WELLINGTON COUNTY – Since the summer, the Advertiser has contacted local school board trustees several times, to little avail.
The request has been simple: to chat about trustees’ work and why it’s important to the governance of school boards.
Trustees are elected public representatives whose jobs have recently been under scrutiny from the Ministry of Education, with trustees at some boards already sidelined and replaced by appointed “supervisory officers.”
Asked for interviews about their roles, Wellington County trustees from both the Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board refused to be interviewed on record (Robin Ross, the Upper Grand trustee for north Wellington, is on leave).
Reasons provided included board rules about not speaking with the media and concerns about repercussions from education minister Paul Calandra.
He is set to an announce changes early this year about school board governance, and has made comments in recent months about removing all trustees from Ontario school boards.
The Canadian Press reported Calandra said last month he has not seen anything to support trustees delivering on the Ministry of Education’s $43-billion budget.
“Calandra says trustees in [Catholic] boards will always have a role in denominational issues, but English public trustees have no such guarantees and he could get rid of all of them ‘in one fell swoop with the stroke of a pen,’” the Canadian Press reported.
The province took control of six school boards in 2025, stripping power from trustees in favour of supervisory officers who oversee board governance.
Regardless of what becomes of trustees, all boards must have supervisory officers by September, with the province mandating them to run new “student and family support offices.”
In November, Lawmakers enacted Bill 33: Supporting Children and Students Act, amending the Education Act by increasing provincial oversight of school boards and giving the education minister more authority.
The bill empowers the province to establish financial policies and guidelines and introduce provincial auditors.
It also mandates police in schools (school resource officer programs) and gives the education minister power to take over boards not complying with the province’s direction.
Guelph MPP and Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said he is concerned the province is laying the groundwork for getting rid of trustees across the province, which “would be a huge blow to local democracy and every community’s right to shape their children’s education.
“Trustees are elected to support the unique needs of their communities,” he stated in a press release.
Submitted statements
Catholic trustees Andrew Finoro and Cassandra O’Donnell provided written statements through board spokesperson Bianca Pettinaro.
Finoro said trustees advocate for the needs of students and families, as well as teachers and support staff.
“As a long-time resident and educator in Wellington County, I have a unique understanding of the communities we serve and help ensure their needs are met by the board,” he stated.
“At board meetings and on various committees, I advocate for county input and representation.”
He said this includes ensuring students are represented at summer camps, in local ministry initiatives and in board programs.
O’Donnell said “trustees are crucial in supporting Catholic education in Ontario. We help provide the board with a deeper understanding of our local communities.”
Through her work as a trustee, O’Donnell said she advocates for students, families and Catholic education and upholds “accountability and transparency while building strong relationships between our families, schools, and parishes in each of our townships.”
