Toronto, February 24, 2026 – Black school board trustees across Ontario are warning that provincial supervision of four major school boards is weakening oversight of race-based disparities – just as the province marks one year since a landmark human rights report on anti-Black racism in education.

The Black Trustees’ Caucus (BTC) of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association is calling on Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra to immediately protect anti-racism and governance structures within boards currently under supervision.

Ontario is home to more than 768,000 Black people, more than half of Canada’s Black population. Black students make up a significant share of Ontario classrooms. Trustees say weakening governance oversight now has province-wide implications.

“Strong oversight and governance protect students,” said Debbie King, Chair of the Black Trustees’ Caucus. “When trustees are removed from their roles and equity structures are paused or reduced, the system’s ability to identify and correct race-based disparities is weakened.”

A Systemic Crisis in Governance

The Caucus notes that while Ontario’s student population is increasingly diverse, oversight mechanisms intended to protect human rights must remain intact — particularly during periods of provincial supervision. The following changes have occurred within supervised boards:

• Toronto DSB: Pause on Black Student Achievement Community Advisory Committee; cancellation of planned community consultations; and rescinding of a trustee decision related to a program admissions policy.
• Peel DSB: Sidelining of representative governance leadership.
• Ottawa-Carleton DSB: Removal of trustees from student discipline committee hearings.
• Thames Valley DSB: Reduction of staff in the equity and human rights office.
  

While supervision is intended to address governance or financial concerns, the BTC warns that the unintended consequence may be the erosion of oversight of anti-Black racism at a time when strong monitoring and community engagement are essential.

One Year After Dreams Delayed

On March 27, Ontario will mark one year since the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Dreams Delayed report, was released. This report documented systemic anti-Black racism in publicly funded education and called for structural reform and stronger accountability

Nearly one year later, no provincial implementation plan, funding commitment, or public timeline has been released.

The Black Trustees’ Caucus is calling on Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Paul Calandra to:

• Release a public implementation plan for Dreams Delayed, including timelines and accountability measures;
• Provide dedicated funding to support anti-Black racism and Black student achievement initiatives;
• Ensure that equity offices, advisory committees, and trustee oversight structures remain intact within boards under supervision; and
• Require transparent public reporting on race-based student outcomes across Ontario.

“Education is protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code,” said Chair King. “Preventing discrimination and providing oversight is not optional, especially during periods of provincial supervision.”

For more information, please contact:

Shane Gonsalves
Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs
sgonsalves@opsba.org

T.J. Goertz
Manager of Strategic Communications
tgoertz@opsba.org

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association represents 31 English public district school boards and 10 public school authorities across Ontario, which together serve nearly 1.4 million public elementary and secondary students. The Association advocates on behalf of the best interests and needs of the public school system in Ontario. OPSBA is seen as the credible voice of public education in Ontario and is routinely called on by the provincial government for input and advice on legislation and the impact of government policy directions.