Half of TDSB school board trustees to be new faces following municipal election
Posted October 26, 2022 9:15 pm.
The appointment of new school board trustees tends to be overlooked in municipal elections but the result of this past election means half of the Toronto District School Board will be made up of new faces.
Eleven of the 22 school board trustees are newly elected have never held the position before. Farzana Rajwani is one of those new trustees and will be representing families in Don Valley East, winning the vote by 26 per cent.
“I’m happy to hear that 50 per cent of people that have been in the role before are also at the table because I think that creates a great synergy of sharing past experiences and history as well as the opportunity for new thought to the table,” Rajwani said.
The major change is taking place because 10 out of the 22 wards, including Don Valley East, had no incumbent running, leaving spots open for someone new.
Cathy Abraham, the president of the Ontario Public School Board Association, said a high turnover isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.
“It does happen in some boards. You’ll have a year like that and then in the next election, very little turnover. It just happens. It depends on where people are in their own goals and career aspiration,” said Abraham.
Political scientist Renan Lavine said he expects there to be a dynamic shift with new personalities being added to the board but when, and by how much, will depend on experience.
“Whether that happens overnight remains to be seen because when you have a lot of new people, they may not fully understand how to work meetings and how to cut deals how to advance an agenda. There may be a huge learning curve if anything it may be most of the same,” said Lavine.
At the Toronto Catholic District School Board, just one of 12 wards had no incumbent running and the new board will remain relatively the same.
The Ontario School Board Association is advising that new trustees attend all professional development opportunities and find a mentor trustee.
The new term begins on November 15.
