School board trustees in Ontario are trying to fend off a move that could hold them accountable for students achieving the provincial standard in reading, writing and math, triggering a broad debate about who in society is responsible for what happens in the classroom.
The McGuinty government is proposing to enshrine into law a role now collectively shared by parents, teachers, school board trustees and society at large. Proposed legislation would make improving student achievement the number one priority for trustees of the province's 72 school boards.
Ontario is not the first province to head down this path - British Columbia and Quebec have similar legislation, stipulating that trustees are responsible for student achievement. But the proposal in Ontario is raising concerns among educators, because the draft legislation does not spell out what the government means by "student achievement" and what will happen to trustees if they fail.
"Trustees are not educators, nor do they provide direct service in the classroom," Mario Pascucci, head of one of Ontario's largest school boards, said yesterday during the first day of government committee hearings on the proposed legislation, known as Bill 177.
School board officials said they are worried that student achievement will be based on how children in Grades 3, 6 and 9 perform on provincewide tests in reading, writing and math. The specifics will be spelled out when the government prepares detailed regulations, a process typically done without input from the public.
Ken Coran, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, called for broad consultation on the drafting of the regulations as well. It is unclear whether trustees are supposed to become the buffer between government and local communities without any decision-making authority of their own, or whether they will have the power to ensure that students receive the best possible education, Mr. Coran told MPPs from all three parties.
"These are large questions to leave unanswered," he said.
Mr. Pascucci, who is chairman of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, said he is "gravely concerned" that trustees, who are accountable to the local community that elected them, could end up with greater responsibility for student achievement but less authority to actually discharge their duties.
"It's unfair to hold trustees to a higher standard than other elected officials," he said.
An Education Ministry official said Ontario has no plans to follow six other provinces, including B.C., Alberta and Manitoba, where the Education Minister has the authority to dismiss one or more trustees from a school board.
However, Ontario's Education Minister can strip trustees of their power over the purse strings, a power Kathleen Wynne has used twice since assuming that role three years ago. Ms. Wynne appointed Norbert Hartmann in October, 2006, for a 10-month period to assume control of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board's budget after it failed to balance its budget. Last year, she appointed Mr. Hartmann as supervisor of the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Another part of Bill 177 that is raising concerns is a clause saying trustees must support the implementation of any resolution of board decisions. This measure would stifle a diversity of views and opinions among trustees, Josh Matlow, a trustee at the Toronto District School Board, said in an interview yesterday.
"They're basically saying we all need to speak with one voice," he said. "If they intend to pass this, then it seems redundant to have elected trustees."
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