The Ford government will sideline trustees at four school boards, including Canada’s largest board, 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 responsibilities to parents and students by losing sight of its core mission — ensuring student success,” 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.
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Provincially appointed supervisors will now make calls ranging from the financial to new bylaws or facilities.
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.
Financial investigations at 4 boards
The decision to dispatch supervisors to four of Ontario’s largest school boards follows financial investigations into them.
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Investigations into the two Toronto boards and Ottawa-Carleton were completed on May 30, while a review of Dufferin-Peel was launched at the beginning of June and completed in a matter of weeks.
The probe ofthe Toronto District School Board found a projected deficit of $11.3 million for the current school year and $58 million for next year, according to the government. Rohit Gupta will take over as supervisor.
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At Toronto’s Catholic board, the government said, the budget deficit for the current year of $75.2 million. Ottawa-Carleton is facing a deficit of $9.2 million this year. Frank Benedetto will take over the Toronto Catholic board, and Robert Plamondon will handle Ottawa.
The government said the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board “is at a significant risk of defaulting on its financial obligations” and faces a deficit of $106 million.
The government said supervision of the board had already been recommended in August 2023. Rick Byers, a former Progressive Conservative MPP, will be given the role of supervisor in Peel.
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The four boards are among the largest in Ontario. Calandra said he didn’t believe the size of the student population explained the deficits.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said.” There are decisions that have been made in each of these boards, where they have chosen to avoid accountability. They’ve chosen not to bring their budgets into balance. Each board has a different challenge.
The education minister suggested supervisors and investigators could still be sent to more boards — and promised a massive overhaul of how the sector is governed.
“I think a broader rethink of the governance structure — of boards — is required,” he said. “This is an important first step, but it is certainly part of my thinking of the next little bit as well.”
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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.
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.
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.
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Calandra said on Friday, one trustee at the board had not repaid his expenses from the trip — and threatened to table legislation to remove him from his position if he did not.
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