Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra speaks during a news conference at Toronto City Hall on Feb. 22, 2024. Mr. Calandra said the province is also launching investigations into the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
In a move to counter alleged financial mismanagement by school boards, Ontario is taking control of one school board in London that sent executives on a retreat to Toronto that cost nearly $40,000 last summer, and launching financial investigations into three other boards.
A fifth board, which made the controversial decision to send trustees to Italy to buy religious art for two schools last year, will be required to submit an implementation plan to meet the government’s fiscal and governance expectations.
“We have a troubling trend in the education sector with boards making bad choices on how to spend funding meant to support our students and teachers,” Education Minister Paul Calandra said at a news conference Wednesday.
The province is appointing a supervisor to oversee the Thames Valley District School Board in London.
Last August, the board spent nearly $40,000 to send 18 administrators to a three-day retreat in Toronto, including staying at the hotel located inside the Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays’ stadium.
The board was then facing a $7.6-million budget deficit.
A spokesperson for the board referred questions to the province.
The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board has been ordered to repay the $50,000 cost of its trip to Italy, plus the $100,000 it spent on art.
A spokesperson for the board said in a statement that it has just received the province’s review report on the board’s trustee expenses and accountability policies and is now examining the details.
The board will co-operate with the minister and the Ministry of Education, the spokesperson said.
Pointing to other boards that have “failed to address ongoing financial deficits,” Mr. Calandra said the province is also launching investigations into the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
“We know that it isn’t just about one or two bad decisions. It points to a broader problem, a pattern of mismanagement and misplaced priorities,” Mr. Calandra said.
The TDSB is facing “major ongoing financial issues,” according to the ministry. These include recurring deficits, failure to manage senior leadership staffing costs, and millions of dollars in historical underspending to address the age and condition of school buildings.
The TDSB will fully co-operate with the investigation, board chair Neethan Shan said in a statement.
“It is important to note that while Trustees will continue reviewing the budget to find savings, we have already cut millions of dollars from the TDSB budget over recent years in the face of significant financial challenges that impact our ability to meet student needs,” he said.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has been reporting in-year deficits since 2021-22 and is reporting another shortfall this year, according to the province.
Lynn Scott, board chair at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, said the deficits in 2021-22 and 2022-23 were related to pandemic response efforts, while the deficits in 2023-24 and 2024-25 were largely because of shortfalls regarding retroactive payments tied to Bill 124 and cost-of-living allowances.
“Our analysis indicates that a key driver of the shortfall is a misalignment between our staffing model and the current funding formula,” she said in a statement e-mailed to The Globe and Mail.
The board takes the government’s concerns seriously and will fully co-operate with the investigation into its financial position, she said.
Markus de Domenico, chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, said in a statement e-mailed to The Globe that the board remains committed to responsibly managing public funds.
“The TCDSB continues to face financial challenges due to unfunded sick leave costs, statutory benefits, and legacy local commitments tied up in collective agreements, as well as the Provincial moratorium on school closures. We remain focused on finding further efficiencies without impacting student learning and well-being,” he said.
The investigations into all three school boards will recommend whether control and charge of each board should be vested in the ministry, with the final report to be submitted to the ministry by May 30.