Ontario government will fund line-by-line audits for 10 school boards, but none have accepted the offer

Thestar.com
June 13, 2019
Kristin Rushowy

The Ontario government has set aside funds to conduct detailed audits at 10 of the province’s 72 public school boards, says a recent memo sent out to chairs.

“To support school boards in driving the modernization and transformation that is essential to achieving fiscal sustainability, the government has established the Audit and Accountability Fund,” says the May 29 missive, obtained by the Star, from Education Minister Lisa Thompson.

“This initiative will allow up to 10 school boards to access funding to undertake independent third-party line-by-line reviews of operations and service delivery with a goal of finding administrative efficiencies of up to four cents on every dollar spent.”

Last month, Premier Doug Ford said his government would set aside $7.35 million for boards and municipalities to cover the cost of independent, in-depth looks at their books to help identify savings -- a move Toronto Mayor John Tory dismissed as a “public relations exercise.”

Ford has been particularly critical of school boards, saying they “need to get their act together” and accusing them of “oodles and oodles of waste.”

“I believe in trying to work with them -- even though these guys waste more money than you could imagine,” Ford said last month.

So far, no boards have taken the province up on the audit offer -- saying their finances already undergo scrutiny and formal audits every year.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Thompson said “we are giving school boards and municipalities the tools they need to find savings.”

Stephanie Rea also said “we hope school boards take this opportunity, as this support will go toward helping school boards conduct line-by-line reviews of their spending. We are confident that with the right supports, four cents of savings is an achievable goal.”

But Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, has noted that staffing and salaries comprise more than 80 per cent of boards’ budget, so there is very little wiggle room.

“I know that boards are working efficiently -- every single year, boards are looking for efficiencies wherever we can,” she said.

“We have already had significant budget cuts because of (provincial) announcements already made,” she also said. “To find 4 per cent on top of that is going to cause significant hardships to boards. We are really concerned about being able to provide the basic level of services our students deserve.”

Boards are “right now doing their budgets, cutting arts supports and cutting math supports and cutting reading supports -- these things that have helped our students be successful. It’s a very challenging time.”

The audit offer comes amid a number of recent polls suggesting the Ford government’s budget cuts are unpopular with Ontarians.

The Toronto District School Board alone is facing a $67.8 million shortfall for the 2019-20 school year, $42 million from provincial cuts.