Ontario — The provincial government has unveiled sweeping education reforms that would reduce the influence of elected school board trustees, cap their numbers, limit compensation, and shift greater authority to newly created executive leadership roles.
Education Minister Paul Calandra announced the proposed legislation, titled the Putting Student Achievement First Act, saying the changes are intended to improve accountability, strengthen financial management, and refocus boards on student outcomes.
Under the plan, trustee responsibilities would be significantly narrowed. The province will also cap the number of trustees at 12 per board. This would primarily affect Toronto District School Board, which currently has 22 trustees, making it the largest board in the province.
The government says oversized boards have created conflict and inefficiency. Critics, however, argue the changes would weaken local democracy and reduce community representation in major urban centres such as Toronto.
A major structural change would see English-language boards replace directors of education with a new two-part executive model: a Chief Executive Officer focused on budgets and operations, and a Chief Education Officer responsible for teaching and learning. One person could hold both roles if qualified.
The CEO would have expanded authority over board finances, and unresolved budget disputes could be referred directly to the minister.
The province also plans to reduce trustee honorariums to a maximum of $10,000 and tighten rules around discretionary expenses. Current compensation varies by board size and geography, with some trustees receiving significantly more.
Trustees elected this fall at the eight boards currently under provincial supervision will remain without governance powers until those boards are deemed financially stable. Those supervised boards include two in Toronto.
Additional reforms would give the ministry stronger oversight of capital projects, restrict official trustee communications to education-related matters, require use of approved learning resources, and include attendance and participation as part of student final grades.
The government is also changing labour negotiations by assigning central bargaining responsibilities to the Council of Ontario Directors of Education instead of trustee associations.
Opposition parties and parent advocates have sharply criticized the move, calling it a centralization of power and an attack on local accountability. The government says the reforms are necessary to ensure school boards remain focused on students, fiscal responsibility, and consistent delivery of education across Ontario.