School boards, stakeholders call for consultation on proposal to remove trustees

A dozen groups representing all aspects of publicly funded education in Ontario are expressing concerns about recent comments from Education Minister Paul Calandra regarding the potential elimination of elected school board trustees – a system of governance that has been in place longer than Canada has been a country. This change, if implemented, would remove one of the most important ways that families and communities have a say in how their schools are governed. It would also mean that important decisions about education could be made without appropriate public discussion, debate, and awareness.

The groups mentioned here above, are united in calling for the following:

• The government and Minister Calandra should undertake broad consultations with education partners before advancing any legislative reforms to school board governance.
• The consultation should include the voices and perspectives of students and parents – including parents of students with disabilities, school boards, education staff, and subject matter experts, and
• The government should outline a detailed plan with clear goals and benchmarks for the return to local democratic oversight at school boards currently under supervision.

“When decisions are being made about our children and their education, they must be made in public, open to public scrutiny,” said Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) president Kathleen Woodcock, also a trustee with the Waterloo Region District School Board. “The people making these decisions should be directly accountable to you, the public.”

The urgency of this issue increases daily, as nominations for municipal council and school board elections are slated to open on May 1.

Trustees have a key role in Ontario’s four publicly funded education systems. Without elected trustees, decisions about school closures, special education priorities, student supports, and the use or sale of public school land would be made behind closed doors, further away from the communities they affect. For example, in school boards currently under supervision, important decisions are regularly being made by a provincially appointed supervisor, who is accountable only to a minister at Queen’s Park, not to local families.

Public education shapes Ontario’s economy, communities, and future. Decisions about curriculum priorities, equity policies, mental health supports, and long-term capital planning require democratic oversight.

OPSBA has long stated its willingness to partner with the government in any dialogue or discussion about possible governance changes, and the groups making this statement share this approach. When government and partners in the sector come together to discuss and debate ideas openly and work through challenges collaboratively, we arrive at stronger public policy – and that is exactly the point of a healthy democracy.

Statement made by OPSBA, OSTA-AECO, ETFO, OSSTF, AEFO, Ontario Principals’ Council, OTF, AODA Alliance,Ontario Autism Coalition, Ontario Parents for Education Support and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.