Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra says a newly passed bill granting him more powers to take control of school boards is a start, but not the end, of changes to education governance.
The bill that passed third and final reading Wednesday allows the minister to more easily put school boards under supervision, and Calandra suggested he wants to move quickly.
Calandra says the law allows him to put boards back on track when they “fall off the rails,” and cites the example of the Near North District School Board.
Last month, Calandra issued a number of directives to the North Bay-area board after a government report found it was dysfunctional, and he says if the board doesn’t meet all of those requirements he will take control.
Calandra has already appointed supervisors at five other school boards, and has said he is considering eliminating the role of trustees.
He says today, though, that the French and Catholic boards would retain their constitutional rights, giving trustees there authority at least on French and Catholic-specific issues.
