GREENSTONE — The municipal council of Greenstone supports school boards on the principle of maintaining local representation.
Councillors voted unanimously this week to “direct staff to send a letter of support to the minister of education emphasizing the importance of protecting local voice in public education.”
The motion, made by Coun. Claudette Trottier, was in response to a letter to Mayor Jamie McPherson and council from Superior-Greenstone District School Board.
Signed by school board chair Pinky McRae, the letter to Greenstone asked for the municipality’s “support in reaffirming the essential role of locally elected public school trustees as the primary community voice in public education.”
School boards, unions and other organizations and groups have said Premier Doug Ford’s government is diminishing local oversight and accountability in the public school system through the Supporting Children and Students Act, which became law last November.
Among other things, the law gives the education minister the power to place school boards under provincial supervision.
Eight school boards in southern Ontario — including the Toronto District School Board, the largest in the province — have been taken over since the legislation passed.
McRae said in her letter that Education Minister Paul Calandra has described school boards as outdated but “I strongly disagree. Local democratic representation is not outdated, especially in rural and northern communities like ours.”
“Removing trustees,” she said, “would silence the only direct, elected voice families currently have, shifting decisions entirely to Queen’s Park.”
McPherson removed himself from discussion as his wife is a trustee on the Superior North Catholic District School Board; Coun. Eric Pietsch chaired the discussion instead.
Greenstone chief administrative officer Mark Wright said he will see that the letter go out by week’s end “given the time sensitivity” of the issue.
