School Boards Require Leaders Who Prioritize Education Over Politics: Michael Zwaagstra

Canada’s largest school board is in search of a new leader. Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the director of education at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), will be retiring this fall. Read more here.

Describing her term as controversial would be an understatement. During her three years as the head, TDSB intensified its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, resulting in tragic consequences. Former TDSB principal Richard Bilkszto tragically took his own life last year after facing relentless harassment from other administrators for challenging DEI orthodoxy during a professional development session.

The negative effects of DEI policies go beyond this. Two years ago, TDSB decided to eliminate its merit-based admissions policy at specialized arts and sports schools in the name of “equity.” Parents with students in these schools were unhappy with this lowering of standards. After years of building up these specialized schools, TDSB is now tearing them down.

In addition, the persistent harassment of Jewish students in TDSB schools and the failure of administrators to address employees who spread blatantly anti-Israel propaganda add to the list of concerns. If trustees select someone with a similar mindset and approach to replace Russell-Rawlins, things are likely to worsen.

Unfortunately, if TDSB adheres to the guidelines provided by the Ontario Public Supervisory Officers’ Association (OPSOA), the association representing superintendents and directors of education in Ontario, this scenario could become a reality.

Prospective directors of education must complete the OPSOA’s Supervisory Officer’s Qualification Program to be considered for the position. However, this program appears to heavily favor woke ideologies. The qualification program, as described on the OPSOA website, focuses on “anti-oppression, anti-racism, [and] anti-colonialism,” which explains the current educational priorities.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s emphasis is on schools focusing more on academics. He has publicly criticized school boards that get caught up in debates over secondary issues like masks or transgender policy. This shift is crucial as Ontario’s PISA math test scores declined significantly from 530 to 495 between 2003 and 2022, reflecting almost two years of learning loss and the need for change.