EDUCATION EQUITY TASK FORCE MEMBERS APPOINTED

Two Saskatchewan people with extensive backgrounds in education and education administration have been appointed to work with Task Force Chair Fred Herron on the Education Equity Task Force.

"I am pleased to announce that these respected members from the education community, including two trustees, have agreed to take on the important task of developing a new school division map in consultation with school divisions and other education stakeholders," Learning Minister Andrew Thomson said. "We are confident that the Education Equity Task Force will do an excellent job in helping to guide us in the development of an equitable, sustainable and modern education system."

The task force members are:

Fred Herron, Chair
• Retired General Secretary of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
• Former Director of Education in Eastend, Saskatchewan
• Long-time education leader in the province
• Board Chair of Greystone Capital Management, Inc.
• Currently resides in Saskatoon

Shirley Batters
• Former elementary school teacher
• Former Board Chair and longtime trustee for the Estevan Public School Board
• Currently resides in Estevan

Al Klassen
• Former President of the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association
• Long-time board member of the Herbert School Division
• Currently resides in Central Butte

The Education Equity Task Force, implemented as part of the Government's response to the Commission on Financing Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education, will develop new boundaries according to specific principles and criteria. School divisions will be reduced to no more than 40, including separate and francophone divisions, and will have approximately 5,000 students in each public division to ensure that all divisions will be eligible for funding under existing government programs.

Currently, Saskatchewan has the largest number of school divisions in the country. The average enrolment per division in Canada is 12,500 students. Saskatchewan has an average of 2,100 students per division, with 38 divisions serving fewer than 1,000 students.

For more information on the Education Equity Task Force mandate and criteria and the Government's Response to the Commission on Financing Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education, visit Saskatchewan Learning's web site at www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca.

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For More Information, Contact:

Jacquie Mclean Learning Regina Phone: (306)787-5609

Fred Herron Education Equity Task Force Saskatoon Phone: (306)374-7265