On the morning of June 27th, the Friday of the last week of the school year with our thoughts more poolside than political, the Ford government erased with one stroke the role of the TDSB trustee in helping make Canada’s biggest – and North America’s fourth largest – school board function for the good of us all.
And that meant erasing the function of our newest trustee, Don Valley West’s winner of last March’s byelection, Stacey Cline, just as she was beginning to make an impact in our community.
On June 27th it was publicly announced by the new director of the board, Clayton La Touche, that “the Minister of Education has placed the Toronto District School Board under supervision. As such the powers of trustees are now vested in the Minister of Education, who has appointed a supervisor. Effective as of 11:00 a.m. today, Rohit Gupta has been appointed as the supervisor.”
The reason? A report paid for by the government from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP concluded that the TDSB was going to run a multi-million-dollar deficit. The TDSB is the world’s most diverse board, offering unique programs and operating schools that are old, many of which were built pre-1960. In other words, its efforts to offer world-class public education in buildings that are at an age where they require restoration and maintenance demand proper funding. But what if adequate funding is lacking? Not wanting to compromise quality delivery of education, the board accepted the need to run a deficit. The government found this to be unsatisfactory; it therefore concluded that “supervision was warranted.”
It seems the government deems the 22 trustees as reckless spendthrifts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Eighty-five per cent of the budget they approve is out of their control – wages, which are negotiated between the Ministry of Education and the federations that represent the employees. According to the TDSB, trustees are given the daunting task of “identifying the needs and priorities of their community and for ensuring these are considered in the decisions that result in practical educational opportunities for students. In doing so, trustees must consider conflicting interests and values.”
According to Ricardo Tranjan of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, “since the Ford government came to power…the inflation-adjusted funding shortfall between the 2018-19 and 2024-25 school years is now $1,500 per student.” This means that Leaside High School, for example, with close to 1,000 students, is down $1.5 million.
Let’s remember that Ontario prides itself on its strong public education system, promoting student success, eliminating socio-economic barriers, and offering strong special education supports. And most importantly trustees are the only people at the TDSB who were “hired” by us, the electorate. They represent a cornerstone of our democratic structure. And as it happens, they are good value. With an annual honorarium of around $25,000 and putting in 30 to 50 hours of work a week, they are for the most part a diligent and dedicated group.
Since being sworn in, our new trustee, Stacey Cline, has responded to hundreds of constituent inquiries, visited schools, advocated for student needs, attended board meetings, and worked with fellow trustees to improve TDSB operations. She is a trustee open to finding efficiencies and making progress.
But as of 11 a.m. on June 27th, that all came to a halt. Now no trustee is allowed to communicate with constituents and participate in board meetings, and trustees have lost their decision-making powers concerning governance, budget and policy. No trustee can be paid. And no trustee can issue newsletters or articles for publications like Leaside Life.
They have been silenced. I am writing to my MPP, the Minister of Education and the Premier saying the flaws in the funding formula need to be fixed. My voice at the TDSB, via my elected trustee, needs to be unfettered so she can do the job she was elected to accomplish.
What about you?
