The province has announced plans to do a major overhaul of Manitoba’s education system and Minister Cliff Cullen says there has been lots of feedback since plans were unveiled.

Two years ago, the province started to review the kindergarten to Grade 12 school system knowing student grades in Manitoba for math, literacy and science were less than ideal when ranked with other jurisdictions in the country.

The province’s plan to eliminate 37 school boards and replace them with one education authority has generated a lot of discussion with school board members.

“There’s a lot of information out there for parents and educators to grasp. This is a long term journey and it’s about making sure our students have opportunities for whatever the future holds," said Cullen.

The upcoming changes include creating local community school councils, with volunteer executives including the parents of students, to advise each schools.

Several school boards and their trustees are speaking out against the reforms, claiming the changes will take away the local voice when it comes to lobbying for local schools and students.

“As far as the school boards, these changes are moving forward and like we've already said we are going to take $40 million from top-heavy administration and put it back into the front lines to assist teachers and that’s going to provide better outcomes from Manitoba students," explained Cullen

“I'm certainly disappointed with what I'm hearing from some of the school boards putting false information on the record and really trying to scare the public by making all kinds of assertions about what might happen into the future. Those things just aren't based on reality” added Cullen.