The English Montreal School Board is defending its decision to spend more than $50,000 for a weekend training session for its administrators.
More than 140 administrators attended the event at Chateau Bromont, doing workshops and listening to speakers, in order to get ready for the school year.
Sylvia Lobianco says that's what professional development is all about.
"In any successful organization you need a team building/team bonding and it's also networking amongst themselves and exchanging ideas just prior to the begining of the school year," said the Vice-Chairwoman.
Lobianco says the training camps are very useful in producing effective, happy employees, which has a direct impact on students.
"Happy staff, happy students," explained Lobianco. "We have the success rate to prove that. 82 per cent [of students graduate on time]."
School boards are allowed to spend one per cent of their global salary budget on professional development.
If the money isn't spent it can be rolled over to the next year.
When it came time for the Lester B. Pearson school board to do its professional development in August, its administrators attended a one-day conference at the Wyndham hotel.
Chairman Marcus Tabachnick said his board felt it had to be economical.
"These are tough economic times, we are asking people to do with less and we felt that it was an important message to send out as well from the board office," said Tabachnick.
However Lester B. Pearson has organized weekend development sessions in the past.
"You take people away from their normal setting and you put them where hopefully their blackberries and cell phones don't work and really do concentrate on issues," said Tabachnick.
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School board conducted a one-day professional development session in St. Sauver last month, and saved some money in its budget for a second day to be held at its offices later in the school year.
