A Bill heading for debate in Parliament will reshape how Bermuda runs its public schools but it may not change your child's classroom as soon as you would expect.

Many parents face a very difficult choice: will you make sacrifices to pay for private school or will your child endure a school that doesn’t meet their needs?

As co-founder of Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning, and previous head of school, I met hundreds of parents who had to face this very difficult choice. It was humbling how much parents were willing to sacrifice to ensure that their child could thrive.

We may hope that an education authority to replace the Department of Education could making choosing public education a serious option for more families but parents should know how little the Bill settles.

It does not close the gap for children who learn differently

Parents often lack the support and resources to have their child assessed. And those who have managed to have their children assessed, sometimes find that recommended interventions are unavailable, or unaffordable, or there is a long waiting list to begin. Meanwhile, their child falls further behind and their self-esteem suffers. For its first phase, the authority's job is to make recommendations to the minister, including on how schools should be governed. The real changes would come in a later Bill.

The Bill has no deadline

The authority has 18 months to make its recommendations, starting on a date the minister chooses. After that, the minister must either introduce a Bill or explain the delay, repeating that explanation every six months until a Bill arrives. School boards could give parents whose children need special services a real voice but they are not required by the Bill. Nothing in the Bill commits the Government to immediately take action that will create the kinds of support that we provided at BCCL. Real change to expand services may be years away.

Parents and teachers have no guaranteed seat on the board

Board seats are set aside for people with expertise in areas such as transforming education systems, supporting vulnerable students, and accounting or HR. Anyone who works at or governs a public school cannot serve.

The public see little

Regular progress reports go to the minister, while the public get one annual report and at least one public meeting a year in each school zone.

The minister’s view

The minister says the board is built around the skills needed to govern a modern school system and that MPs and senators are barred from sitting on it. That is a fair case for expertise but expertise and a voice for families need not be rivals.

How the Bill should change

Parliament can close these gaps before it votes:

1, Set a deadline. Require the follow-up Bill within a fixed period, such as six months after the board reports, and start key sections on a set date

2, Guarantee school boards. Require parent and teacher members and spell out which decisions these boards make

3, Reserve board seats on the Education Authority board. Set aside at least one for a parent representative and one for an experienced educator

4, Publish more. Release the Education Authority working group's progress reports and any ministerial directions

5, Protect people who speak up. Disclosing the authority's affairs to anyone but the minister, a board member or an authorised officer can bring a fine of up to $25,000. The Bill should state plainly that board members may disclose concerns in good faith when it is in the public interest, such as a risk to children's welfare

6, Measure results. Require yearly published measures families care about, such as results, attendance and support for children with additional needs

The Bill is due for debate soon and its final form may differ from the version described here. Parents who follow it should ask when school boards will exist, who will speak for families, and how progress will be measured.

• Cindy Corday is a co-founder of the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning, former head of school, and also the former Director of Education for the Bermuda National Trust and Co-ordinator for the Bermuda Child Development Programme