‘We will put you back on track’: Education minister suggests Ontario prepared to place more school boards under supervision

Paul Calandra says that ‘every school board’ in the province ‘should be on notice’ after he used newly expanded powers to take over an embattled school board in

Ontario’s education minister says that “every school board” in the province “should be on notice” after he used expanded powers under new provincial legislation to take over an embattled school board in northern Ontario.

The Ford government confirmed on Monday that it would place the Near North District School Board under provincial supervision after it said that a ministry review revealed “deep-rooted dysfunction and mismanagement” at the board.

The government is taking the action less than two weeks after it fast-tracked Bill 33.

The legislation handed Calandra sweeping new powers to take control of any school board that fails to act on a ministry direction when it concerns “a matter of public interest.”

“Every single school board, every school board in the province of Ontario should be on notice,” Calandra said on Monday when asked whether the province might use the legislation to take over other boards. “The moment you stray from what your main job is — to give our students the best opportunity to succeed by giving teachers the resources they need to help students and letting our parents know that their kids have every opportunity to succeed — if you stray from that mission, we will step in, we will take you over and we will put you back on track.”

Ontario had previously placed five other school boards under provincial supervision, including the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

However, the Near North District School Board is the first board to be taken over using the expanded powers laid out in Bill 33.

The decision to take over the school board came after the ministry said that it failed to comply with 10 of 15 directives that it issued to address the findings of the review.

Speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park on Monday, NDP Leader Marit Stiles said that the decision to take over the Near North District School Board “might have been called for.”

But she expressed concerns with the government’s attitude toward local school boards.

“I would rather see the government take the role of trustees a little more seriously. You know, encourage and inform people about the important role of trustees so we can ensure that we can continue to have that strong local representation. I would rather see that than the government having to step in like this,” she said.