Minister’s Report card to school boards: you failed!
TORONTO – Four School Boards – there may be more in the offing – came up short upon examination by two examiners hired by the Provincial government: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Deloitte LLP. According to a Press Release by Education Minister, the Honourable Paul Calandra, dated June 27, “each has failed its responsibilities to parents and students…”
The investigators submitted their Report to the Minister on June 11, 2025, following their examination of the records and practices of those boards dating from 2022-23. After the review and due consideration of the findings and recommendations, Minister Calandra sought remediation through subsection 257.31 (2) of the Education Act (Act).
In response, The Executive Council of Ontario (Lieutenant Governor and Cabinet-acting under Constitutional authority) issued an Order in Council (O.C #866/2025) mandating that as of June 27, 2025, “control and charge over the administration of the affairs of the Board be vested in the Ministry of Education”.
Accordingly, the Minister appointed a supervisor to “represent his vested control, overseeing and managing the administration of the board(s), including financial management, policy implementation and operational oversight… [with particular] focus on addressing the deteriorating financial positions… with a back-to-basics approach that is focused on improving student outcomes.”
To a layman, the message to each Board is clear: Boom, you are fired! As of June 27, administrators and trustees included. There are no meetings of Trustees, save and except for “denominational” issues. Under the Constitution, in Ontario, generally that means Catholic school boards in the discussion of religious mandates – a right to be exercised by the magisterium (the Cardinal).
Deloitte LLP & Affiliates, authors of the Toronto Catholic District School Board report (58 pages long) analyzed, chapter and verse, the shortcomings of Administrations projections and failure to meet them. The kindest thing to say about the root cause is “unrealistic” expectations inherent in the projections. Like the Minister, families no longer appear to have the “blind faith” confidence in the Board’s ability to deliver for their children.
It has become fashionable, if not de riguere, to blame everything on Covid-19. Perhaps it had an impact on the enrolment.
Deloitte acknowledges that the revenue stream dependent on birth declining rates is not helpful. Neither is the fact that other revenue-generating students (International, VISA students) have dropped in the last several years from c. 1,000 to c. 500 (resulting in a dollar shortfall of over $10 million annually). It also notes that the anticipated surge in enrolment of Ukrainian refugees’ children did not materialize (1,000, maybe) but these could be going back if peace is restored, or if other European nations increase their intake. Also, the net transfer of students from the public board (TSDB), each accompanied by the same c. $15,000 TCDSB students generate, or for that matter, those from adjacent school boards whose parents use the Toronto addresses of Catholic grandparents as home base, has been dropping precipitously.
Deloitte also weighs the Board’s reference to the high cost of housing. It may an inhibiting factor on birth rates and downstream enrolment and the disposition of young families to relocate elsewhere. Maybe. More significantly, the TCDSB currently relies on a substantial revenue from Educational Development Charges – an extra tax contributing to that high cost. If that were to disappear… so would the revenues.
Having alluded to all the above, Deloitte was resolute in its recommendation.
The director and his team at the TCDSB are still hanging on. Why?
Here below is the cover of Deloitte’s report on TCDSB
