An open letter from Morgan Ste. Marie, chair of the Durham Catholic District School Board, detailing the losses that would follow elimination of local school board trustee positions.

After a few months of speculation about school board governance, a decision on the future of school boards is expected soon. Yet one critical question remains: What would happen if we diminished the role of elected school board trustees?

Loss of local involvement

Elected school trustees serve as vital links between the community and the education system. We communicate, respond and are accountable to parents, students, and local communities, ensuring that the values and needs of those we represent are reflected in school policies and programs. In 1968, in a report commissioned by the Minister of Education, Bill Davis, it was said “Education in the future will require a greater public involvement, a greater partnership between the home and school, between the community and the school.” 

If decision-making were centralized and elected representatives replaced with focus groups, or parent hotlines, this detachment would diminish public involvement in education and undermine trust.

Strategic vision and governance

For Catholic Trustees, we are not only responsible for guiding the mission of Catholic education but also for strategic planning and policy development. This oversight guarantees the maintenance of Catholic denominational rights that predate Confederation. 

If Catholic trustees, or all trustees, served in a diminished capacity, central planning could minimize unique benefits by stifling innovation and competition at school boards. School board trustees know that continuous improvement is vital, families demand it. Could central entities bring insight and awareness of local needs, along with the experience many trustees bring from their varied community or corporate or professional careers outside of education?

Leadership

Elected trustees hire the director of education for their district, and she or he then manages the senior staff of the school board. If we no longer had this responsibility, the director of a school board would be a political appointee, chosen by the government of the day. Would this person necessarily be connected to the community? Would this diminish the sense of ownership and responsibility that parents and local members feel towards their schools?

Financial stewardship and transparency

Elected Trustees are committed to maintaining fiscal responsibility and transparency in their governance and decision making. Though Trustees are not perfect, decisions are always made at a public meeting. If responsibility for fiscal management were to rest only at the provincial level, when things go wrong, who is held accountable? When things go wrong with elected school boards or any elected government, and we know this happens, voters decide at the ballot box whether those elected officials should continue in their role.

Advocacy and representation

Trustees advocate for the needs and rights of ratepayers and families within the educational system. We engage in collective bargaining, and drive initiatives that support student well-being. Reducing this dedicated layer of advocacy would leave many voices unheard. Who will speak for the quiet ones? Who will speak for students with special education needs? Will you ever see your politically appointed overseer at your child's school, at a community event, or at your church? Who will parents and families talk to when decisions are made unilaterally without their input?

Promotion of a unique educational environment

Publicly funded Catholic schools are not merely alternative educational institutions. They represent a unique approach to learning that embodies Christ-centered values and integrates faith into the curriculum. Trustees are instrumental in fostering an environment where academic excellence goes hand-in-hand with moral and spiritual development.

Families deserve the ability to choose their unique blend of academic rigour, moral guidance, and community involvement that defines schools across Ontario. This could be jeopardized without the accountability and advocacy that trustees provide.