The Ontario government said Monday that it is taking control of the Near North District School Board. The move had been speculated for some time, with Education Minister Paul Calandra saying last week that it would take a Holiday “miracle” for the province not to take over. The move is made possible following the recent passage of Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, which gave the province the power to take over school boards under certain conditions. “The mess that this board is in, I just thought I owed it to the people of that community to take a leadership role at the outset,” Calandra told CTV News on Monday. “I will not stand by while a board’s incompetence directly impacts student achievement,” Calandra said in a Monday news release. “This decisive action should serve as a warning to any board that is failing in its responsibility to put students first. We are putting school boards on notice that I now have the authority to quickly assume control where there is clear mismanagement and ensure accountability on behalf of parents and teachers.” But Rob Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Near North, questioned the province’s motives. “This is a direct assault on local democracy,” Hammond said. “Why should the minister of education have the right to fire duly elected local officials who are representing their constituents?” He said this is the first step toward centralizing control of schol boards. “When Minister Calandra did the Osborne report, it was published with the idea that Bill 33 would have already passed,” Hammond said. “The problem is that he wants to take over the school boards across the province and he was just using the Osborne report as a means to take over the board ... It’s a dark day for education.” Jay Aspin, the chair of the now-dismissed board, expressed mixed feelings. “Well, I was both disappointed and not surprised,” Aspin said. “Disappointed in the fact that we had the current trustees and administration working hard to satisfy the binding directions of the ministry and we had a plan that we were going to work through.” On the status of Craig Myles, the board’s director of education, who was harshly criticized in the provincial review, Aspin said: “What I can tell you is that he is on leave and that’s what I can tell you.” Calandra fired back that the unions have been calling on him to act. “I find that rich given that the same unions have been asking me to take over this board,” he said. “The same unions have talked about the dysfunction at that board. I would think that the union leadership would be more concerned that they have teachers teaching in a partially demolished high school.” The school board came under fire in August when it announced a new school in Parry Sound wouldn’t be ready by the time school began in September. Some students had to take classes remotely until a plan was in place to accommodate them. That sparked anger among parents and students, leading the province to investigate what happened. That review by Rachel Osborne concluded there was widespread dysfunction at the board, with a lack of leadership from administration and “a dysfunctional board of trustees incapable or unwilling to carry out its responsibilities.” The review ordered the board to comply with 15 binding directions to prevent the province from stepping in. “The board failed to comply with 10 directions within the timelines set by the minister, which is why it was placed under supervision,” the province said Monday. “The supervisor for NNDSB will be named in the near future, with the minister providing supervision in the interim.” Calandra said it’s a priority to get the construction of the new school completed. “We’ve sent in some construction officials from the Halton Board of Education -- they obviously have more experience building schools,” he said. “I sent them in just to see, impartially, what’s going on there. ‘What can you find out for us?’ I’m expecting a report back very soon. I will also be appointing a professional construction manager to assume responsibility for that, as well.” Amy Black, of Parents for Parry Sound, said the province had to step in, but she wants to see what happens next. “We are curious as to who he will appoint as a supervisor,” Black said. ‘Fresh set of eyes’ “We are hopeful that whoever he brings in is somebody with a fresh set of eyes that doesn’t have any affiliation with the board whatsoever.” She hopes that the move will lead to the dismissal of Craig Myles, the board’s director of education who was harshly criticized in the provincial review. “We are hopeful for the termination of the director of education,” Black said. “Based on the report alone, that is grounds for dismissal. The influence he has had over the board is not appropriate in accordance (with) the governance policy.” Speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park on Monday, NDP Leader Marit Stiles said that the decision to take over the Near North District School Board “might have been called for.” But she expressed concerns with the government’s attitude toward local school boards. In addition to the Near North board, the release said six school boards in Ontario are currently under supervision “to address concerns related to growing deficits, depleting reserves and mismanagement.” Calandra said he’s committed to fixing the mess, including appointing an interim director of education in the New Year. “We’re going to get it back on track -- and you have my word,” he said. “We won’t let this go until everything is fixed and you have a board that is focused on student achievement.” “Hopefully, the minister, the ministry and ourselves, if necessary, can work our way out of this jam,” said the ousted chair, Aspin.
