Black trustees concerned Ontario school board supervision weakening anti-racism fight

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media during a press conference at Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Provincial school board takeovers in Ontario are weakening the governance needed to track and end anti-Black racism in schools, Black trustees are warning.

The Black Trustees’ Caucus, part of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, sent Premier Doug Ford an open letter Tuesday raising concerns that moves in some of the supervised boards are hurting equity efforts.

“Ontario cannot address systemic anti-Black racism while weakening the governance and equity structures designed to confront it,” Debbie King, the chair of the Black Trustees’ Caucus, wrote in the letter.

“Sustaining strong oversight during provincial supervision is essential to meeting legal obligations, maintaining public confidence, and improving outcomes for Black students — and for all students.”

Education Minister Paul Calandra has placed seven school boards under provincial supervision, largely citing concerns of financial mismanagement, and has indicated he is looking at broader changes to school board governance, including possibly eliminating trustees in public boards.

King wrote that supervisors in some of the boards have taken actions such as reducing staff in equity and human rights offices and indefinitely pausing meetings of a Black student achievement committee.

“Individually, these actions may appear administrative,” she wrote. “Taken together, they reduce the system’s capacity to identify, monitor, and correct race-based disparities.”

At the supervised public boards, at least 10 Black trustees have been removed or sidelined and they have historically played an important role in monitoring race-based disparities and reviewing systemic discrimination, King added.

The Black Trustees’ Caucus is urging Ford and Calandra to provide dedicated funding to support Black student achievement and anti-racism initiatives, ensure equity offices remain intact during supervision and require transparent reporting on race-based student outcomes.

As well, they are calling for a public response and plans to implement recommendations from an Ontario Human Rights Commission report published one year ago on anti-Black racism in public education.

Just last week, the Toronto Catholic District School Board said it had placed two high school teachers on leave following allegations they exchanged racist messages using a school social media page.

A statement from Calandra did not address the trustees’ specific requests.

“Disparities in our school system highlight the need for governance reform of an outdated system that, for too long, has left too many students behind,” he wrote.

“I am focused on student achievement by rebuilding a system grounded in respect, responsibility, and support.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press