The NDP education critic says a bitter row over whether trustees should be allowed to expense milkshakes and projectors or whether the education minister spends too much on hotels in Toronto is a “distraction” from deep financial issues at Ontario’s school boards.
In recent weeks, the Ford government has highlighted spending by school board trustees as evidence of mismanagement, as the education minister plots a massive overhaul of how school boards are run.
Critics have argued the crusade is taking centre stage instead of growing funding issues in the classroom, which they say come from the government failing to keep pace with inflation.
Internal documents obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws show school boards have reported increasing financial problems in recent years.
The number of boards reporting deficits, in particular, has shot up in the past five years, with a total deficit across the province’s 72 boards of almost $200 million last year.
NDP education critic Chandra Pasma said the documents show the focus on trustee expenses fails to address problems in the sector.
“I think it demonstrates that the minister’s attacks on school boards have been nothing but a distraction,” she said. “When the number of boards with a deficit is going up, that’s not a management issue on the part of boards, that’s a funding issue on the part of the province.”
A briefing prepared for Education Minister Paul Calandra earlier this year said boards used to report “an overall surplus in their financial statements.”
It warned, however, that since the 2021-22 year, “the sector has reported net in-year deficits consecutively for three years” and is projecting that more financial struggles are coming.
The data shows that in the 2020-21 year, 61 of Ontario’s 72 public school boards reported a surplus, with only 11 in deficit. That number plummeted into the 40s the next year, where it has remained ever since.
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At the same time, the overall pot of money that school boards are overcommitted by also shot up.
Across all 72 boards, a net surplus of $211.1 million was reported in 2020-21. It dropped to a net deficit of $187 million the next year and, in the 2024-25 year, the net deficit across all boards was $196.4 million.
The ministry said it was projecting the overall deficit would improve to $142.7 million in 2025-26, with 29 of the province’s 72 boards in deficit.
Pasma said the government had failed to meet the growing costs of education.
“We actually have to catch up with inflation and enrolments,” she said, urging the government to roll out more funding increases.
“The minister can order an investigation into every board in the province if he wants, but it’s going to keep finding the same thing,” she added. “This is a mismatch between the funding and the cost. Not an issue of mismanagement.”
In recent weeks, Calandra has focused his attention on the spending of trustees. He says it is evidence of mismanagement at school boards.
His office released expenses from the Toronto Catholic District School Board chair and a trustee to prove their point. The expenses included an Apple Watch strap, an Apple TV subscription and a number of phone accessories like cases and chargers.
The province has now ordered the chair of the Toronto Catholic board to return almost $7,000 in equipment and supplies.
A group advocating on behalf of trustees hit back, pointing to Calandra’s own expenses and arguing he was a “hypocrite” when it came to public spending. They called out funds he claimed to stay at hotels in Toronto as one example.
Kathleen Woodcock, the president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association, also voiced concerns about the growing costs boards have to handle.
“Ontario’s school boards are facing growing deficits after years of funding below inflation. Even with recent increases, there’s still a $404 per-student funding gap compared to 2018,” she said in a statement.
“Boards need funding that matches real costs so we can keep providing safe, inclusive, high-quality education for every student.”
She said the cost of supports for students with special educational needs, school closure moratorium and rises in pension and unemployment insurance costs were all squeezing boards.
Calandra’s office said it was spending $30.3 billion on education this year, a record and increase on last year’s commitment, saying it was important to focus on where “every dollar” is spent to ensure it benefits students.
“We are restoring accountability in Ontario’s education system and putting all trustees on notice: focus on your mandate, or step aside,” a spokesperson said.
“Parents deserve confidence that boards are making decisions in the best interests of their children’s education.”
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