Peel families prepare for the new school year under a cloud of uncertainty: PC takeover of education boards ignites controversy

“If it looks like we can deliver the product better—and if that means eliminating trustees, then I am going to do it.”

As the new school year begins in turmoil for thousands of parents across Peel, Education Minister Paul Calandra’s latest threat, after he previously stripped away governance powers from trustees in five school boards (including the region’s Catholic system), continues to send shockwaves throughout Ontario’s public education sector.

Parents across Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon whose children are set to attend public Catholic schools are already reeling as the academic year begins. 

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board was one of the five in Ontario whose trustees lost their governance powers which were taken away in June by Calandra for alleged financial mismanagement. 

As school doors open tomorrow, parents will no longer be able to work effectively with their elected trustees on a wide range of issues that require decision making around the board table. A new, unelected, supervisor appointed by Calandra’s ministry will now take over that decision making. 

His alarming words two weeks ago, vowing to eliminate trustees entirely if he has to, have divided many in the province: some supporters of the Doug Ford PC government and others are frustrated by the insider dynamics of school boards led by entitled trustees who have failed to protect taxpayers and represent the best interests of students; while teachers’ unions, other labour groups and some parents argue that stripping elected trustees of their governance powers is nothing more than a distraction from the ongoing public education crisis that sidelines Ontario residents from what is supposed to be a democratically run system funded by the very taxpayers who deserve direct representation.

Recent comments by Minister of Education Paul Calandra about the potential elimination of school board trustees have drawn widespread concern among parents across Ontario.

(Government of Ontario)

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) rejected the provincial government’s framing of the “crisis” as fiscal mismanagement, describing it as a “scapegoating tactic.”

“The provincial government’s appointment of a supervisor to take control of financial operations at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is not the result of mismanagement in isolation. It is the direct consequence of chronic underfunding and short-sighted cuts imposed by the Ford government," Jennifer Pouw,  president of the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, wrote in a statement to The Pointer.

"These damaging policies have pushed Ontario’s publicly funded education systems to the brink. Dufferin-Peel Catholic teachers will not stand by while teachers and school boards are scapegoated for a crisis they did not create. We will continue to advocate for our members, demand accountability from the government, and fight for a publicly funded Catholic education system that truly serves the needs of all students.”

She expressed frustration over the increasingly difficult conditions Catholic teachers face, from overcrowded classrooms to rising violence.

Jennifer Pouw, president of the Dufferin-Peel Secondary Unit of the OECTA, said in a written statement to The Pointer that Catholic teachers are working in increasingly difficult conditions while trying to accommodate students with limited resources under provincial supervision.

(Supplied)

"Catholic teachers have been left to bear the brunt of these decisions, working in increasingly difficult conditions while trying to support their students with dwindling resources," Pouw said.

"Teachers have seen their classrooms grow more crowded, their support systems stripped away, and their schools fall into disrepair. They are confronting rising levels of violence and burnout—all while students are denied access to the tools and attention they need to thrive. This is not just a financial issue; it is a moral failure of public policy."

Calandra’s threat to eliminate trustees came after the Ministry placed five school boards, including the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, under its direct supervision, appointing supervisors to replace the governance role of trustees, describing the stunning decision as part of a wider effort to “restore financial management” in Ontario School boards.

In late June, Calandra said third-party financial investigations of the boards exposed dire problems with the way public dollars were being handled by some of Ontario’s largest school boards, describing it as systemic “mismanagement”.

"These boards have had multiple opportunities to address their structural financial issues, and time and again they have failed to do so. We are appointing supervisors with a clear mandate to get these boards back on track."

He blamed trustees for much of the alleged failures.

"All school boards across the province should be put on notice, even those that are running a surplus. Where decision-making does not prioritize student success, where it does not prioritize resources for teachers in the classroom, I will not hesitate to step in and redirect that funding back into the classroom."

The Ministry’s external audits revealed the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) was facing a projected $136.3 million accumulated deficit and a looming $97.2 million cash shortfall by the end of August, jeopardizing critical education program delivery in the 2025-2026 school year.

The ongoing financial strain, along with a consistent decline in enrolment at the DPCDSB over the past seven years, from 80,112 students in 2017-2018 to 70,532 in 2024-2025, led auditor Paul Cleaver (who conducted the independent review of Peel’s Catholic board and authored the subsequent report) to recommend the province take over and manage operations directly.

The controversial recommendation came after a previous audit conducted in 2023 by Deloitte which revealed the DPCDSB was struggling with a growing deficit that could lead to financial default. The firm recommended that control of the board should be handed over to the Ministry under the Education Act. Deloitte also recommended the board take several measures to improve its bleak financial situation, including the sale of two properties and studying the potential of selling five others. The board complied with these recommendations.

Data from the Ministry’s most recent financial investigation show a 12 percent drop in total enrolment at the DPCDSB between 2017-2018 to 2024-2025, with 9,580 fewer students enrolled.

(Ministry of Education)

Critics argue the Ontario government is using financial concerns as a cover for consolidating political control.

In a joint statement by CUPE Ontario, the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), and the Ontario Municipal Workers Committee (OMW) described the moves by Calandra as a “troubling pattern of the Ford Government’s attacks on local democracy.”

“Let us be clear: this is not about improving education. This is about consolidating power and stripping away the democratic voice of communities,” they alleged.

“The Ontario government's continued interference in local democracy is deeply troubling. The imposition of so-called ‘strong mayor powers’ on municipalities has now extended into education, with proposals to sideline or even eliminate elected school trustees altogether. It's a disturbing pattern: centralize control, remove oversight, and ignore the communities most impacted by these decisions.”

The groups lambasted the PCs for neglecting the real issues including staff shortages, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of student support and growing problems with violence.

“Education workers are at a breaking point, and chronic underfunding and understaffing continue to harm students. Eliminating trustees won't solve these problems; it will only make them worse,” the release highlighted.

“Communities deserve more say in how their schools and municipalities are run, not less. Weakening elected representatives only concentrates power in the hands of a few and silences the voices of students, parents, workers, and communities. This is yet another step in a dangerous pattern: eroding accountability, undermining transparency, and placing politics above the public interest.”

While backing up the concerns voiced by other labour groups, the Ontario Federation of Labour also expressed frustration over the province’s push to eliminate trustees, calling it a “deliberate act of misdirection designed to shift attention away from the Ford government’s devastating record on education.”

“This isn’t about fixing schools — it’s about deflecting blame,” said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour.

“Minister Calandra knows parents, students, and workers are outraged over overcrowded classrooms, violence in schools, staff shortages, and crumbling infrastructure. Instead of admitting responsibility, he is dangling the elimination of school boards to stir up controversy and distract Ontarians from his government’s failures.”

Walton blames the Ford government for not properly funding schools and making cuts, warning that dismantling school boards will silence local voices, undermine community accountability and “hand even more unchecked power to a government already seizing control of Ontario’s largest boards.”

As the new school year starts under a dark cloud hanging over trustees, parents and administrators at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Pouw says teachers are not backing down. 

"We will continue to advocate for our members, demand accountability from the government, and fight for a publicly funded Catholic education system that truly serves the needs of all students.”

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