Ontario school boards urge open conversation about future of trustees

The Ontario Public School Board Association said it’s listening closely to public comments made by Premier Doug Ford and his education minister about whether they want to eliminate trustees, without receiving any formal word.

“Nothing official to date,” the organization’s executive director, Stephanie Donaldson, confirmed to Global News.

“Parents are really concerned and I think there’s a lot of confusion out there across the education sector and in homes across Ontario, without knowing where we’re actually going with this. I think people would really love a conversation — and an actual consultation — on this with the folks that are affected, in particular the students.”

On Monday, Ford confirmed the government was still “discussing” whether or not to get rid of trustees, offering no details of what those conversations entailed. Education Minister Paul Calandra has indicated he’s keen to majorly overhaul school boards without yet tabling legislation.

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Donaldson said it was important that a decision from the government comes soon, with nominations set to open for school board elections this spring.

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“We’ve got municipal elections coming up in a few short months where people will be electing their mayor, their councillor and their trustees,” she said. “And so I think voters want to know too, that they have some stability in their local democracy as well.”

Calandra has mused about the future of school board trustees for close to a year as he has taken control of some of Ontario’s largest school boards. Both the public and Catholic boards in Toronto and Peel Region are now under the control of a supervisor, as well as Ottawa-Carleton.

The appointment of a supervisor, which has happened at seven boards over the past year, effectively sidelines trustees and puts the education minister in charge.

The most recent group to complain about the move was the Black Trustees’ Caucus, which is part of the Ontario Public School Boards Association.

In a letter to Ford, the group expressed concern that supervision and the sidelining of trustees was hurting representation for marginalized students at some school boards.

“Ontario cannot address systemic anti-Black racism while weakening the governance and equity structures designed to confront it,” Debbie King, chair of the caucus, wrote.

“Sustaining strong oversight during provincial supervision is essential to meeting legal obligations, maintaining public confidence, and improving outcomes for Black students — and for all students.”

A spokesperson for Calandra’s office said inequalities were one of the reasons he had decided to take over some school boards.

“Disparities in our school system highlight the need for governance reform of an outdated system that, for too long, has left too many students behind,” the statement read.

“I am focused on student achievement by rebuilding a system grounded in respect, responsibility, and support.”

Donaldson said she understood why the government was taking its time deciding whether or not it would do away with trustees, but urged Ford to have a more open conversation.

“Talking about a governance reform of this scale across the education sector is a really serious matter. So I respect the fact that there are sober discussions that are happening in government,” she said.

“We’d love to see those discussions actually happen with the public and ourselves outside of government as well.”

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