The Toronto District School Board chair is accusing the Ford government of spreading misinformation after a report that the board cancelled a $5-million cellphone contract only after being contacted by the media.

On Monday, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said “to have a school board choose to buy top-of-the-line iPhones for their administration team is absolutely unacceptable in today’s fiscal reality.”

But TDSB chair Robin Pilkey said the board was only in the early stages of procurement and, as part of its ongoing budget-balancing efforts, cancelled plans to buy the phones a day before it was contacted by the Toronto Sun.

“It is also pretty clear that the government was wrong when it insinuated that the TDSB only cancelled a cellphone RFP (request for proposals) once it was asked about it,” Pilkey said.

“It is pretty clear that both the Toronto Sun and the government were wrong to suggest that the TDSB would have paid more than $5 million for cellphones if it had continued with the cellphone RFP process. The ministry in particular would have known that is a ridiculous assertion.”

She said that, after discounts, the final cost would have been about one-quarter of the $5-million quote.

Pilkey also noted the board is facing a $67.8 million shortfall, $42.1 million because of provincial cutbacks.

Thompson said she was “shocked and disappointed” by the board’s interest in the XS and XS Max models and “what’s most troubling is that the decision to spend millions of dollars on top-of-the-line iPhones took place at a time when we have asked our education partners — including the TDSB — to work with us to find savings and protect front line services.”

She also said the Ford government is “prepared to take action to restore public confidence in the TDSB’s spending practices. As a first step, I am calling on the TDSB to immediately review all procurement activity and cancel any unnecessary spending that would take more money away from classrooms. The TDSB must satisfy the public, and our government, that this type of blatant mismanagement of tax dollars will come to an immediate end.”

Asked about a $5-million contract versus the potential tens of millions in costs for the Ford government to rip up its contract with the Beer Store, Thompson said, “You know, at the end of the day, my focus is on education.”

A spokesperson for Thompson did not answer directly when asked if the minister’s office contacted the TDSB before raising concerns about the cellphone contract.

“We saw an egregious example of waste at the TDSB, which has a history of procurement mismanagement,” Stephanie Rea wrote in an emailed response. “We wanted to be clear, we expect district school boards to examine their budgets, and work with the government to find efficiencies.”

NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles, a former TDSB trustee, said “the minister actually needs to be corrected on that item, because in fact she’s doing a great disservice to the Toronto District School Board. She knows perfectly well that did not happen and it is not happening.”