Fewer school board trustee candidates running in October election after Ford government changes
The choices being made come election day usually centre around who will be the next mayor and councillor. But there are some other names on the ballot to be considered – those of candidates running for school board trustee. “They are democratically elected. They are not employed by the board, and therefore they can truly […]
The Ford government's recent changes to school board governance have led to a reduction in the number of candidates running for trustee in the upcoming October election. Farheen Mahmood, a member of the TDSB parent involvement advisory committee, emphasized the importance of the role, noting that school board trustees are democratically elected and should truly represent the community's needs.
In this year's election, 673 candidates put their names forward for trustee positions at English public school boards, a decrease from 862 four years ago. Of these, 519 are new candidates, 154 current trustees are seeking re-election, and 84 positions have been acclaimed. The changes have also resulted in larger wards at the Toronto District School Board and a reduction in the number of trustees to 12, with a decrease in honorarium to $10,000 per year.
Educators and parents alike have expressed concern over the diminished role of trustees, with Mahmood stating that the government's actions are "anti-democratic and certainly not Toronto-friendly."
Written by urgent.news from CityNews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
