The expenses of trustees at several Ontario school boards are under the education minister’s microscope, with claims for a $145 Apple watch band and a $15 milkshake providing particular fodder for a board shakeup that’s likely far from over.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board is one of five boards under government supervision due to what Education Minister Paul Calandra called “mismanagement.”
He signalled on the last day of school in June that there would be more to come, saying a broader rethink of school board governance was required, and in recent weeks he has appeared to have sharpened his focus on the role of trustees.
Calandra has said he can’t see ever handing the boards currently under supervision back to trustees and he is also looking closely at eliminating the position of trustee entirely. There is no truth to a rumour he is considering getting rid of school boards altogether, he said.
“I have been clear that the governance changes being considered are regarding the role of elected school board trustees,” he wrote Monday in a statement.
The supervisors appointed by Calandra are poring over the expenses of trustees and the minister has zeroed in on claims by Toronto Catholic District School Board Chair Markus de Domenico.
The Canadian Press has seen some of the receipts, including for the watch band and milkshake, as well as a 3 a.m. McDonald’s order, and others.
