Black trustees concerned Ontario school board supervision weakening anti-racism fight

TORONTO — Black trustees are warning that provincial school board takeovers are weakening the governance needed to combat anti-Black racism.

The Black Trustees’ Caucus, part of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, sent Premier Doug Ford an open letter today raising concerns that moves in some of the supervised boards are hurting efforts to end anti-Black racism.

Education Minister Paul Calandra has placed seven school boards under provincial supervision, largely citing concerns of financial mismanagement, and has indicated he is looking at broader changes to school board governance, including possibly eliminating trustees in public boards.

Debbie King, the chair of the Black Trustees’ Caucus, says in her letter that at the supervised public boards, at least 10 Black trustees have been removed or sidelined and they have historically played an important role in monitoring race-based disparities and reviewing systemic discrimination.

She says supervisors in some of the boards have taken actions such as reducing staff in equity and human rights offices, which appear administrative but taken collectively reduce the system’s ability to spot and correct race-based disparities.

King is urging Ford and Calandra to provide dedicated funding to support Black student achievement and anti-racism initiatives, ensure equity offices remain intact during supervision and require transparent reporting on race-based student outcomes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press