Thames Valley trustee candidate vies for role in board under provincial supervision

Sherri Moore, a Thames Valley trustee candidate, is vying for a role in the school board amid provincial supervision. CTV’s Gerry Dewan reports.

In an election where the very position is in limbo, Sherri Moore is running for Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) trustee, believing she can still champion public education despite the board’s current state of provincial supervision.

Moore is one of four individuals seeking to become a trustee, and notably, the sole incumbent among the candidates.

The TVDSB has been operating under provincial control since an audit revealed concerns about financial mismanagement, leading the province’s Education Minister Paul Calandra to appoint a supervisor.

This situation means that for the foreseeable future, the role of a trustee will be largely symbolic, with no decision-making power, honorariums, or expenses.

“We are likely going to be under supervision for some time,” Moore explained. “So no, there isn’t going to be any honorarium or expenses or any of that. There’s no sitting at the board. There’s no actually helping make the decisions that are so important.”

The province reported the TVDSB’s debt reached $32 million last year, a significant factor in the decision to intervene. However, Moore insists that trustees were actively working to address the financial challenges before supervision began.

“If you look at the minutes from the board meetings in the year before we went under supervision, trustees were absolutely trying to get spending reigned in,” she stated.

Calandra has pledged to reinstate trustee positions in the eight boards currently under supervision, but only once they achieve fiscal stability. He also introduced legislation, the ‘Putting Student Achievement First Act’ which aims to overhaul administrative structures across all boards, replacing education directors with a chief executive officer (CEO) responsible for operations and a chief education officer (CEDO) focused on student achievement.

Calandra indicated that the return of elected trustees could be a lengthy process, stating at a school funding announcement in Kilworth on April 28, “It takes me one year, two years or 10 years. I’ll take the time that’s needed to put these boards back on track.”

Education analyst Debbie Kasman views the provincial intervention as a necessary step.

“While it appears to be a loss of local democracy, I actually think it will help put school boards on the path to being better run with less chaos, less confusion, and less dysfunction,” Kasman commented.

Despite the current limitations, Moore remains committed to supporting public education through her continued involvement with the Public School Board Association and ongoing advocacy efforts. She also pointed to systemic underfunding by the province as a contributing factor to the fiscal struggles faced by school boards.

The election for TVDSB trustees includes other candidates such as Christine Morgan, Veena Joshi and Sarvarinder Singh Dohil, who are also vying for positions that may not resume their full capacity for some time.

The education minister said the province’s legislative changes signal a move towards increased accountability, standardized resources, and a renewed focus on student success across Ontario’s education system.