Belleville asks Ford government to consult before replacing elected school board trustees with supervisors in a 8-1 vote

Councillor Chatten introduced the motion

[Bill 33] significantly expands the Province’s authority over school boards and it allows the minister to replace elected trustees with supervisors who may be hired or appointed by the Ministry without any specific requirement to be in the ward in which they are representing.

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It is an important mechanism of ensuring public voice and community priorities remain in focus as opposed to people outside of the region in a removed building without eyes and ears on these communities creating cookie cutter policy that has little to no impact on real challenges that face those who entrust the province with delivering relevant and accessible education to their children.

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I urge the support of my colleagues around the table to support continuing to keep public voice as the foundation for trustee election and governance to help protect government democratic systems that could quickly erode and be threatened all the way across the municipal landscape.

First is trustees. What if next it’s the city? This deconstruction of elected systems is a slippery slope. And with a precedent on the floor as a huge step in removing public voice, it would be just a baby step to eradicate public voice at the city level. Please join me in protecting democracy, protecting public voice through election, and protecting a system that supports individual communities individually.

Councillor Lisa Anne Chatten

Councillor Chatten requested a recorded vote.

Councillor Kelly recommended reaching out to Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic School Board

Currently in the landscape, eight school boards in the province of Ontario have been taken over by the provincial government. Um there’s 72 school boards in Ontario. That gives you an idea. Eight most in the GTA and the government has taken over those school boards for poor management if you can believe that. So as a former trustee and you’re a former trustee with the Hastings Prince Republic School Board. I was with the Algonquin Lakes Shore Catholic School Board and I know how closely you work with families and the school community. I would just suggest for the recommendation that we also reach out to the Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic School Board and get them to champion this letter off to the province if you’re okay with that.

Councillor Kelly

Councillor Chatten requested a recorded vote.

Councillor Brown was the lone dissenting vote, pointing to how the motion was worded

I certainly understand the issue that we’re faced with and I would not support the legislation that the province is putting forward, but I do have difficulty with the motion the way it’s been presented here to us. It is suggesting that we articulate what needs to be done by the province in terms of what they must do and how they should do it and under the direction of people who are involved with the school board.

Our position, my position, my understanding is that we should either support or oppose the legislation as it is written and offer reasons for doing so, but we cannot be as a municipality prescriptive in how it should be conducted by the province. It’s an operational matter that would be looked after by the bureaucrats.

So, unfortunately, I can’t support the motion the way it’s written, but I definitely would support being in opposition to the legislation that is currently being put forward.

Councillor Kathryn Brown

Councillor Carr asked if the school board themselves had raised the issue

I’ll be honest. I don’t spend a lot of time watching what happens at the school boards. It’s a different level and they’re elected officials.

I guess the question that I have and if Councillor Chatten, I don’t want to get into the question period but if Councillor Chatten can point me in the direction.

I haven’t seen the school boards locally raise any concerns officially through motions or anything that certainly hit the media unless I’m missing it. And if they have then that’s great then I think we should support that.

I’ll be very frank, and what I have read is that they the trustees have voted policy that says only the Chair speaks to the media, that trustees aren’t into the schools, aren’t speaking with parents, and this is policies that they’ve created. At least that’s what I’ve read in the news, and if that’s the case talk about trying to shut yourself down.

I do know that trustee Parsons seems to be the one who speaks quite boldly and certainly he has the experience and the pedigree to do so, but quite frankly I’m not hearing much advocacy or even opposition at least coming out in the public in terms of where the school board’s sit.

So, can someone point to me where there’s a resolution? And I would be more pleased to support that and come in behind the school boards than the way it reads here. I thought we were going to take the forefront on advocating for something for the school boards when they’re elected and they have a voice should they choose to use it.

Councillor Paul Carr