The Ford government has appointed a supervisor to take control of an Ontario school board after controversy around its spending and is launching fresh investigations into three other boards.
Newly appointed Education Minister Paul Calandra announced a series of interventions at school boards on Wednesday afternoon, saying he would increase transparency after a series of “failures” by local trustees.
The government said it would be appointing a supervisor to the Thames Valley District School Board and forcing the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to submit a financial and governance plan.
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The moves come because of reports that found “extremely poor judgment by the school boards in the use of public funds,” the government said in a news release.
Trustees at the Thames Valley board made headlines last year after an off-site retreat to the Blue Jays stadium hotel that cost nearly $40,000. The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic board undertook a trip to Italy, which cost $45,000 and where a further $100,000 was spent on art.
Separately, Ontario will also launch financial investigations into the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board.
The province said those investigations came after the boards failed to address “ongoing financial deficit and spending concerns.”
Calandra, who took over the education file from Jill Dunlop last month, said the moves were about improving transparency and accountability.
“Our government will be relentless in ensuring school boards stay focused on what matters most: equipping students with the tools they need to succeed,” he said in a statement.
“School boards must remain accountable and use public funds to directly benefit students and provide teachers and educators with the resources they need in the classroom.”
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