Ministry appoints supervisor in place of elected trustees

On June 27, 2025 the Minister of Education placed the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board under supervision.

As such, the powers of TDSB Trustees are now vested in the Minister of Education, who has appointed Rohit Gupta as the supervisor. Based on direction provided by the Ministry of Education, Trustees may no longer use TDSB email accounts to communicate with constituents nor issue newsletters or updates.

How did we get here?

In May 2025, the Minister of Education appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a financial investigator. PwC submitted their final report to the Minister of Education recommending supervision that month.

It is important to note that the PwC Report did not find evidence of recklessness, deliberate wrongdoing, lack of financial oversight, governance or actions resulting in reputational damage. However, due to the probable accumulated deficits for both 2024–25 and 2025–26, the report concluded that the board met a single condition under subsection 257.30(6) of the Education Act and recommended supervision

It is also worth noting that on June 18, 2025, TDSB Trustees approved the 2025-26 operating budget with a plan to eliminate a $34.4 million deficit over the next two years.

Minister Paul Calandra has also indicated that curriculum changes planned for September 2025 are paused for one year until September 2026 “so that a more central and consistent curriculum can be brought forward for Ontario.” These include the overhaul of the kindergarten curriculum, a new financial literacy component for Grade 10 math, additional lessons on the Holocaust, a mandatory unit on the Holodomor famine and history of Black Canadians, all part of Grade 10 curriculum.

Since coming into power, this Government has chronically underfunded our public education system, taking $6.36 billion out from our classrooms. What the children of this province and Parkdale—High Park need is investments in their achievement and well-being, not power grabs and political games.

Minister Calandra and his Government are using this as an opportunity to eliminate local representation by elected school board trustees and appoint partisan insiders as supervisors with no background in education or interest in the future of our children. It’s time to stop the blame game and invest in schools that serve the needs of all students.

What now?

My ability to help you navigate concerns related to your child’s education, to connect with local schools in TDSB Ward 7, and to get information from TDSB staff has been restricted as a result of the Board being placed under supervision. Parent end caregiver emails sent to my Board address will be redirected to the Office of the Director of Education.

You can continue to contact me in my capacity as a community leader by emailing debbie@debbieking.ca. You can also follow @debbiekingphp on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky. As your elected representative, TDSB parent, and neighbour, I remain committed to advocating for fully-funded, high-quality schools that support the achievement and well-being of all students.

Learn more:

Ministry of Education News Release: Ontario Taking Action to Restore School Board Financial Stability

Ministry of Education Backgrounder: Ontario Appoints Supervisors to Oversee Four More School Boards

PwC Webpage: Toronto District School Board financial investigation

PwC Full Report: Ontario Ministry of Education Investigation Report Regarding The Toronto District School Board

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