SCHOOL DIVISION/DISTRICT AMALGAMATION IN MANITOBA: A CASE STUDY OF A PUBLIC POLICY DECISION BY DAVID P. YEO A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Educational Administration, Foundations and Psychology University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba © David P. 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Canada THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES COPYRIGHT PERMISSION SCHOOL DIVISION/DISTRICT AMALGAMATION IN MANITOBA: A CASE STUDY OF A PUBLIC POLICY DECISION BY DAVID P. YEO A Thesis/Practicum submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DAVID P. YEO © 2008 Permission has been granted to the University of Manitoba Libraries to lend a copy of this thesis/practicum, to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to lend a copy of this thesis/practicum, and to LAC's agent (UMI/ProQuest) to microfilm, sell copies and to publish an abstract of this thesis/practicum. This reproduction or copy of this thesis has been made available by authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research, and may only be reproduced and copied as permitted by copyright laws or with express written authorization from the copyright owner. II TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract v Acknowledgements vii Timeline of Study viii List of Tables ix List of Figures x Prologue xi Chapter 1. PURPOSE AND NATURE OF THE STUDY 1 Purpose of the Study 1 Significance of the Study 4 Theoretical Framework 7 The Study of a Public Policy Decision: Key Concepts 7 Public policy 8 Politics 11 Policy making 16 "Beyond the Stages Heuristic": Agenda Setting, Convergence and the Policy Window 22 Problems 28 Solutions (policies) 29 Politics 29 Policy Window 32 Data Sources 33 Limitations of the Study 36 Organization of the Dissertation 40 2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 43 School District Consolidation: 1890-1967 45 The Roots of Amalgamation: 1970-1999 57 The Boundaries Review Commission: 1993-1995 79 Summary and Postscript 86 Ill 3. DIRECTED AMALGAMATION DECLINED: 1996-1999 89 Policy 91 The Politics of Policy Choice 101 Considering Norrie: A Roadmap to Nowhere? 101 Rejecting Norrie: Amalgamation //Necessary, But Not Necessarily Amalgamation 118 Summary and Postscript 125 4. DIRECTED AMALGAMATION ADOPTED: 1999-2002 128 Policy 129 The Politics of Policy Choice 137 Reconsidering Norrie 137 The Norrie Plan Modified 139 Amalgamation Rationale, Strategy and Scope 147 Amalgamation is Necessary, But Not Necessarily Amalgamation for Everyone 166 Summary and Postscript 174 5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 177 Conclusions 179 A Persistent Problem Begets Governmental Attention 179 A Policy Window Opens When Political Opportunities Exceed Political Constraints 182 Political Actors are the Crucial Players in the Process of Agenda-Setting and the Choice of the Eventual Policy Outcome 187 Stakeholders are Important but are not Necessarily Crucial to Policy Adoption 192 Time and Timing Matter in Policy Deliberation and Implementation 193 Incrementalism is Inevitable in the Making of Public Policy ... 195 Implications 197 Implications for Research 197 Implications for Theory 200 Implications for Practice 205 Sources Consulted 207 Primary Sources 207 Secondary Sources 211 iv Appendices 1. Letter to Interviewees 220 2. Interview Protocol, Interviewees and Questions 223 A. Honourable Rosemary Vodrey 224 B. Honourable Clayton Manness 225 C. Honourable Linda Mcintosh 226 D. Don Leitch 227 E. John Carlyle 228 F. Bill Norrie, Q.C 229 G. Honourable Drew Caldwell 230 H. Dr. Ben Levin 231 I. Paul Vogt 232 J. Ron Desjardins 232 K. Annalea Mitchell 232 L. Dr. Gerald Farthing 233 M. Brian Hanson 233 N. Steve Power 233 3. Manitoba Regulation 163/93 234 4. 1995 Progressive Conservative Party seat summary 236 5. Honourable Drew Caldwell, letter to stakeholder organizations 237 6. Honourable Drew Caldwell, letter to Chairs of School Boards (September 25, 2000) 241 7. Honourable Drew Caldwell, letter to Chairs of School Boards (January 9, 2001) 247 8. Deputy Minister Ben Levin, letter to Chairs of School Boards 248 9. 1999 New Democratic Party seat summary 254 10. Government of Manitoba News Release 255 11. Pre-2002 map of Manitoba school divisions/districts 261 12. Post-2002 map of Manitoba school divisions/districts 265 V ABSTRACT On November 8, 2001, the Honourable Drew Caldwell, Minister of Education, Training and Youth, Government of Manitoba, announced that the number of school divisions and districts in the province would be reduced from 54 to 37, and that this would occur before the next round of school board elections in October 2002. With that policy announcement, Manitoba embarked upon the most significant restructuring of school board governance arrangements since the late 1950s. By mid-July 2002, legislation had been passed, legacy boards had fallen away, new school division boundaries were established, and interim governing boards for the new entities put in place. The purpose of the research was to examine in some detail the school division amalgamation initiative as a case study in policy-making by the Government of Manitoba. The study investigated the nature of this initiative, including its origin, development and eventual conclusion and implementation. The fundamental question addressed by the study was this: Why was school division amalgamation an idea whose time had come in Manitoba? Discussion of amalgamation had been active within the Progressive Conservative administration of Premier Gary Filmon since the early 1990s, but despite the recommendation in 1995 of a provincially established Boundaries Review Commission to move forward with division/district consolidation at governmental direction, the idea languished until a newly-elected provincial government under Gary Doer, leader of the New Democratic Party, assumed power in 1999. vi The theoretical framework used in addressing the question posed relied primarily upon the work of John Kingdon, whose important book Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies, contends that there must be a timely coupling or convergence of three key aspects of policy formation: problems, solutions and politics. Therefore, the study examined the key role of elected officials in promoting and sponsoring certain policy ideas and their impact on the decisions of government at specific times. It also compared and contrasted the differing policy approaches taken by the Filmon and Doer regimes on this question and assesses the opportunities and constraints which explain the differences found. Methodologically, the study relied on extant public documents and other primary sources and especially the expressed view or position of certain elected officials and supporting staff, political and bureaucratic, gained through one-on- one in-depth interviews. The focus of the analysis was an attempt to assess the interplay of problem, policy and politics, especially whether or not the policy­ making process revealed what Kingdon has called "windows of opportunity" for decisive action by government. The study showed that, indeed, the window of opportunity for amalgamation occurred with the convergence of three forces by 2001: pervasive indicators of a problem that begged the attention of bureaucrats and policymakers; promotion of amalgamation as a policy solution previously tried in Manitoba and elsewhere; and the election of a new government in 1999 which, compared to its predecessor regime, was receptive to pursuing some greater degree of change with respect to