Ontario has assumed control of four major school boards, citing mismanagement and unsustainable financial practices, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced Friday.
Supervisors have been appointed to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board.
Calandra said the move comes after financial reviews showed these boards were running large deficits despite receiving stable provincial funding.
“These boards have had multiple opportunities to address their structural financial issues, and time and again, they have failed to do so,” Calandra said.
“Parents and educators expect and deserve a school system where spending decisions put students first. When school boards fail to meet that basic obligation, it is my duty as minister of education to act.”
The announcement came on the last school day for many across the province.
This marks the fifth board Calandra has placed under supervision since taking over the portfolio just over three months ago.
“I think a broader rethink of the governance structure of boards is required,” he said.
Calandra said trustees need to focus on their core responsibilities, and the ministry must also re-examine its own role.
He said too much decision-making has been decentralized over the past few decades and called for clear rules around spending and governance.
Earlier this year, the Thames Valley District School Board was placed under supervision after spending $40,000 on a Toronto staff retreat, including accommodations near the Rogers Centre.
Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, acknowledged that most boards are managing their budgets well.
She urged government-appointed supervisors to maintain transparency and collaborate with trustees.
“School board trustees across Ontario take their roles very seriously, particularly their commitment to being financially responsible, transparent, and accountable to the communities and students they serve,” she said.
Calandra also referenced a separate case involving the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, where four trustees reportedly spent $190,000 on a trip to Italy to purchase art for schools.
According to the government, the TDSB rejected nearly half of management’s cost-saving proposals over the past two years and relies heavily on selling assets to balance its books.
The Toronto Catholic board, they said, tripled its in-year deficit compared to the previous year.
Ottawa-Carleton has used up its reserves and now plans to sell assets to stay afloat.
Calandra described the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board as being “at the brink of bankruptcy.”
None of the four boards issued a comment following the announcement.
In a statement, NDP education critic Chandra Pasma accused the government of political interference.
“What the children of this province really need is investments in their future, not power grabs and political games,” she said.
Pasma criticized the government for assigning supervisors without educational experience.
The Dufferin-Peel supervisor is former Progressive Conservative MPP Rick Byers, whose background is in finance and auditing.
The new supervisor for the TDSB previously worked in federal Conservative government policy and finance roles.
Also Friday, Calandra announced that several curriculum updates will be delayed.
These include a new kindergarten program and updates to the Grades 7, 8 and 10 history curriculum.
He said the pause will give educators more time to adjust and ensure consistency across the province.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation welcomed the move.
“The process has been rushed, with little meaningful consultation with the teachers and education workers expected to deliver it,” said incoming president Martha Hradowy.
“(The union) is looking to work with the government to get this right — to ensure students benefit from a curriculum that is thoughtful, well-supported, and built with frontline expertise.
