This summer, the Ontario Ministry of Education took swift actions to take control of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) over its $136-million projected deficit.
The province framed the move as a necessary step to “restore stability” and “protect students.”
But many parents see the intervention less as a rescue effort and more as an erosion of their voices. And they’re speaking up.
Karen Dancy, co-chair of the parent council at Brampton’s Cardinal Ambrozic Catholic Secondary School, calls the supervision order “a total power grab.”
In a letter to Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Education Paul Calandra, and Brampton East MPP Hardeep Grewal, Dancy said placing the board under ministry supervision has “stripped away local governance.”
In Mississauga, Jennifer Cazabon, chair of the St. Marcellinus Catholic Secondary School parent council, feels the move is “the long game the Conservatives are playing” to privatize the educational system.
Why was DPCDSB placed under supervision?
Provincial supervision is reserved for school boards that fail to manage their finances or governance responsibilities. The province’s breaking point was DPCDSB’s growing deficit.
An investigation led by ministry-appointed firm Deloitte LLP and auditor Paul Cleaver revealed “financial challenges have been primarily driven by costs of its long-term disability (LTD) plan, which rapidly grew in 2019-20 and 2020-21 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained high.”
This financial strain was reportedly worsened by a 12 per cent decline in enrolment from 2017-18 to 2024-25. By the end of the 2023-24 school year, the board’s accumulated deficit stood at $97.8 million.
Without corrective action, it was projected to climb to $136.3 million by the end of 2024-25.
The planned sale of two surplus properties could reduce that to about $106 million, but only if the sales close on time. Looking ahead, the board is forecasting a similar annual shortfall for 2025-26, meaning the underlying financial strain will persist.
Calandra said the board had “failed in its responsibilities to parents and students by losing sight of its core mission — ensuring student success,” resulting in the appointment of a supervisor in late June.
What does supervision mean in practice?
When a school board in Ontario is placed under supervision, the ministry invokes its authority under Ontario’s Education Act, transferring oversight to a provincially appointed supervisor.
Rick Byers, a chartered accountant, is now charged with the governance, financial management and decision-making functions of DPCDSB.
Local trustees did not respond to requests for comment. Questions directed to the school board about being placed under supervision were directed to the ministry.
“In Catholic boards, trustees continue to manage and control denominational aspects of the board, or any non-denominational aspects that could affect denominational aspects,” said Ministry of Education spokesperson Justine Teplycky.
In a July 21 community information bulletin, DPCDSB director of education Marianne Mazzorato explained trustees would not respond to concerns, queries or requests during the supervision period, directing parents and guardians instead to reach out to the superintendent responsible for their school or Mazzorato herself.
What is the community’s reaction?
Dancy finds the new communication protocol flawed.
“We’ve been directed to send any issues to the superintendent … They are already busy enough and so now this will just add to their workload,” she said.
Cazabon feels channeling communication, including time-sensitive questions or discussions, through a single official is an inappropriate and unnecessary bottleneck.
“They are creating the bureaucracy they claim to be wanting to get rid of and it’s students that will suffer,” she said.
Parents also don’t see the point in pushing schools to sell off properties that can serve as space for extracurricular and community-building activities.
“Right now, there’s a moratorium on closing schools. But with this power, Ford can do anything … especially if they are sitting on prime real estate,” said Dancy.
For Sachin Maharaj, assistant professor of educational leadership, policy and program evaluation at the University of Ottawa, concerns over the sale of surplus real estate are “completely valid.”
“Schools, particularly the way neighbourhoods are developed, serve as a gathering point for communities to come together. And once that is eliminated, you can’t just recreate that from scratch. They’re better gone for good,” said Maharaj.
According to Ricardo Tranjan, senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, “Ontario has underfunded schools by $6.3 billion since 2018.”
Cazabon, who has twin boys attending Catholic school while her two older kids graduated in 2021 and 2024, has witnessed the impacts first-hand.
“Sports or clubs increased significantly in cost and the activities decreased,” she said.
Official opposition critic for education Chandra Pasma, MPP for Ottawa West—Nepean, has time and again taken to microblogging sites to express her views.
“Our education system is in crisis thanks to Doug Ford’s cuts, then the government turns around and blames teachers and education workers for burning out and getting injured on the job. It’s time to show some respect and start funding the system properly,” reads one of her posts published at the start of the year.
Proposed provincial reforms and potential impacts
Bill 33, the province’s proposed Supporting Children and Student Act, calls for changes to the education system as well as legislation related to children, youth and family services, among others. If passed, the bill would strengthen government oversight, accountability and transparency — giving “the ministry more tools to take over boards faster, if needed,” said Calandra at a recent press conference.
However, Maharaj believes boards shouldn’t be held accountable for financial deficits caused by factors beyond their control.
At the DPCDSB, recommendations made by the province did not improve its financial situation, with deficits resulting from rising inflation and the costs of statutory benefits such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Long-term Disability (LTD) Plan.
The board’s financial situation, according to Dancy, doesn’t compare to that of other school boards placed under ministry supervision like the Thames Valley District School Board (a $40K Toronto staff retreat) and the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic Board ($100K Italy art trip by four trustees).
Lessons from Peel District School Board: Are there parallels?
From June 2020 to January 2023, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) experienced its own provincial oversight, but under dramatically different circumstances. There, intervention was triggered by findings of systemic anti-Black racism and governance failures.
Supervisor Bruce Rodrigues initiated sweeping reforms and helped the board transition back to trustee control after more than two-and-a-half years.
In this case, the conclusion of supervision was met with mixed feelings.
A statement issued by Advocacy Peel, a community-led group for African Youth, read, “Once again, the historical practice of ‘decisions made about us and for us but not with us’ repeats itself and does not instil confidence and hope in the community. The only way to regain the trust of the community is to stay the course until anti-Black racism is eradicated from the Peel District School Board.”
