Jewish day schools here have filed for “associate status” with the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal under which the Board would fully finance the secular departments of the Jewish schools and would, in turn, be entitled to statutory grants from the Quebec government for children attending Jewish day schools.
Following a meeting with the Protestant School Board leadership, attended by the heads of Jewish educational institutions and representatives of the Canadian Jewish Congress, it was indicated that the board would consider the applications of various schools individually, and that agreements reached might still be applicable in the current school term. Under discussion was the setup of Jewish day schools, their admissions policies and time allotted for secular studies.
Under the Quebec system, there are two public school systems, Catholic and Protestant. Most Jewish school children attend the Protestant schools and the school taxes paid by Jewish families go to the Protestant school board. Recent legislation has made it possible for the Jewish day schools to benefit from provincial tax funds to cover the cost of providing secular, non-religious education courses. As the Jewish day schools are not recognized as a separate public-school system, they are now seeking an affiliate or associate status with the Protestant system.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.