"O ne month into the school year, here's a statement about education that may seem instinctively obvious to some but radically controversial to others: "A strong public education system is the foundation of a prosperous, caring and civil society." It might surprise you to learn those lofty words open Ontario's Education Act. The act defines education as a means to help students "realize their potential" and grow into "knowledgeable, caring citizens.""
"It stresses that all partners-the minister, ministry, and boards-share responsibility for "maintaining confidence" in the classrooms and communities that make up Ontario's schools. That principle of shared stewardship is precisely what Ontario's education minister, Paul Calandra, now appears ready to dismantle-beginning with one of the country's oldest democratic traditions. School trustees, first elected in the early 1800s, are part of a system he now dismisses as "outdated and old," adding that "if that means eliminating [them], then I'm going to do it.""
Ontario's Education Act proclaims that a strong public education system underpins a prosperous, caring and civil society and charges partners with maintaining confidence in schools. The act frames education to help students realize their potential and become knowledgeable, caring citizens. The education minister, Paul Calandra, has signaled willingness to remove elected school trustees, calling them outdated. Trustees promote student achievement and well-being, foster inclusive school climates, manage resources, set policy, oversee multi-year plans, and hold directors of education accountable. A school trustee acknowledges a $16,160 annual stipend but argues that eliminating elected trustees would be detrimental to community accountability.
Read at The Walrus
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