Education Minister Paul Calandra, pictured in May, 2025, at Queen's Park, introduced legislation on Monday that would limit the number and scope of school board trustees.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press
Ontario is introducing legislation that would represent massive changes to how the province’s education system is run, including limiting the number and scope of trustees and creating new chief executive officer and chief of education roles.
Education Minister Paul Calandra has long said that financial mismanagement and poor governance issues are widespread at school boards. He has also mused in recent months about eliminating the role of elected school board trustees.
“Ontario’s education system must remain focused on its core responsibility: student success. In some school boards, that focus has been lost, and students are paying the price,” Mr. Calandra said in a release.
As of last year, Mr. Calandra has placed eight school boards under supervision, including the Toronto District School Board and the Peel District School Board, the two biggest in the province.
Under the new legislation, the Putting Student Achievement First Act, trustees would still be in place but limited in number and scope.
There would also be a new chief executive officer role, replacing the current director of education position, responsible for financial and operational oversight and required to have business qualifications.
The legislation calls for a maximum of 12 elected trustees per school board. Every board currently meets that target, except for the TDSB, which has 22.
There would be new limits on trustees’ discretionary expenses and honorarium to control what the government says is wasteful spending on items, such as personal electronics and accessories, membership fees in trustee associations and costs for unnecessary travel, meals and hospitality.
The honorarium would be limited to $10,000, less than half of what the honorarium currently is at some school boards.
Critics have said trustees are needed to ensure parents have a voice to advocate for their concerns.
To solve what it calls “weak governance and decision making,” the government would create two new roles, the CEO as well as a chief education officer, who would be appointed by the CEO and would need to have educational qualifications, including membership in the Ontario College of Teachers or some equivalent.
The CEO would lead the development of school board budgets and could only be terminated by the Ministry, not trustees.
The wide-ranging legislation also includes provisions addressing bargaining issues and student achievement.
The Council of Ontario Directors of Education would be designated as the central employer bargaining agency for English public and English Catholic boards.
The legislation also promises to create mandatory written exams on official exam days for students in Grades 9 through 12 and aims to curb student absences by making attendance worth 15 per cent of the final mark for students in Grades 9 and 10, and 10 per cent for students in Grades 11 and 12.
“Ontario’s teachers and education workers are dedicated professionals who work tirelessly every day to support students, often under challenging circumstances,” Mr. Calandra said in the statement. “They deserve stable, accountable leadership that supports their work and puts learning first. If further action is required to protect students and reinforce respect for the professionals who teach them, we will not hesitate to act.”