When Ontarians head to the polls on Oct. 24, they won’t just be electing their next set of municipal representatives — they’ll also be voting for school board trustees.
School trustees serve on the 72 school boards in Ontario. They hold the administration accountable and shape policy that affects the educational lives of some two million students in the province.
Although trustees may share the ballot with municipal politicians, the work they do does not share the same high public profile.
Before the election, you may have questions about exactly what a trustee does and why it matters—especially if you don’t have school-age children.
Here’s a reliable guide to all things fiduciary:
What do trustees do?
Like municipal politicians, school board trustees are elected for four-year terms.
These terms expire in November after elections held in October every four years, according to the council members.
In Ontario, there are English public and Catholic school boards, as well as French Catholic and public boards.
Windsor-Essex English Community Board, Greater Essex District School Board, has 10 community trustees representing different geographical areas.
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Alicia Higgison, the outgoing chairman of the Greater Essex County Board, said the trustees provide governance and oversight of the board and represent the local electorate.
For example, she said, a board action a few years ago spurred the hiring of a new communications officer and the creation of a new website.
“What we’ve heard from families over and over again is that they somehow feel that communication is a pain point,” she said.
Alicia Higgison is the outgoing chairperson of the Greater Essex District School Board in Windsor-Essex. (Michael Evans/CBC)
Trustee Alan Halberstadt said they make important decisions such as closing and opening schools and adopting the school board budget.
“[Trustees] gain experience in working with children, working with the education system, teachers, from [GECDSB] CEO Erin Kelly is down,” said Halberstadt, who has served as a trustee for a total of about 15 years but is not seeking re-election.
“And it’s a very important role. We have thousands of children in the Windsor-Essex community system.”
Alan Halberstadt is the outgoing trustee of the Greater Essex County District School Board. (Katerina Georgieva/CBC)
Voting for receiver
Residents vote for trustees at the same time as electing their councilors and mayoral candidates.
But before that, there’s the matter of choosing a board to vote on among the types of school boards.
By default you will be what is known as a ‘supporter’ of the English Community Council, meaning that these are the elections you can vote in.
You can only be a supporter of a French or Catholic council if you are of the Catholic faith or speak French as your first language.
But regardless, there is an opportunity to change your status if necessary before the election, either through the Municipal Property Valuation Corporation, which maintains a preliminary voter list, or through your municipality closer to election time.
According to Terri Knight Lepain, manager of elections for the city of Windsor, most large municipalities also allow residents to change on Election Day at the polls.
Do school board trustees get paid? Who can run?
You do not need to have children in the school system to work as a custodian.
According to the Ontario Education Services Corporation (OESC), which has created a website for trustee elections, you must live in the board’s jurisdiction, be a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older, be a supporter of the board and be legally eligible to vote.
You must also be Roman Catholic to serve in a Catholic school. Some people, such as school board employees, are disqualified from running for trustee.
Trustees are paid. The fee cap in Ontario ranges from $7,500 to $29,500, depending on a variety of factors, including the board itself, according to the OESC.
Who is running in my area?
The trustee nomination period has now closed for the fall vote.
Your municipality will have local candidates listed on their website along with other candidates for office.
The OESC also publishes a list of candidates.
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