WELLINGTON COUNTY – All Ontario school boards must open “student and family support offices” by next September.
The Ministry of Education announced the requirement in a Nov. 13 press release that said the offices will provide parents and guardians a “clear, effective way to get help regarding their child’s education and find solutions faster.”
Each office will be led by a supervisory officer.
Ministry officials say the mandatory student and family support offices will make school boards more accountable and focused on student success.
“We’re going to continue overhauling an outdated school board governance model so that more resources go into classrooms, teachers have better support and students have the best chance to succeed,” stated Minister of Education Paul Calandra in a press release.
The ministry has taken control of five school boards thus far this year because it says they were being mismanaged financially.
Those boards are: Toronto, Ottawa-Carleton, Thames Valley District, Dufferin-Peel Catholic and Toronto Catholic.
The province already appointed supervisors at each of those boards, and their student and family support offices will open in January.
All other school boards have been told to submit a report to the ministry by March 31 that outlines how they will establish an office by Sept. 1.
“The offices will act as an additional way to help families get answers on broader community concerns, as well as contentious or complex issues that need to be escalated after speaking with the school,” the ministry’s release states.
If a concern is not resolved through a student’s teacher or principal, they will be able to escalate the issue to the student and family support office, which is mandated to respond to inquiries within five businesses days.
“This will make the education system more responsive and accessible for families by ensuring existing resources can be directed to help students, parents and families navigate the education system and make sure their concerns are addressed,” ministry officials state.
This announcement comes in the wake of Bill 33: Supporting Children and Students Act, which, if passed, will amend the Education Act to increase provincial oversight of school boards and give the Minister of Education more authority.
The bill empowers the province to establish financial policies and guidelines, introduce provincial auditors, mandate police in schools (school resource officer programs) and give the minister of education the power to take control and charge of a board that does not comply with their direction.
In a statement released the same day as the provincial announcement, Guelph MPP and Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the move “sets off alarm bells about the future of elected trustees.
“Under no circumstances should these offices be used as an excuse to eliminate trustee positions,” Schreiner continued.
The minister of education has made multiple comments in recent months about removing all trustees from Ontario’s school boards.
“This would be a huge blow to local democracy and every community’s right to shape their children’s education,” said Schreiner.
“Trustees are elected to support the unique needs of their communities. These support offices should not replace this critical role or reallocate tax dollars that should be spent on funding our public education system, reducing class sizes and repairing our crumbling classrooms.”
At the Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic District School Boards, education directors Peter Sovran and Mike Glazier and board chairs Ralf Mesenbrink and Marino Gazzola would not make themselves available for interviews.
Instead, board spokespersons emailed short statements acknowledging they received the provincial direction and noting staff will begin working on a plan to implement the offices.
Trustees from both boards declined and ignored Advertiser requests to discuss their roles, despite the minister’s talk of eliminating them.
