I support a model from UK where board is under city hall for all physical plant issues. Buildings custodians maintenance but there is a program committee like Education Authorities in UK. The program committee would act like the TTC. Elect half as many trustees and allow city councillors to also sit and vote. Your big problem in Canada is catholic education. The would go straight to Supreme Court and win. Public would say - we must have what they have.

Leave it to Doug, to picked the worst one that places all the control upon the parents and students. Such things as the school police run out of city hall or the actual police knocking at the doors of students who are absent. And hand the parents a fine for not having their child in school.

Finland probably has the best model, that keeps the politics out of education and the classroom. Unlike other systems such as what we have in Canada school boards, where the school board staff reigns supreme, lording over the school board trustees. It is rather frightening to find out that school board trustees are useless for parents. Apparently, school trustees don’t aid parents to navigate a rather overdone and no need to be complex but nevertheless is complex to solve a simple problem like moving to another bus stop for pick-up to the more complex problems as a school refusing to do a pyscho-educational assessment. Trustees only do brick and mortar issues and the oddest thing, they have the final authority over the students with severe behavioural issues. Otherwise the parents and their children are in the hands of the school board staff, and the whole system is designed to keep parents and students from accessing education services. So a little problem morphs into a giant problem before the school board staff will do something about it, and this is where all the games begin with the manipulation of numbers, funding and problems are solved according to the politicization of the education issues.

The latest example - “The program is Focus on Youth, the same one that provided funding to a charity founded by TDSB chair Chris Bolton. The Globe and Mail has reported that the Friends of Community Schools received $56,000 to run a summer camp for 225 students in 2009.
Howard Goodman, a TDSB trustee and member of the audit committee, said Ernst & Young’s findings released in December clearly show that accountability has been circumvented at Canada’s largest school board.”  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/tdsb-to-tighten-spending-oversight-after-audit-results/article17449721/

What good is it to tightened spending oversight when the same foxes have their favourite charities founded by the same foxes?  Focus on Youth - http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Community/CommunityUseofSchools/FocusonYouth.aspx

And as for Chris Bolton - chair of the TDSB - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/tdsb-chairs-link-to-charity-raises-conflict-of-interest-questions/article17421764/

As you can see, the games start at the lap of the Chris Bolton, who should never have become Chair of the TDSB…......but par for the course at the biggest school board in Ontario where the installation of a pencil sharpener comes in at the price of $165.

Here is the charity web site, and also par for the course it is hidden behind 8 web pages but I found it - http://www.beafriend.ca/

Imagine that, the same foxes mocked SQE and other educational charities that are viewed as enemies by the public education K to 12 establishment. Meanwhile, for a two hour event of fundraising - cost of admission is $100, with all the free booze and cheese to nibbled on,
About page - http://www.beafriend.ca/about/

The point that I am trying to express -  is the politicization of schooling.  The whole public K to 12 education governance systems need to be destroy and a new system that operates along the lines of the Finland’s model be put in place. The teachers’ unions won’t like it because it would remove one of their playgrounds, the students. People like Chris Bolton won’t like it, because it would be harder to operate without the ability to NOT disclosed conflict of interests and of course their favourite charities may not be selected.

By the way Doug, there is no problem with the Catholic based schools in the UK funded by public monies,  so why would it be a problem if Ontario moved to a UK model?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_England

Catholics in Ontario have what they belive is a constitutional right to LOCAL catholic control of catholic education. Not just funding, political control through school boards.

Are you going to allow Catholic boards but not public boards?  I don’t think that is on.

Eliminate exclusive school-board territories, and invite new industry entrants to compete for students.  Test every student every year, and also report on other metrics like alumni’s university completion. 

No need for politicians or trustees.  Boards that deliver what parents want will attract students and thrive.  The rest will close their doors. 

Fully funded ( taxpayer) Catholic school boards are a result of political expediency hoisted on citizens of this province by a Conservative Majority government.

In education, it always matters who you allow to hold the keys.  “Walk and talk” when this disparate… er desperate…. needs to be acknowledged in perpetuity.

Mirka - you ought to take a trip into Canadian history. You just may reconsidered your above statement and correct the misconceptions. After all, Canada became a nation through compromise in bringing together the British Protestants,  the Catholics of many different ethnic backgrounds and the French to governed the newly found nation called the Dominion of Canada. It could be a lesson for other governments in the 21st century, who imposed unfair and discriminatory practices upon groups of people who differed from the political powers.

Political expediency? “Fully funded ( taxpayer) Catholic school boards are a result of political expediency hoisted on citizens of this province by a Conservative Majority government.”  If it was not for the Davis government, a Progressive Conservative government and NOT a Conservative breed as we have today, teachers in Ontario would not be enjoying their well-paid jobs. Davis, did the right thing,  what should have been corrected way back in the 1870s. A little late but it was the right decision….....as for political expediency…take a look at a bit of history - “2. Has the Ontario government always supported separate schools?
Yes, as did its predecessor, the United Legislature of Canada East (now Quebec) and Canada West (now Ontario) during its total life from 1841 to 1867. One of the first pieces of legislation it passed in 1841 was the Common School Act, with a separate school clause.

3. Why did the United Legislature of Canada East and Canada West keep improving separate school legislation?
It responded to Catholic parents, trustees, bishops and priests, editors of the four Catholic newspapers, members of the business and professional world, all of whom argued for legal and financial rights for separate schools.
4. Was there opposition to separate schools before Confederation?
Yes, as now, there were advocates of one school system. Protestant spokepersons believed in the adequacy of the common (now public) school’s basic non-denominational Christianity, which constituted an important element of the common school’s religion
lessons and their readers. They held that beliefs specific to certain religions should be taught in the churches and homes.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEYQFjAD&url=http://www.dpcdsb.org/NR/rdonlyres/1BA82550-90A1-46DB-BE6E-831F5FA8CE48/121461/OurCatholicSchoolHeritage1.pdf&ei=8o0pU77BK9CG2wWSjIGwCg&usg=AFQjCNHPAvkz0BXrITfpBQJCejb4LtFSCA&sig2=v1RjGVKcCseXShJuNZ6SXw&bvm=bv.62922401,d.b2I