Backlash is growing as the school year is about to begin after Ontario’s Education Minister Paul Calandra threatened to eliminate elected school trustees and take over school boards.
Educators have called it a political power grab and an attack on local democracy that will directly impact families right across the province.
“Where does a parent turn, when there’s something not working for their child in their school. who do they call? They can’t call the trustees because the trustees have been told butt out … you’re not allowed to do anything anymore,” said Liberal MPP John Fraser.
With a week to go before the start of the school year, the impact of provincial changes are already being felt. The Ford government has taken over the management of a handful of school boards including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), appointing supervisors to replace trustees.
“So the decisions about our children’s schools and education will be made behind a desk by someone at Queen’s Park … it won’t work,” Fraser added.
Calandra cited financial mismanagement as the reason for the takeover when it was announced back in June, putting all 72 Ontario boards on notice and telling them they must direct money to classrooms.
“I will be relentless in holding boards accountable when it comes to how school boards use public funds,” Calandra said at the time.
But the newly elected president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) David Mastin, said the government is trying to blame trustees for a problem it caused.
“This government has systematically underfunded public education to the tune of multiple billions of dollars over the last 7 years and that’s what we should be talking about,” said Mastin.
Mastin accused the Ford government of intentionally underfunding the education system to privatize it.
“How do you get there? First, you have to convince the general population that the public system is not working, that it’s inefficient. That people tasked with making the system work, they’re not doing their job. So I do believe this is all part of a very scripted project to eventually hand over this system to private capital,” said Mastin.
The Canadian School Board Association (CSBA) tells CityNews it will be impossible for a single supervisor to replace a team of elected trustees.
“There are real tangible consequences when parents and when community members no longer have any democratic voice in the function of their local public school,” said CSBA President Alan Campbell.
CityNews has reached out to the Education Minister’s Office, but have not received a response.