The chair of the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) isn't a fan of all the changes the province is proposing to education.
Earlier this week, the Ontario government announced several new measures it says will improve student achievement and ensure school boards use their funds properly.
John Van Heck explained that anything to help students is appreciated, but the new rules for trustees are unwarranted.
The province is proposing to limit discretionary expenses and trustee honoraria, and to have elected members of the board pay out of pocket for certain external organization membership fees.
Van Heck acknowledged that some school boards have been misusing their funds, but believes the province is targeting every board instead of focusing on the ones with the problems.
"I totally understand that we need to be responsible with taxpayers' money, and those people should be reprimanded, but it's like saying all police officers are bad when one officer does something that's bad," he said.
Van Heck mentioned that the SCCDSB takes great pride in its fiscal responsibility. In 2025, the board's seven elected trustees and two student trustees spent around $21,000 on expenses. These funds were spent on mileage, conferences, food, and more.
When it comes to food, meals are provided to the board before meetings. Van Heck understands that some people may think this is a waste of money, but argues that it's the least that can be provided, as some meetings can go for hours and overlap meals.
"We're not eating fine steaks, typically having BarBurrito or a soup and salad from a local restaurant."
As for the honoraria, which are payments to trustees from the province for their volunteer work, they totaled just under $70,000.
"We don't vote in increases. The government never votes in any increases," added Van Heck.
Overall, he isn't a fan of the province's handling of school boards. This includes school boards being placed under provincial supervision since it's more likely than not that any appointed supervisor won't be familiar with the community that the school board oversees.
Van Heck isn't against all the changes. As previously mentioned, he supports trying to help students achieve more from their education. Regarding changes to trustees, he didn't have any issue with the province capping the number of elected members at 12.
This was echoed by Kelley Robertson, the board chair for the Lambton-Kent District School Board.
"Our LKDSB trustees continue to put student success at the center of all of our decision making and we are proud in the success of our board. While many questions remain in relation to the Minister’s announcement yesterday, we are pleased that the size of our board of trustees will not be reduced," she said.
More information about the province's proposed changes can be found online.
