The opposition is critical of the proposed changes to Ontario’s school boards.
Education Minister Paul Calandra announced measures on Monday that include splitting the roles of Directors of Education with new Chief Executive Officers and Chief Education Officers.
Trustees remain in place, but their roles and responsibilities are greatly reduced.
Calandra faced several questions on Tuesday at Queen’s Park.
Leader Marit Stiles calls it a power grab that will do little to help students, parents or teachers.
“It is only about taking power away from schools, from educators, from parents, from communities and guess what, consolidating them into the hands of the Minister of Education,” says Stiles.
She notes that proposed legislation mentions liability 43 times, but students only five times.
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser used strong language in his reaction to the proposal, calling the Minister “arrogant,” and comparing his behaviour to that of a “benevolent dictator.”
Fraser says nothing proposed will fix what is wrong in schools.
“Bill 101 is not going to make one child’s class smaller,” says Fraser.
“It’s not going to get a child who has exceptional needs the help that they need. And it’s not going to address the mental health crisis in our schools.”
Calandra responded by saying the changes will improve leadership at the board level, which, he says, teachers and parents want.
He adds that it also removes the distractions he has seen and brings the focus of attention back to student achievement.
“It professionalizes bargaining in the province of Ontario,” says Calandra.
“It gives our classroom teachers in the high school level a better opportunity to manage their classrooms. It is insisting that students participate in order to get marks. It insists that they go to school and that attendance be a part of that, that there are exams that have to be taken into consideration as well.”
Calandra says he has received comments back from high school teachers who applaud the move.
The government is fast-tracking the legislation, with its second reading passing late Tuesday afternoon.
