Information Sessions Planned for School Board Candidates

NOTE: A list of meeting dates, times and locations follows this release.

While schools will soon close for students and teachers, it's just starting for Nova Scotians considering seeking office in October's school board elections.

Government and the Nova Scotia School Boards Association are holding School Board Candidate Information Sessions beginning today, June 14, at the Halifax Regional School Board office.

The information sessions are for potential school board candidates to learn the role and responsibilities of elected members and the positive impact they can have on the public education system.

In Nova Scotia there are seven regional school boards, and one provincial school board. The regional school boards have specific geographic boundaries, while the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) serves the entire province with French language education.

The seven regional boards have members based on school board electoral districts, and one regional African Nova Scotian representative elected by African Nova Scotian electors. Candidates of CSAP must be an entitled person as defined in the Education Act. The membership for a regional school board may include an appointed Mi'kmaq representative.

School board and municipal elections will be held on October 15.

The information sessions will be held until June 23. All Nova Scotians are welcome to attend. There will be a session delivered in French, and sessions in both languages will be available online after June 23.

Additional resources for school board candidates include www.schoolboardelections.ca, https://www.facebook.com /NSschoolboardelections/?fref=ts and @SchoolBoardElec .

Information sessions will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and be held on the following dates:

• June 14, Halifax Regional School Board, 33 Spectacle Lake Dr., Dartmouth
• June 15, Tri-County Regional School Board, 79 Water St., Yarmouth
• June 16, South Shore Regional School Board, Bridgewater Junior-Senior High School, 100 York St., Bridgewater
• June 20, Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, 121 Orchard St., Berwick
• June 21, Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, 275 George St., Sydney
• June 22, Strait Regional School Board, 16 Cemetery Rd., Port Hastings
• June 23, Chignecto-Central Regional School Board, 60 Lorne St., Truro
• June 23, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, École du Carrefour, 201 A Portage Ave., Dartmouth (in French)