The Ministry of Education in Ontario has decided to delay the swearing-in of newly elected trustees following the upcoming municipal elections, according to a source within the provincial government speaking to CityNews.
Currently, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), along with three other Greater Toronto Area (GTA) boards, are under provincial supervision due to alleged financial mismanagement, deficits deemed unsustainable, and a failure to implement cost-saving measures.
Typically, newly-elected trustees would convene for their first meeting shortly after taking office and complete their declaration of office. However, a proposed regulatory change for supervised boards would grant the Minister of Education or the appointed individual under the Education Act the authority to determine the timing of the inaugural board meeting.
While the newly-elected trustees would replace outgoing members, they would not assume governance duties while the boards are under supervision and would not be sworn in until the designated meeting.
For Catholic school boards, trustees would still handle denominational matters during this period.
There is currently no timeline provided for the scheduling of the initial meeting.
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles criticized the decision, expressing that it disregards the voters’ voices and undermines democratic values.
Sara Blumenstein, a parent administrator at the Toronto Education Advocacy Network, raised concerns about the sudden change, emphasizing the importance of voting for trustees and highlighting the need to respect the democratic process.
She stressed that despite the delay in swearing-in, voting for trustees remains crucial as they could potentially resume their roles at a later time.
The municipal election in Toronto is scheduled for October 26.
