- by Michael Craig, representing his opinions as a school trustee for Owen Sound, not the policy of the Bluewater District School Board
Since I was elected to the Bluewater District School Board six months ago, I have been asking myself: What is the role of the school board and what power do trustees have to improve the schools in Grey and Bruce counties?
The fact is that the curriculum for Ontario elementary and secondary schools, as well as the money to run them, was taken over by the Provincial government over 25 years ago. The funding for dozens of programs, from teacher salaries to special education to building schools, is doled out via Grants for Student Needs. When what we teach and how we fund it are controlled by the Ministry of Education, their autonomy, the ability of school boards to respond to local needs, is quite restricted.
What’s more, I was surprised to learn that the funding process has envelopes within envelopes, so we don’t just receive a lump sum for mental health services, for instance. The allotment is broken down into sub-categories from testing to psych services to attendance counselling to therapy, so our flexibility in delivering programs is quite limited.
And now, with Bill 98, the the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, currently before the Ontario legislature, the government is intent upon further controlling the financing, administration and accountability of school boards.
As Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said last week, "The goal here today is to send a signal to school boards to refocus their energies on what matters most, which is improving reading, writing and math skills and STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] education.” We’re talking ‘back to basics’ here without an appreciation that this is, after all, the mandate of every school, every teacher. We all applaud accountability, but this is a power grab.
Annie Kidder, the director of advocacy group People for Education, commented: "It's important every [student] can read, write and do math, but there is a lot more that they need to know to be able to navigate the complex world they're going to face".
The Act contains good ideas too; for example, a requirement that boards cooperate with municipalities around the building of new schools, (but this also includes provincial control over surplus property); the provision of standardized training for trustees and the Director of Education; and directives regarding regular communication with parents. But all of these orders are already being fulfilled by the Bluewater board, so one has to wonder why the province is laying down the law.
It is also very disturbing that the government appears to have done zero consultation with school boards, teacher unions and other stakeholders before developing this legislation. And it is more than disturbing, it’s shocking, that a bill to achieve what has been called a “transformation of Ontario’s school system" has already been tabled, with a very short deadline, May 16, to submit comments.
If this bill is passed, which seem inevitable, school boards and individual trustees will be even more firmly under the thumb of the Minister of Education.
What’s the point of school boards?
Given our reduced powers and lack of control of the budget, I come back to the initial question: is there any benefit to having a local school board? My answer, almost surprisingly, is yes.
Our Bluewater Board, through its policies and procedures is very supportive of the special needs of smaller, rural schools, and conscious that Indigenous students require classroom experiences and support that are sensitive to their culture.
I am proud that our school board, unlike some others, has a Breakfast Program in every school. We’re part of the Ontario Student Nutrition Program which has provided over eleven million health snacks and meals, so far this year, in over 480 schools across Southwestern Ontario. An impressive amount of fundraising in Grey-Bruce schools, along with support from food retailers, keeps this program going.
Another Grey-Bruce program that I love is ’Specialist High Skills Majors’, which allows students to focus on a particular occupation while obtaining diploma credits. It’s like a pre-apprentice series of programs, spread out among Bluewater high schools, focused on agriculture, construction, the environment, health and wellness, tourism, transportation and manufacturing. It can lead to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace. Oh, how I wish such options were available at my high school decades ago!
So, despite the government turning the screws on school boards, ultimately critiquing our ever move, there is still flexibility at the local level to sponsor creative initiatives.
I’m not about to throw in the towel: there’s still useful work to do!
