School Board Calls For Oversight, Consultation As Province Considers Eliminating English Public Trustees
Trustees with the Bluewater District School Board are requesting an independent review and province-wide consultation on potential provincial changes to school board governance.
Trustees with the Bluewater District School Board have formally called for an independent review and province-wide public consultation in response to a possible provincial plan to eliminate English public school trustees.
At their Feb. 17 meeting, trustees approved two motions directing staff to send letters to Ontario’s Ombudsman and the Minister of Education. The board is asking the Ombudsman to examine the potential impact that changes to the current governance model could have on fairness, transparency, and accountability.
The request follows comments from the Minister of Education about removing democratically elected English public school trustees, while French-language and Catholic trustees would remain.
Although the province has not introduced legislation, the discussion has prompted concern among some school boards.
Trustees argue that eliminating elected English public trustees would significantly change how local education oversight works in Ontario. Trustees currently approve board budgets, set policies, and serve as elected representatives who raise community concerns at the board table.
In its letter, the board supports a similar request made by the Waterloo Region District School Board for an independent review of the broader implications of any governance change.
Among the concerns raised locally is the potential loss of Indigenous representation at the board level, as well as the elimination of student trustees. Student trustees serve as the only legislated voice for students in Ontario’s English public school system.
Trustees are also asking the province to conduct a formal, research-based consultation process before making any decision. They say the process should invite input from students, parents, staff, and community members, and clearly outline the potential advantages and disadvantages of the proposed changes.
Board leaders have framed the issue as one that affects public accountability. While the province sets education policy and funding, locally elected trustees act as a governance layer between Queen’s Park and local schools. Trustees say removing that layer would reduce opportunities for families to raise concerns or influence decisions affecting their children’s education.
Vice-Chair Jan Johnstone said the potential move should concern parents and community members, describing trustees as a longstanding form of democratic representation in Ontario’s education system.
Chair Jane Thomson pointed to the role trustees play in advocating for vulnerable learners, including students with special education needs, whose families often turn to elected representatives for support.
At this stage, the Bluewater board has taken procedural steps by requesting oversight and consultation. Whether the province proceeds with legislative changes remains unclear, but trustees say any shift in governance should involve transparent review and meaningful public input before decisions are made.
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