Ford government sends supervisors into more Ontario school boards, sidelining trustees
The Ford government will sideline trustees at four school boards, including both Toronto administrations, as the education minister continues a hands-on approach to governance reform.
On Friday, Minister Paul Calandra announced he would send supervisors into Toronto, Toronto Catholic, Ottawa-Carleton and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
The Thames Valley District School Board in western Ontario has recently also been placed under supervision.
'Each of these boards has failed in its responsibility to parents and students by losing sight of its core mission,' Calandra said in a statement. 'I will take action to restore focus, rebuild trust and put students first.'
The move effectively gives the provincial government control over the day-to-day decisions of those boards, taking it away from trustees elected in October 2022.
Provincially appointed supervisors will now make calls ranging from the financial to new bylaws or facilities.
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Recently tabled legislation — which has not yet been passed into law — will make it easier for Calandra to take control of school boards in the future, allowing him to sideline trustees for reasons not related to financial mismanagement and without a recommendation from a third party.
Second wave of school board changes
The changes announced Friday follow a major April announcement by Calandra, in which he took over the Thames Valley board and set in motion investigations into Toronto, Toronto Catholic and Ottawa-Carleton.
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The latter three, he said at the time, all faced massive financial difficulties.
He also set a series of deadlines for the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to submit a governance plan — and work out how to repay the costs of a $145,000 trip to Italy and an art purchase.
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In April, Calandra said the Brant Haldimand Norfolk board had spent more than Thames Valley — which put almost $40,000 toward a trip to the Toronto Blue Jays Hotel — but that its finances were ultimately in better shape.
It avoided having a supervisor appointed, but was given a 30-day deadline to complete financial and management recommendations, as well as to repay the costs of the trip.
'If that board doesn't do what we are asking them to do, if they don't follow through on the additional recommendations, then I will use the tools that are available to me to take further action,' Calandra said on April 23.
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