Ontario’s education minister has introduced a bill that would expand his authority over school boards, saying some have misused public funds and others have shifted focus away from student achievement, turning schools into “a political battle zone.”
Bill 33, called the “Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025,” would allow the minister to step in faster when there are concerns over a school board’s practices, including by directing an investigation or putting a school board under supervision, Education Minister Paul Calandra said at a May 29 press conference.
The minister said the province has seen school boards “wasting” resources on issues he believes take the focus away from academic achievement, including what he described as “endless discussions” about changing school names. He cited a case where a school board spent more than $100,000 to rename three schools while facing potential teacher layoffs….