Ontario elementary teachers reject changes to school board trustee roles

Following the announcement of sweeping changes to the way Ontario’s school boards are run and how they will be overseen, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) says they are “rejecting” the bill those changes are proposed in, calling it a “rollback of local democracy.”

The changes, which are proposed in the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026, tabled in the legislature on Monday, include severely curtailing the role of school board trustees and increasing oversight by way of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO (currently the Director of Education) will be responsible for financial and operational matters, including budgets and staffing.

The role of a Chief Education Officer, appointed by the CEO, will also be added, with a focus on student achievement. That role will likely be filled by existing school superintendents.

Calandra said the role of school board trustee is being stripped down to brass tacks to focus on their essential function of representing parents’ concerns. The changes include eliminating almost all expense accounts, capping the honorarium for trustees to $10,000 and reducing the number of trustees to no more than 12 per school board. The cap on the number of trustees will only affect the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), which currently has 22 trustees.

The ETFO issued a statement saying the bill needlessly restructures school board governance and erodes democracy in the education system.

“This legislation removes the essential powers trustees need to genuinely represent families and students,” said ETFO President David Mastin in the statement. “Retaining trustees, except for some in the Toronto District School Board, is just another example of Premier Ford’s unhealthy obsession with Toronto. This government should focus on what is in the best interests of students and not on political manoeuvres that weaken democratic oversight.”

The bill also proposes that the Council of Ontario Directors of Education be made the central employer bargaining agency for English public and Catholic boards, a move the ETFO says “upends decades of established labour relations and eliminates a core democratic safeguard.”

The federation also took issue with the bill’s provisions for the mandatory use of ministry-approved classroom resources provincewide as well as the inclusion of attendance and participation as factors that will count toward students’ final marks.

“The Ford government is stripping educators of the professional judgement they rely on to meet students’ needs. Replacing evidence‑based practice with ministerial directives imposes a business‑style management structure on public education, eroding the professional expertise that drives high‑quality instruction. Schools are not businesses,” they said.

New Democrats, Green Party say new bill is a ‘power grab’

Both the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) issued statements saying the Ford government’s new bill is less about serving student needs and more about consolidating power.

“This is another power grab by the minister, shutting parents and communities out of our own schools. Why does the minister need to proactively protect himself from future legal actions? What does that have to do with student success?” said NDP Shadow Minister of Education MPP Chandra Pasma.

“By further controlling appointments, budgets, and restricting what trustees can even discuss, this government is centralizing decision-making in Queen’s Park and sidelining local voices.”

GPO leader Mike Schreiner also said the Ford government is concentrating power in its own hands and creating more bureaucracy while professing to cut red tape.

“How is this going to make things better for teachers managing larger-than-ever class sizes, or for students with special needs who already aren’t getting the support they need?” he asked.

“The role of trustees is to be a voice for families and communities in the decisions that will affect their everyday lives. But if this new legislation passes, local voices will be further silenced.”

Calandra contends that school trustees have been disrupting and causing division within the education system rather than focusing on the job of representing parents and families.

“The fundamental thing here is I wanted to ensure that we removed the distractions that come from trustees. So the new roles of a trustee will be significantly reduced from what it was before” to refocus them on their core responsibilities, he said.

He also did not rule out the possibility of further gutting the role of trustee “should more refinement be needed to refocus trustees even after this legislation.”

Following the announcement of sweeping changes to the way Ontario’s school boards are run and how they will be overseen, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) says they are “rejecting” the bill those changes are proposed in, calling it a “rollback of local democracy.” The changes, which are proposed in the Putting Student Achievement  Local 

Following the announcement of sweeping changes to the way Ontario’s school boards are run and how they will be overseen, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) says they are “rejecting” the bill those changes are proposed in, calling it a “rollback of local democracy.”

The changes, which are proposed in the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026, tabled in the legislature on Monday, include severely curtailing the role of school board trustees and increasing oversight by way of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO (currently the Director of Education) will be responsible for financial and operational matters, including budgets and staffing.

The role of a Chief Education Officer, appointed by the CEO, will also be added, with a focus on student achievement. That role will likely be filled by existing school superintendents.

Calandra said the role of school board trustee is being stripped down to brass tacks to focus on their essential function of representing parents’ concerns. The changes include eliminating almost all expense accounts, capping the honorarium for trustees to $10,000 and reducing the number of trustees to no more than 12 per school board. The cap on the number of trustees will only affect the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), which currently has 22 trustees.

The ETFO issued a statement saying the bill needlessly restructures school board governance and erodes democracy in the education system.

“This legislation removes the essential powers trustees need to genuinely represent families and students,” said ETFO President David Mastin in the statement. “Retaining trustees, except for some in the Toronto District School Board, is just another example of Premier Ford’s unhealthy obsession with Toronto. This government should focus on what is in the best interests of students and not on political manoeuvres that weaken democratic oversight.”

The bill also proposes that the Council of Ontario Directors of Education be made the central employer bargaining agency for English public and Catholic boards, a move the ETFO says “upends decades of established labour relations and eliminates a core democratic safeguard.”

The federation also took issue with the bill’s provisions for the mandatory use of ministry-approved classroom resources provincewide as well as the inclusion of attendance and participation as factors that will count toward students’ final marks.

“The Ford government is stripping educators of the professional judgement they rely on to meet students’ needs. Replacing evidence‑based practice with ministerial directives imposes a business‑style management structure on public education, eroding the professional expertise that drives high‑quality instruction. Schools are not businesses,” they said.

New Democrats, Green Party say new bill is a ‘power grab’

Both the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) issued statements saying the Ford government’s new bill is less about serving student needs and more about consolidating power.

“This is another power grab by the minister, shutting parents and communities out of our own schools. Why does the minister need to proactively protect himself from future legal actions? What does that have to do with student success?” said NDP Shadow Minister of Education MPP Chandra Pasma.

“By further controlling appointments, budgets, and restricting what trustees can even discuss, this government is centralizing decision-making in Queen’s Park and sidelining local voices.”

GPO leader Mike Schreiner also said the Ford government is concentrating power in its own hands and creating more bureaucracy while professing to cut red tape.

“How is this going to make things better for teachers managing larger-than-ever class sizes, or for students with special needs who already aren’t getting the support they need?” he asked.

“The role of trustees is to be a voice for families and communities in the decisions that will affect their everyday lives. But if this new legislation passes, local voices will be further silenced.”

Calandra contends that school trustees have been disrupting and causing division within the education system rather than focusing on the job of representing parents and families.

“The fundamental thing here is I wanted to ensure that we removed the distractions that come from trustees. So the new roles of a trustee will be significantly reduced from what it was before” to refocus them on their core responsibilities, he said.

He also did not rule out the possibility of further gutting the role of trustee “should more refinement be needed to refocus trustees even after this legislation.”