The role of a student trustee, implemented through the Education Act, ensures that student voice is always present at the board table, a place where crucial decisions primarily affecting students are made. For twenty-five years, OSTA-AECO has been the official stakeholder representative of students in Ontario’s K-12 education system, making sure students are always put first.
As students, we are deeply concerned about the discussions regarding the potential elimination of school board student trustees resulting from the provincial supervision of school boards, both of which have proceeded with little to no student involvement.
Student trustees bring forward successes and concerns directly from students by providing constructive feedback on how to enhance the student experience. Eliminating student trustees would remove democratic voices for students. Student trustees are students’ direct voice at the school board level and their role as the authentic advocates for the group most affected by school board policies is crucial. Only student trustees can provide firsthand insight into the daily experience of being a student, and because of student trustees, students have the rightful opportunity to provide their voice in the decisions affecting their educational experience.
We affirm, alongside the Ministry of Education and other trustees’ organizations, that accountability and transparency are critical to the successful functioning of a board of trustees. Sustainable funding is key to successfully delivering results geared towards mutual priorities of equity and student success. While the implementation of provincial supervision over school boards intended to reinforce these values, it has also removed student voice at the board level. Student trustees do not have the ability to fulfill their democratic obligation to share progress made at the board with the constituents who elected them, and therefore student voice is being left behind.
As the official representatives of Ontario’s over two million students, we urge the Ministry of Education to meet with OSTA-AECO to have conversations about how school boards can continue to operate effectively without eliminating student voice.
Protecting the role of a student trustee in Ontario means protecting our democratic public education system. Student trustees are an essential piece of our province’s identity and a safeguard for its future leaders. No single office can fully understand the needs of students in every corner of this province, and that’s what student trustees are here for. We look forward to having conversations with the Ministry to ensure student voice is protected.
Carter Peios, President, OSTA-AECO