The Fight for Local Voice: Why Democracy in Education Matters
A fundamental truth has guided our federation since its beginning: public education in Ontario is strongest when it is rooted in local democracy. For ETFO, this is more than a principle; it is our daily practice and reflected in the strategies we use to ensure students, members and communities are supported and represented in our schools and in our organization as a whole.
School board trustees play a critical role in this system. They are elected by their local communities and accountable to families, students and educators. Their role has never been more important or more under threat.
Over the past several years, we have seen chronic, systemic underfunding intensify with a $3,052 cut in per-student funding since 2018. We have seen a growing centralization of decision-making, with power being pulled away from those who know students best. We have also seen an increasing use of ministerial directives that bypass local debate and authority.
Now that Bill 33 has been adopted, the reality is stark. Boards can be placed under supervision more easily and for virtually any reason. Decision-making authority can be transferred to a single appointed individual without any education experience, who answers only to the Education Minister. And democratically elected trustees can be sidelined entirely. This is not happening by accident. It reflects a deliberate shift away from democratic governance in public education toward a model in which power is centralized, insulated and less responsive to the people schools are meant to serve.
With municipal elections on the horizon this October, the risk of a devastating announcement about the elimination of school boards is real and could come as early as this March.
This year, ETFO has been focused on organizing in our local communities to support school board trustees and to advocate for local accountability. Working together means naming what is being lost and telling the stories of what our schools used to look like. It means building alliances among educators, families and community partners. And it means having honest conversations about how we strengthen public confidence in our schools through meaningful engagement.
This work is directly connected to the strength we are building for a challenging bargaining round ahead. When our contracts expire on August 31, 2026, we will face a government in its third majority term whose agenda of cuts has not wavered. But because of the work educators are doing in their locals through member engagement, community outreach and political action, we will enter these negotiations more mobilized than ever.
A key part of that mobilization is ensuring every voice is not only heard but celebrated within our union, public education system and the broader labour movement. In February, we celebrated Black History Month, but as a union we recognize and are committed to ensuring that Black perspectives are celebrated, elevated and reflected year-round.
In March, ETFO, together with our education affiliate partners, called on the government to come to the bargaining table early, kick-start the process and work collaboratively toward meaningful investments in our schools. We urged action to reduce class sizes, proactively tackle the growing crisis in teacher and education worker recruitment and retention, and ensure that every student, teacher, and education worker has the resources and supports they need to succeed.
That same month, members of your provincial Executive and ETFO local leaders stood in solidarity with the Ontario Autism Coalition at their March 23 rally at Queen’s Park, demanding that children get the assessments and supports they urgently need. To everyone who came out, raised their signs and made their voices heard – thank you. Your presence sent a powerful message.
Their fight is our fight. Together, we showed the government and families across this province that the education community stands with them not just in words, but in action.
I look forward to continuing to organize alongside all of you. Our diversity and our solidarity are at the heart of who we are as a Federation.
– David Mastin
