Facing the possibility of being cut altogether or having their powers severely limited, Ontario’s trustees were defended by opposition politicians and parents at Queen’s Park on Tuesday.
Education Minister Paul Calandra has sidelined the elected officials at some of the province’s largest school boards and is mulling a complete overhaul of the power given to trustees.
“Minister Calandra has been clear, the current school board governance structure is based on an outdated system that needs to be modernized,” his office said in a statement sent to Global News.
“The governance changes being considered are regarding the role of elected school board trustees.”
Any move to eliminate or massively sideline trustees, the NDP said, would harm parents.
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“They are playing political games with our kids’ future,” NDP MPP Chandra Pasma told reporters.
“Families need and deserve accountable, transparent, local representation by people who know their communities, who consult wth their communities and who can stand up for students and parents. For many families, trustees are a lifeline and the only person they can turn to when they need help and support.”
For months, the Ford government has taken aim at the province’s school boards, accusing its leadership of irresponsible and wasteful spending. Trips by two Ontario boards to Italy and the Toronto Blue Jays stadium were among the concerns pointed out.
Legislation tabled by Calandra in the spring, which has not yet been passed, will give the government the power to more easily take over school boards in the future without the need for official recommendations.
The NDP claimed the moves will hurt students, saying trustees are a vital link for parents into the system and that the supervisors appointed by the government aren’t available to families when issues occur.
“So many parents who rely on their locally elected representatives — which are school board trustees — who rely on them to set their kids up for the new school year, have no one to turn to,” NDP Leader Marit Stiles said.
“Minister Calandra is shutting out parents and families from local school decisions that will impact their communities and their kids.”
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