Education Minister Paul Calandra says ‘Bill 33 is all about putting school boards back on track.’Cole Burston/The Canadian Press
Ontario has passed sweeping new legislation that critics say gives the government too much power over education.
Bill 33 has been a lightning rod among parents, teachers’ unions and other groups since it was introduced at Queen’s Park in May.
The Supporting Children and Students Act enables the government to more easily remove elected trustees and temporarily take over school boards, introduce police into schools and make new regulations.
“Today is a very good day for students, it’s a very good day for parents and an exceptionally good day for teachers,” Education Minister Paul Calandra said Wednesday after the bill passed.
“Bill 33 is all about putting school boards back on track that fall off the rails,” he said.
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Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles and other critics of the bill questioned the move, saying it won’t address important educational issues.
However, Mr. Calandra pointed to a ministry review of Near North District School Board in Parry Sound, which found significant dysfunction and delays in the construction of a new school.
Under the new legislation School Resource Officer programs, which place police officers in schools, will now be mandatory where it is offered.
“Building that relationship only strengthens our ability to keep our schools safe, but more importantly, strengthens students’ ability to succeed,” he said.
Ms. Stiles accused the government of being more interested in politics than solving problems such as large class sizes and teacher burnout.
“This Premier and this minister are trying to get their hands into school boards and school decisions. And they’re trying to pretend like they’re the ones who are going to fix it, when they’re the ones who created this mess in the first place.”
David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, that represents about 83,000 people in the sector, called the bill a “travesty.”
“We are deeply concerned about this concentration of power in the Minister of Education’s office, regardless of who is in power at Queen’s Park,” he said.
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Elected trustees across the province know the needs of their respective communities and are able to respond to them much better than Queen’s Park, he said.
The Education Minister currently has placed five school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, under supervision.
Sara Blumenstein, a TDSB parent, opposed Bill 33 in part because of the frustrations of having children in a board under supervision.
“I’ve been experiencing what it is like to be in a board under supervision, and it is not good,” she said. “The board meetings are cancelled, so there’s no visibility, there’s no transparency.”
The government needs to address what she said is underfunding of schools.
“We don’t have enough caretakers, we don’t have enough lunchtime supervisors, we don’t have enough school supplies and resources,” Ms. Blumenstein said.
Toronto parent Lindsay Kneteman said that by making it easier for the government to relieve elected trustees of their duties, the legislation will make it more difficult for parents to get problems addressed.
“Someone who knows the area, who’s from the area, who knows the school, who has connections and relationships with school administrators and all of that can just help problems be solved a little quicker, a little more logically, a little smoother,” she said.
Ms. Kneteman also worries about having police officers in schools and how that will affect Black, Indigenous and other racialized students.
“It’s just not going to create a good space for some kids to learn, and it may discourage some of them from coming to school,” she said.
Carter Peios, president of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, a non-partisan group of democratically elected student representatives in grades 11 and 12, said mandating officers to be in schools will have a detrimental affect on the mental health and well-being of marginalized students.
“That is the exact opposite of student success and student safety when students are feeling uncomfortable in schools,” he said.
Despite these criticisms, Mr. Calandra said the new legislation is necessary to address problems in schools.
“All those people who want the system to stay status quo, I will fight against them, because we can do better,” he said. “Our students can do better. Our parents deserve not to be at war with their teachers, and our teachers deserve the support they need. Bill 33 is the start, but it’s not the end.”