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The letter, signed by 18 of 22 elected trustees, adds they “are concerned that decisions are being made by the supervisor behind closed doors without ... ‘opportunities for individuals to meaningfully participate and be heard’ on actions that impact them,” as the ombudsman’s office has previously said is crucial.

At the end of June, the province announced that it would be taking over the É«É«À² public and Catholic boards, as well as the Ottawa public and Dufferin-Peel boards over concerns about financial mismanagement, including large deficits — which boards argue is a result of years of underfunding.

The Thames Valley public board was taken over by the province earlier, in April.

The move strips all powers from trustees and puts a provincially appointed supervisor in place, who will be paid about $360,000 a year.

Elected officials have been denied access to their emails and board offices, forced to hand over their cellphones and computers, and are barred from communicating with parents.

But with the start of school a month away — typically a busy time for trustees as they handle parent calls and concerns — É«É«À²’s 22 trustees are asking Dubé to “ensure (supervisor) Rohit Gupta ... who now has the powers of trustees, fulfills all trustee commitments of the Education Act to ensure transparency and accountability to É«É«À²â€™s students, families and communities.”

Emma Testani, press secretary to Education Minister Paul Calandra, said that while under ministry supervision, parents should contact school boards directly with any concerns.

“The supervisor has the authority to make decisions that would normally be made by the trustees, including financial management, policy implementation and operational oversight,” she said. 

“Boards have been incapable of managing the historic education funding that we continue to provide. That’s why we’ve stepped in,” she added. “The government is focused on listening to parents and teachers about how we can set students up for success, and less concerned about the opinions of trustees that have failed in their most basic responsibility: putting students first.”

É«É«À² trustees recalled that when the province previously took over the board, more than 20 years ago, the ombudsman at the time proactively reminded the supervisor that communication with parents was key.

In an email to the Star, the ombudsman’s office said it “does not comment publicly on whether or not we have received specific complaints. Our practice is to respond to the individual or group that has contacted us and keep them informed about any next steps,” and it could not confirm the 2002 outreach.

Trustee Michelle Aarts, who represents Ward 16/Beaches—East York, said previous supervisors had arranged information meetings and been in touch with trustees.

“This time it’s a lockout, essentially,” she said. “There’s been no communication to us.”

Unlike other boards, the supervisor now running Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has already sent out an email to parents.

“On June 27, the Minister of Education placed the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) under supervision as a result of recurring financial deficits. The operating challenges facing the board go beyond budgeting,” wrote Robert Plamondon in his July 23 message.

He noted he has met with staff, unions, some trustees and parents since his appointment, and “although supervision means elected trustees have no decision-making authority, I have asked staff to take extra steps to ensure the district remains open and responsive to parents, students and the broader community.”

Supervision, he added, “is not just a change in governance — it’s an opportunity to move quickly and make the positive changes our students need and deserve.”