OBSERVER OPINION |
No trust in these trustees
The antics of trustees on the Toronto Catholic District School Board highlight why the public often takes issue with public officials. They’re also why the previous provincial government cracked down on school boards across the province.
A report by provincial adviser Norbert Hartmann earlier this month found trustees with the board in question had been claiming exorbitant expenses of up to $100,000 a year, covering such things as car allowances and extravagant meals.
The report found trustees provide themselves benefits and services that are not permitted by the Education Act; incur expenses unrelated to their responsibilities as board members; and exercise powers to allocate funds that are not provided in legislation.
Education Minister Kathleen Wynne has directed the board to follow the recommendations made by Hartmann, casting an eye around to boards across the province.
As with every school board, TCDSB trustees had their remuneration cut to a flat $5,000 during the time of the Harris government. The move was in response to the sometimes handsome wages, exceeding $50,000 in some cases, trustees of various boards had approved for themselves. Expense accounts were also curtailed.
The Liberals have allowed the pay to climb – $18,671 in this case. But money has been channeled through compensation for expenses, which can far outstrip wages.
In Waterloo Region, both the public and Catholic boards were quick to distance themselves from the scandal in Toronto.
Trustees here have expenses nothing like those outlined in Hartmann’s report, “Enhancing Public Trust and Confidence,” said representatives of both the Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
For the previous school year (Sept. 1, 2006 to Aug. 31, 2007), WRDSB trustees spent a total of $29,000 between them, covering travel expenses, conference fees and the like.
What happened in Toronto would never happen here, assured WCDSB chair Wayne Buchholtz.
“It’s impossible. Number one: we don’t have our own secretaries. Number two, we don’t have our own offices. Number three, we don’t have our own personal assistants,” he stressed.
“We don’t have access as a board to the kind of money that Toronto has; our board has always had the philosophy that we’re not there to gain anything from the public purse.”
Those assurances are certainly reassuring to area taxpayers, now more than ever in no mood to foot the bill for frivolous expenses.
We’re already paying more in remuneration to trustees. Granted some leeway by the province, the public board here tripled trustee pay to $15,000 immediately before the last municipal election in 2006. Trustees predictably attempted to justify the decision with the standard line about higher pay being needed to attract good candidates.
While the total dollar value is minor in comparison to overall budgets, the increases look bad at a time when school boards across the province are constantly scrambling for more money, often resorting to cutbacks to stay within budget.
In the wake of the Hartmann report, trustees in every board can expect their spending habits and expense reports to come under major scrutiny.
A report by provincial adviser Norbert Hartmann earlier this month found trustees with the board in question had been claiming exorbitant expenses of up to $100,000 a year, covering such things as car allowances and extravagant meals.
The report found trustees provide themselves benefits and services that are not permitted by the Education Act; incur expenses unrelated to their responsibilities as board members; and exercise powers to allocate funds that are not provided in legislation.
Education Minister Kathleen Wynne has directed the board to follow the recommendations made by Hartmann, casting an eye around to boards across the province.
As with every school board, TCDSB trustees had their remuneration cut to a flat $5,000 during the time of the Harris government. The move was in response to the sometimes handsome wages, exceeding $50,000 in some cases, trustees of various boards had approved for themselves. Expense accounts were also curtailed.
The Liberals have allowed the pay to climb – $18,671 in this case. But money has been channeled through compensation for expenses, which can far outstrip wages.
In Waterloo Region, both the public and Catholic boards were quick to distance themselves from the scandal in Toronto.
Trustees here have expenses nothing like those outlined in Hartmann’s report, “Enhancing Public Trust and Confidence,” said representatives of both the Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
For the previous school year (Sept. 1, 2006 to Aug. 31, 2007), WRDSB trustees spent a total of $29,000 between them, covering travel expenses, conference fees and the like.
What happened in Toronto would never happen here, assured WCDSB chair Wayne Buchholtz.
“It’s impossible. Number one: we don’t have our own secretaries. Number two, we don’t have our own offices. Number three, we don’t have our own personal assistants,” he stressed.
“We don’t have access as a board to the kind of money that Toronto has; our board has always had the philosophy that we’re not there to gain anything from the public purse.”
Those assurances are certainly reassuring to area taxpayers, now more than ever in no mood to foot the bill for frivolous expenses.
We’re already paying more in remuneration to trustees. Granted some leeway by the province, the public board here tripled trustee pay to $15,000 immediately before the last municipal election in 2006. Trustees predictably attempted to justify the decision with the standard line about higher pay being needed to attract good candidates.
While the total dollar value is minor in comparison to overall budgets, the increases look bad at a time when school boards across the province are constantly scrambling for more money, often resorting to cutbacks to stay within budget.
In the wake of the Hartmann report, trustees in every board can expect their spending habits and expense reports to come under major scrutiny.