School trustees with TDSB told what they can and can't do (it's mostly can't) after Ford government takes over the board

Hamilton Spectator

20-07-2025

Trustees with Toronto's public school board have been given the do's and the don'ts.
They can forward emails from constituents to the director of education and redirect calls to the board's main line.
They cannot issue updates to their community; access administrative offices; use their board email account to communicate with constituents; or participate in any events as trustees, which includes engaging with school staff and parent councils.
Those are just some of the changes to trustees' roles following last week's provincial takeover of
four school boards
— including Toronto's Catholic and public — for alleged financial mismanagement. A supervisor was appointed to each board, taking over the authority held by the board of trustees, who have been stripped of their power.
School board takeover: Don't be fooled. It is not about finances — it's power politics
On Monday, the TDSB director emailed trustees with information, from the supervisor, on 'key topics' to help 'facilitate the transition.' The issue came to the Star's attention after a member of the public expressed alarm at not being able to connect with his trustee.
Among other things, the trustee honorarium — it amounts to roughly $25,000 a year — was suspended as of June 27, when Education Minister Paul Calandra made the announcement that also affects the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board and Ottawa's public board.
Alexis Dawson is now calling herself a 'community member and democratically elected public school board trustee,' noting, 'You can take away my access to TDSB, you can take away my institutional power, but you cannot take away the fact that I was democratically elected by the public to serve in the capacity of trustee.'
In an interview, Dawson said not being able to respond to constituents' emails, and help them navigate the system, is particularly difficult.
'By the time issues are brought to trustees, they're full-blown,' she said. 'We are the important bridge between the community and the school board that can help to advocate at that level. We don't have the decision-making power when it comes to school-based issues, but we certainly have that advocacy power and I have seen that directly influence decisions at the school level.'
Because Dawson was a community advocate before becoming a trustee, she says many folks have her personal contact information. And she vows to keep advocating on their behalf as a community member.
On Wednesday evening, Dawson was part of an online community discussion on the role of uniformed police in schools. Promotion for the event described her as a community member and democratically elected school board trustee.
Similarly, Sara Ehrhardt said she 'took an oath and was elected to keep listening to my community and advocating on their behalf.' Before receiving the director's email on Monday she had already set up an automatic reply on the TDSB email redirecting any constituents who reach out to her personal email.
'I will keep trying to do that to the very best of my ability, and I would hope that the Doug Ford government and this supervisor would encourage that continued community voice,' said Ehrhardt.
'I will seek to assist people in finding the information they need to navigate the school system when I'm paid or not, whether I have a TDSB email or not, whether the Doug Ford government wants me to be doing it or not. '
Weidong Pei said he hopes his fellow trustees will be able to meet the supervisor to share their thoughts on how the TDSB can move forward.
'It hurts me that I cannot advocate for parents and students more,' said Pei, adding he should represent the views of his constituents, especially if there are any reductions coming down the pike that will affect students.
Meanwhile, trustees at the Toronto Catholic District School Board haven't been given direction. There, trustees receive about $18,000 a year and will continue getting about 25 per cent of their pay, since they still have decision-making power over denominational issues.
'All we know is that the supervisor must convene the trustees on issues of denominational rights,' TCDSB Chair Markus de Domenico told the Star. 'That is a huge part of our culture and focus. I don't know what the parameters and protocols of that are but I can say that we will advocate very strongly to protect our Catholic identity.'
TCDSB Trustee Maria Rizzo said 'We're in the dark ... There has been no contact about what we can and cannot do. So when constituents ask for help, we're helping them.'
De Domenico met Calandra on Wednesday, and had a 'frank, constructive productive discussion.'
'I spoke to the unique position Toronto Catholic is in, how the investigator's report confirmed that Toronto Catholic has an excellent senior admin team and a well-governed and committed board of trustees,' said de Domenico. 'I assured the minister that we are ready to do our part and to co-operate with the supervisor and the ministry to make our board financially sound so we can continue to support students and families.'
The province appointed supervisors to oversee the boards' finances after investigations showed each had accumulated deficits, but boards argue funding from the province hasn't kept pace with actual costs. The TDSB — it had a projected deficit of $58 million for 2025-26 — has grappled with a structural deficit, meaning it spends more than it receives in funding. Reasons for this include government funding that hasn't kept pace with inflation; unfunded increases in statutory benefits (Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance); and the inability to close underused schools because of a provincial moratorium.
The TDSB's supervisor is Rohit Gupta, a public policy and finance professional with expertise in governance, strategic planning and engaging with stakeholders.
The TCDSB's supervisor is Frank Benedetto, a legal professional. That board initially reported a deficit of $65.9 million for 2025-26, but found savings and reduced it to $48.5 million. It wanted to use $30 million of its money from the sale of properties to further reduce the deficit, and proposed a multi-year financial recovery plan.