TORONTO

Education Minister Liz Sandals has cracked the whip at the troubled Toronto public school board after a special investigation found a culture of fear where meddling trustees terrorized staff, conspired to keep open nearly empty schools and diverted education resources to pet projects like a private school in Vietnam.

Margaret Wilson’s probe into the workings of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) also found a bloated senior bureaucracy and an attempt to provide the most senior-ranking staff member with a salary higher than her predecessor, in conflict with a direct order from the Minister of Education.

“Too many employees, and a number of trustees, have no confidence in the ability of the new Board to steer this ship away from the rocks,” Wilson said in her report, released publicly Thursday.

Wilson appeared to become overwhelmed by emotion herself as she described staff in tears, so fearful of e-mail snooping and workplace reprisals that they were terrified to meet with her.

“The level of fear in very senior staff is dreadful and it has reached down to the principal level,” Wilson said, adding even she grew suspicious that she was being spied on as she went about preparing her report.

Sandals asked Wilson to investigate the goings-on at the province’s largest school board after a number of reports surfaced that trustees and senior management were at odds.

Sandals said the board must clarify the role of the trustee to ensure that elected officials do not interfere in matters where they don’t belong, such as hiring principals and other school staff.

Staff in one trustee’s ward were even expected to support the elected official’s Fun Fair which was seen as a campaign event, the report said.

“I think that’s appalling,” Sandals said of the workplace intimidation. “It confirms what a number of people have said about there being a culture of fear... people being afraid to do their job properly because they’re being monitored because there will be repercussions.”

Wilson put the blame on just some of the trustees who look on the position as a full-time job, and also noted she saw nothing illegal in what was going on at the TDSB.

TDSB Chair Shaun Chen said the board is aware of the difficult challenges it faces.

“We know that the public deserves better,” Chen said. “We must continue to improve and build trust within our system amongst trustees, between our trustees and staff and in particular rebuild the confidence between the board and the public.”

TDSB Director of Education Donna Quan said they take the audit seriously, and will follow through on the Minister’s directives.

The Education Act makes it clear that being a school trustee in Ontario is a part-time job, so TDSB trustees will be stripped of the extra offices, staff and privileges they afforded themselves that are not available to trustees at other boards, Sandals said.

Wilson recommended, and Sandals has agreed, that auditors should go over all the contracts related to the controversial decision to bring in the Confucius Institute, the relationship with the Vietnam school and other litigious issues.

A contract to provide teachers, curriculum materials and supervisory officer oversight for a private school in Vietnam was promoted by a former chair with the support of senior staff who went to Vietnam, the report said.

While the Confucius Institute agreement was turned down, the relationship with the Vietnam school still exists.

All of this was happening as the board failed to deal with declining enrolment — 37 elementary schools and 42 secondary schools are at 50% capacity or less, Wilson found.

“The Board has stated that its renewal backlog is $3 billion ... the roof repair bill alone is over $200 million,” the report said.

Sandals said she expects that the TDSB and other school boards will begin having to close surplus schools in the next three to five years.

NDP MPP Peter Tabuns said Sandals is blaming the TDSB for problems that come from chronic underfunding of schools by the provincial government.

PC MPP Garfield Dunlop said that instead of accusing 22 trustees of failing on the job, half of whom are new to the position, the Liberal government should explain why it hasn’t dealt with the long-festering issues at the TDSB sooner.

EDUCATION MINISTER LAYS DOWN THE LAW FOR TDSB

Clarify role of trustees

Keep trustees out of staff hires, fires, promotions except for director of education. n Close trustees’ offices.

Don’t let trustees privately hire constituency assistants.

Cut trustees’ discretionary office expense budget.

Ensure Director of Education salary doesn’t top provincially-mandated maximum.

Develop a professional performance appraisal process for director of education

Develop a capital plan that addresses problem of half-empty schools.

Have the audit committee review Confucius Institute, Canada International School in Vietnam.

antonella.artuso@sunmedia.ca

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