this has made,” said council chair John Ryan. “Everyone in the past years has started with tremendous pressure on them to make things work and wait for improvements,” he explained. “To see a year where there is no major crisis, and there are people around to do things in the setup we have, is a huge bonus.”
Almost all of the NFSB schools will see a population increase, with some growing faster than others. For example, Franklin Elementary will be above 60 students to start the year, and the population at Gault Institute in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is continuing to expand at a challenging rate.
The NFSB has an agreement with a neighbouring Anglican church that has allowed Gault students to spill over the school building’s current capacity. Helm acknowledged that without this agreement, they would have little choice but to move students, which risks destabilizing numbers in other schools. The education ministry is covering the rent for the additional classrooms, but Helm credits the staff at the school for finding creative spaces within the school.
Construction work moving ahead
The NFSB redid the basement floor in the church as part of its slate of summer construction projects. Work took place on a dozen initiatives, including five major projects and several smaller jobs at eight schools across the board.
The roof was replaced at the Huntingdon Adult Education and Community Centre, while interior renovations to the front entrance took place at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre (CVCEC). The roof was replaced at Ormstown Elementary School, where interior renovations were done as well. St. Willibrord elementary school had interior renovations, and work was done to the front entrance at Mary Gardner school, where the exterior door was also replaced.
Smaller projects included work on the exterior stairs at Howick Elementary and Ormstown Elementary. New eye wash stations and cafeteria lights were installed at Chateauguay Valley Regional in Ormstown and Howard S. Billings in Châteauguay, where the gymnasium floor was also refinished.
Helm confirmed that most of the jobs are on schedule or have been completed, apart from the work at CVCEC and Mary Gardner, where delays due to window and door replacements will extend these projects into the school year.
Transport is under control
Helm said the NFSB is also starting the year off with a strong handle on school transport. The board hired a transportation manager, who has been working with transporters to ensure there are backup plans in place in case of driver shortages. “We can’t have the breaks in service like we had this past year,” he insisted.
“It is hard on the students and hard on parents,” he acknowledged, noting the challenges continue to revolve around one provider that serves mainly the Châteauguay schools.