Attacks on School Boards Threaten Local Democracy

Provincial governments in Canada have been extending their control over democratically elected school boards, a trend that threatens local democracy and has its roots in a history that spans over two centuries. Elected school board trustees, who were once the primary decision-makers in education, have seen their powers eroded over time, leaving local communities with less say in the education of their children. This erosion of local autonomy is part of a broader process of centralizing authority in education, which has its roots in the post-Second World War period.

Key Takeaways:

Elected school boards in Canada have been increasingly threatened by provincial governments seeking to centralize control over education.
This trend has its roots in a history that spans over two centuries, starting with the establishment of elected school boards in Nova Scotia in 1811.
The powers and responsibilities of elected school board trustees have been eroded significantly over the years.
The current moves to restrict the powers of school board trustees are part of a longer history of broadening government control over local communities.
The Ontario government's aim to pass Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, would substantially expand the education minister's ability to investigate a board's conduct.
Educational researcher Sachin Maharaj views this move as part of the government's ongoing bid to assert its own vision of schooling.
The centralization of power in education has negative consequences for local democratic voices, public accountability, and transparency.

Statistics:

There were thousands of elected local school boards in Ontario in the mid-19th century.
Following several stages of amalgamation, there are now only 72 district school boards in Ontario.
A report by the Education Improvement Commission in 1997 concluded that each trustee would represent more constituents over a larger area, requiring significant time to overcome the loss of local autonomy
The Ontario government aims to pass Bill 33, which would expand the education minister's ability to investigate a board's conduct, give directions, and assume a board's powers if those directions aren't followed.

Sources:

The Conversation -- Canada -- By Marianne A. Larsen, Professor Emerita, Faculty of Education, Western University
Reckoning with the history of public schooling and settler colonialism
Black History: How racism in Ontario schools today is connected to a history of segregation
Truth before reconciliation: 8 ways to identify and confront Residential School denialism