Photos reveal poor state of many Montreal schools

Dozen of photos taken by teachers and shared with Radio-Canada show the advanced state of disrepair in classrooms, washrooms and hallways.

Commission scolaire de Montréal says it needs twice the money it gets to maintain buildings properly

CBC News · Posted: Jan 22, 2016 7:08 AM EST | Last Updated: January 22, 2016

Teachers at several Montreal schools sent in photos showing the poor state of maintenance where they work.

Montreal's largest French-language school board, the CSDM, says much of the disrepair depicted in photos taken at 10 of its schools and posted by Radio-Canada on Friday has been repaired or is in the process of being fixed.

The 20 photos were part of a collection of 60 received from teachers at 10 schools in recent months that showed the advanced state of disrepair in classrooms, washrooms and hallways.

The school board responded to the publication of the photos with a statement saying more than 200 major repair projects at its schools had either been completed, were underway or are scheduled during the next 12 months.

"This is possible thanks to the support of a multidisciplinary team that works every day to offer our students and staff a healthy and safe learning and working environment," the CSDM said.

'Very aware there's work to do'

Radio-Canada said CSDM president Catherine Harel-Bourdon had seen the images prior to their publication and said she is "very aware that there's work to do in our schools."

"We can't leave children in these conditions. Schools need to be prioritized and invested in on a massive scale," she told Radio-Canada.

Montreal's largest teachers' group protests funding cuts

The CSDM is facing a maintenance deficit that's estimated at $1 billion. The board has $85 million per year for 10 years for building maintenance, but Harel-Bourdon says the school board needs at least $150 million per year over the same period to do the necessary work.

Below are 20 photos sent in by teachers for different schools. The teachers asked to remain anonymous.