Ontario government promises to fix ‘mismanaged’ school board in Mississauga, Brampton

In a letter sent out to everyone connected to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) today (Aug. 29), Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra promised to fix the problems that the financially beleagued school board finds itself in.

On the eve of returning to classrooms for the 2025-26 school year, the 70,000 students who attend classes in Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Orangeville, Grand Valley, Mono and Shelburne will now be under the direction of a supervisor appointed by Calandra, with control by the locally elected board having been stripped away.

The appointed supervisor — former MPP and financial executive Rick Byers — is the person who has been tasked with overseeing the financial and operational management of the educational system.

“He will take the time needed to not only bring the board’s budget into balance, but also ensure long-term stability for years to come, so that
funding goes where it belongs: directly into classrooms to support students and teachers,” said Calandra in his message addressed to parents, students, teachers and staff.

Queen’s Park announced in June that it is taking over the board because of its accumulated deficit.

The move follows a report from an analyst earlier sent in to investigate the spending habits of the DPCDSB.

In the analyst’s report, completed after just two weeks, it reveals the board is at significant risk of defaulting on its financial obligations, and that its accumulated deficit is projected to increase from $97.8 million at the end of the 2023–24 school year to $106 million at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

Due to these two conditions, the report recommended placing the board under supervision, which confirmed the recommendation for supervision from a previous investigation completed in August 2023.

The investigation found that financial problems at the DPCDSB have been primarily driven by the costs of its long-term disability (LTD) plan, which rapidly grew during the pandemic and has remained high. A decrease in funding due to a drop in student enrolment by 10,000 over the past seven years is also to blame.

Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Thames Valley District School Board, and the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board have also been put under the control of a supervisor.

Because so many school boards have had problems with finances, Premier Doug Ford is now considering having the province take over the operation of all educational systems in Ontario.