TORONTO, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — “The recent legislation introduced by Education Minister Paul Calandra is another example of how the Ford government is slowly and intentionally eroding local democracy in an attempt to distract from key issues in publicly funded education in Ontario.
The proposed legislation expands ministerial powers to override locally elected school boards on vague grounds of ‘public interest’ and mandates the return of police officers in schools – all while refusing to address the root causes of challenges in our classrooms.
Local trustees are elected to represent the unique needs of their communities. Stripping them of significant decision-making authority undermines the democratic process that ensures our publicly funded education system remains responsive to the families and students it serves.
While public oversight of trustee and board expenditures is important, transparency cannot be a one-way street. The government must also be transparent about its own education funding decisions. Years of chronic underfunding by the Ford Conservative government have forced Ontario teachers to do more with less; a fact conveniently ignored by the proposed legislation.
Mandating School Resource Officers (SROs) is yet another move that undermines local decision-making. Over the last decade, many school boards have chosen to end SRO programs after listening to experts and the voices of students, particularly those from Indigenous, Black, and other equity-deserving groups who often felt surveilled and unsafe by the presence of police in schools. Mandating SROssends a clear message that these critical voices do not matter and ignores the historical evidence that such programs have not been effective in building a sense of community between police and students.
Meaningful consultation is essential. We know from experience a collaborative process with all stakeholders yields more creative and innovative solutions to the complex issues facing our system. It is clear that teachers, education unions, and community stakeholders were not at the table when writing this legislation. The Ford government must learn from past mistakes and adopt expert recommendations, including those from the Ontario Human Rights Commission: collect and publish race-based data, invest in outreach and social work, and train administrators in culturally responsive, non-punitive practices.
The Ford Conservative government’s one-size-fits-all approach to policy making hurts Ontario students and the communities we serve. These moves are not about improving education — they are about centralizing power, weakening public institutions, and sowing division by promoting populist, conservative narratives. We call on Minister Calandra and the provincial government to reconsider this legislation, listen to the voices of teachers and community advocates, and make the necessary investments in the supports that truly serve the best interests of our students and Ontario’s publicly funded education system.”
– René Jansen in de Wal, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association
CONTACT: Michelle Despault Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association 416-925-2493 x 509 m.despault@catholicteachers.ca
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