By: Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
If the province proceeds as planned, the era of elected school board trustees could end under Bill 33.
Passed by the Ontario Legislature Nov.19 and given Royal Assent the following day, the bill allows the government to expand the Ministry of Education’s powers.
Minister of Education Paul Calandra has stated the bill allows government to get school boards that “fall off the rails” back on track.
But critics – including a local board chair and the unions representing teachers and education workers – say Bill 33 undermines the democratic process by removing locally elected representatives.
Lambton Kent District School Board chair Kelley Robertson said taking away the public’s right to vote for their school board trustees will negatively impact the education system, particularly in rural Ontario.
“Trustees are the bridge between parents, students and their school boards,” Robertson said in a statement to The Voice. “If trustees were removed, I believe that parents across Ontario, especially in more rural communities … those families in Lambton Kent would lose their direct democratic voice in education.”
According to Robertson, trustees are frequently contacted by local members of the community.
“When buses run late, programs are being revised, or a child needs help, families deserve someone who understands their community,” she said.
The LKDSB, formed in 1998 when the Kent and Lambton County boards merged, serves 22,000 students in 62 schools. The board has 30 schools located in Chatham-Kent. In the most recent budget year, 11 board trustees and three student trustees cost the board $174,753.
The St. Clair Catholic District School, formed in 1998 when the Kent and Lambton Roman Catholic boards amalgamated, currently serves 24 schools, with 10 of those located in Chatham-Kent. The election of school board trustees in the Catholic system dates back to the mid-1800s.
In response to an inquiry about Bill 33 from The Voice, SCCDSB director of education Lisa Demers said St. Clair Catholic District School Board trustees “will reserve comment at this time.
“We await the details of any proposed changes from the Ministry of Education,” she said in an email message.
The cost of the board’s seven elected trustees and two student trustees came in “under budget” in the last fiscal period. Trustee honoraria in 2024-2025 was $73,170 for all seven trustees, plus $21,078 in expenses. The honoraria funding is provided by the province.
St. Clair Catholic serves approximately 9,500 students.
Earlier this year, prior to Bill 33’s approval, the province took over the Toronto District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School and the Thames Valley District School Board (London). The government has appointed supervisors to oversee each board and by January, these boards have been directed to create “support offices” to allow input from parents and the community.
Late last month the ministry took over the Near North School Board in the Parry Sound area.
According to previously published reports, Calandra said the new offices will give families “clear answers and timely solutions when it comes to their child’s education.” The remaining boards are expected to submit reports by March 31, outlining how they will establish similar offices by Sept. 1, 2026.
Estimates filed to the Ministry of Education by Ontario’s 72 boards this past summer for the 2025-26 school year show 25 boards approved deficit budgets while another 19 just managed to balance their books. Surpluses among the remaining 28 boards were small compared to years past, and almost all surpluses this school year are projected to be less than $500,000.
Out of all the boards SCCDSB is running with a surplus and is in the best financial shape in all of Ontario. The LKDSB is one of the boards that’s not running a deficit, operating at the breakeven point.
