Trustee roles and student grading could shift under proposed legislation

Recently Paul Calandra, Ontario’s education minister, announced proposed legislative changes that will affect school boards across the province, including TLDSB.

“The role of the trustee is changing dramatically,” said Calandra in a press conference. Trustee discretionary expenses will be limited, and their bargaining power will be taken away. “To be clear I will not hesitate to continue to look at the role of trustees should more refinement be needed.”

The proposed Putting Student Achievement First Act would see two new roles in each board. A chief executive officer will be responsible for financial and operational matters. (Right now, the top role is known as the director of education, currently held by Wes Hahn at TLDSB.) The other role will be a chief education officer; they will be appointed by the executive officer. The education officer will focus on curriculum implementation and ensuring effective program delivery for all students.

In certain cases, if someone has an educational and business background, they could take on both roles.

“The trustees will have an opportunity to weigh in on the financial side, but the chief executive officer will be responsible for developing a budget and delivering a budget to the board,” Calandra explained. Trustees will still have the ability to make suggestions on any proposed budget, but they will not be able to make any changes to it.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) disagrees with these proposed changes.

“While the Ford government ultimately rejected Minister Calandra’s initial plan to eliminate all democratically elected trustees — a reversal achieved through months of sustained advocacy by ETFO and its education partners — this legislation removes the essential powers trustees need to genuinely represent families and students,” said ETFO President David Mastin in a press release. “This government should focus on what is in the best interests of students and not on political manoeuvres that weaken democratic oversight.”

Along with these changes, high schoolers will be required to complete an attendance and participation mark. Grade 9 and 10 students will see this account for 15 per cent of their grade, and Grade 11 and 12 students will have it count towards 10 per cent of their grade. Calandra noted that exceptions would be made for situations that are out of a student’s control, such as illness.

Calandra said he has heard from many teachers that COVID levels of absenteeism have been high. He said in meetings with teachers he was told multiple times that students who are inconsistent in their attendance “causes a lot of challenges in the classroom.”

In the recently released Vital Signs report, in the 2023-2025 school years 43 per cent of secondary school students missed at least 20 per cent of their classes.

“The old system, 100 per cent of that mark in some instances was based on course work. A student did not need to participate. This is an important change. It absolutely reflects what teachers and high school teachers have told me would help them get better management of their classroom and would help prepare their students for the real world,” Calandra continued.

Along with this, students can expect a consistent written examination period across the province, that will more accurately assess students grades.

When COVID hit, many classes started to change to a more final project-based system. Now classes like English and math will return to written exams.

In a statement to Kawartha Lakes Weekly, TLDSB said “The Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026, aims to make changes to school board oversight and enhance accountability while ensuring a more consistent classroom experience for students, staff, and families.”

The board is awaiting further details and will provide further comment if the legislation passes.