Ottawa’s largest school board will be required to establish a student and family support office “so parents and guardians have a clear, effective way to get help regarding their child’s education and find solutions faster,” says the province.
The offices will open in January at the five boards under supervision, including the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Education on Thursday.
“The offices will act as an additional way to help families get answers on broader community concerns, as well as contentious or complex issues that need to be escalated after speaking with the school,” said the ministry.
“This initiative is one more way the government is delivering on its broader plan to make school boards more accountable and focused on student success with a back-to-basics approach that strengthens student achievement and prepares them for rewarding careers.”
For critics, the announcement suggests that the province is moving one step further in
eliminating the role of elected trustees.
Elected trustees set policy, oversee budgets and act as a link between parents and schools, but their responsibilities have been suspended at the five school boards under supervision. Provincially appointed supervisors are now mandated to make decisions.
In an interview with a CBC reporter in August, while he was in Ottawa for the annual conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Education Minister Paul Calandra was asked if he would go so far as to eliminate the role of trustees.
“If it looks like we can deliver the product better, provide better outcomes for students, better resources for teachers, and give parents certainty, and if that means eliminating trustees, then I’m going to do it,” Calandra replied.
On Thursday, Calandra said the offices will give families clear answers and timely solutions when it comes to their child’s education.
“We’re going to continue overhauling an outdated school board governance model so that more resources go into classrooms, teachers have better support and students have the best chance to succeed.”
While details about the offices are to be available on the websites of the five school boards under supervision by Jan. 16, the provincial announcement adds that all other school boards will be expected to submit a report by March 31 outlining how they will establish an office by September 1, 2026.
Calandra has confirmed that provincially appointed supervisors
are earning up to $350,000 a year
. Trustees at the OCDSB earned about $16,000 a year.
Speaking to members of the OCDSB’s special education advisory committee last week, supervisor Bob Plamondon said there were advantages and disadvantages of the supervision model.
“The disadvantages are, you know, probably pretty clear. There’s one of me,” he said. “There’s only so many places that I can be, so being only one person is clearly a disadvantage.”
The province’s announcement “feels like one of the steps you would take if you wanted to replace trustees,” said Lyra Evans, an elected trustee at the OCDSB, who questioned how the staff at the offices will be selected.
“If they pick people who are members of the senior team, they will be in lockstep with the administration,” she said, adding that she also has concerns about the structure of the offices and whether staff would be able to question decisions made by the
director of education
. Trustees also often work outside regular business hours.
Collectively, trustees earn less than $200,000 a year at the OCDSB. That will only buy the services of one or two staff members — and they are unlikely to work evenings and weekends, she said.
“Clearly, the minister of education knows his takeover of school boards with unqualified, partisan appointments is a disaster for parents who just want answers and help navigating the system,” said NDP education critic Chandra Pasma.
“Instead of reinstating democratically elected trustees and respecting the role played by trustees in other boards, the minister is frantically throwing out half-baked ideas, announcing new offices without explaining how they will help students or providing funding for them,” said Pasma, the MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean.
“We need a plan to fix the real problems in our schools, he’s creating more bureaucracy and taking money out of classrooms to pay for it. Families want smaller class sizes and more support for our kids, not supervisors making $350,000 a year with $40,000 expense accounts who can’t even answer a phone call.”
Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, said boards welcome any effort that helps students and their families feel heard and supported in their schools.
“We share the government’s goal of strengthening communication with school communities and ensuring that concerns are addressed quickly and respectfully,” she said. “In fact, every school board has clear processes and protocols in place to help parents and students resolve issues. This often begins with the classroom teacher and principal, where most issues can be solved, and, when needed, the superintendent and the locally elected trustee.”
When parents are seeking further answers related to their child’s education, it can be tremendously valuable to be able to seek those answers from someone who is directly accountable to them, like their local trustee, said Woodcock.
“School boards have long valued the voices of families, students, and staff. We are pleased that the government recognizes the importance of listening to those perspectives.”
While few details about the offices were released on Thursday, the province said each student and family support office will be led by a supervisory officer.
The offices will review concerns raised by families to help resolve matters that need to be escalated following initial engagement with a child’s teacher and principal, said the province’s statement.
“As part of their mandate, offices will streamline the feedback process to acknowledge inquiries within two business days and aim to provide a response within five business days,” said the province’s statement.
“This will make the education system more responsive and accessible for families by ensuring existing resources can be directed to help students, parents and families navigate the education system and make sure their concerns are addressed.”
