City of Peterborough KPR trustee candidates: “Let elected trustees serve.”

On October 26, Ontarians will elect school board trustees. In eight boards serving nearly 40 per cent of Ontario's students, those trustees may not be allowed to take their seats.

A new provincial regulation gives only the Minister of Education or a board supervisor the power to call the first meeting of a newly elected board. Without that meeting, trustees aren't sworn in, and the province has set no timeline for ending supervision.

Kawartha Pine Ridge is not under supervision. But as candidates asking for your vote, we believe a vote should mean something no matter where it's cast. We stand in solidarity with families and voters in supervised boards, and we oppose this regulation as an overreach into locally elected governance.

We may differ on priorities, but we agree on this: when voters choose their trustees, those trustees should take office and get to the work of board governance. We call on the province to set a clear timeline to restore elected governance to every Ontario school board.

Jack Henry

Julie Chatten

Shawna Blackwood

Trustee Candidates, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, City of Peterborough