Fix it, don’t split it

After years of disarray and dysfunction at the Toronto District School Board, Ontario’s education minister finally has a blueprint in hand to fix the mess. The report has most things right but gets one key recommendation wrong.

The report from former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall concludes, alarmingly, that a climate of fear still exists at the country’s largest school board, despite considerable changes made in the past year. It outlines a 20-point plan to end it once and for all.

Hall’s first and most important recommendation is that Education Minister Liz Sandals appoint a provincial supervisor to oversee change at the TDSB. “The comprehensive culture shift that is required cannot happen without external support,” Hall writes.

The second major recommendation is that the TDSB be split into two smaller boards if, after a year, the dysfunction at the board continues.

Hall is right on the first call, but wrong on the second.

As her report details, the disarray at the board isn’t just a problem at the top; it affects how the TDSB’s 550 schools are run: “We were told that some schools have laptops, some have nothing, some have international baccalaureates, some have smart boards, and some have no new textbooks.”

But the problematic culture can’t be pinned on one person or even one set of trustees. It has developed over many years under many directors, board chairs and senior administrators.

And Hall is right: Internal attempts to fix it have failed. Though much has improved since the board implemented changes recommended last January in a report from veteran educator Margaret Wilson, Hall’s panel found there is still major work to be done.

So the recommendation for outside supervision to kick-start reform at the board is smart.

On the other hand, splitting the board in two should be a last resort. It risks duplicating bureaucracies and diverting more money into administration. And it would water down the public scrutiny the current board attracts simply because it is so large. In the end, it could end up creating two dysfunctional boards.

As Hall herself notes, many of the people interviewed for the report thought the size of the board was “not at the root of the dysfunction.” The best route forward is to fix the problem, not double it.

The good news is that the supervisor will have a clean slate to start with. The TDSB’s controversial director of education, Donna Quan, is leaving Dec. 14 to assume a research position newly created for her by Queen’s Park.

Sandals should appoint a supervisor as soon as possible to help reform the board. That’s the most promising path for the 250,000 students who depend on it.

Blueprint for education minister gets some things right, others wrong