Education
Ministry of Education audits Ontario school board after $40K Blue Jays stadium retreat
After the cost of a London, Ont., school board’s controversial off-site retreat trip to Toronto came to light, the Ministry of Education announced an audit of the board.
On Saturday, the chair of the Thames Valley District School Board released a statement that said she was “pleased that the Ministry of Education is willing to lend its support and conduct an audit of accounts.”
This comes shortly after the board revealed that it spent $38,444.92 on an off-site planning meeting in Toronto that included transportation, the Blue Jays stadium hotel, meeting spaces and food expenses.
“The Board has every confidence that Interim Director Bill Tucker will share the work that he is leading at the Board’s direction around accountability and transparency to the community as we prioritize student achievement and well-being,” the school chair Beth Mai said.
Last week, the board’s chair and interim director of education called the trip a “learning experience” that would “not happen again.”
The trip cost came just days after the director of education, Mark Fisher, went on a leave of absence.
The school board would not state the reason for the leave of absence, but it did come following pushback to disclose the cost of the trip from the local union representing early childhood educators.
CUPE Local 4222 president Mary Henry criticized the spending, especially with the board dealing with a $7.6-million deficit for the 2024-25 budget.
“We’ve been in a staffing crisis on all levels of the board for quite a few years,” she said. “Everybody is stretched thin. The resources that are usually provided to the students have been clawed back a little bit by a little bit.”
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