Windsor-Essex school board trustees are voicing their opinions after the Ford government voted on and passed The Supporting Children and Students Act Wednesday morning.
The bill gives the education minister, Paul Calandra, sweeping authority to appoint a supervisor to take control of school boards, effectively sidelining elected trustees.
Five Ontario school boards are already under provincial supervision, but none are in Windsor-Essex or Chatham-Kent.
CTV News has reached out to the ministry to ask if any local boards are being considered for supervision.
Speaking to CTV News following Tuesday's Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) meeting, trustee Malek Mekawi said he Bill 33 doesn’t just clear the path for supervision — it annihilates it.
"The actual language of the bill is so broad that the minister now has the powers to take over a board for matters of public interest. Whatever that may reasonably mean," Mekawi said.
Mekawi said it's unfortunate, in his view, that the minister thinks democracy isn't something that should be upheld.
"I mean the minister really has the right to walk into any school board that he may disagree with, without cabinet approval, and just appoint some supervisor with no connections to the community. No understanding of the unique needs of our community. With no background in education," he said.
GECDSB chair Gail Simko-Hatfield expressed her fears at Tuesday's meeting of a provincial takeover or even dissolution.
Lisa Soulliere, chair of the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, also addressed the uncertainty after she was re-elected as chair of the board on Tuesday.
"Going into the last year of our term, we are definitely feeling that we may be endangered stewards of publicly funded education in the province of Ontario," she said.
Soulliere said she doesn't believe WECDSB is on the ministers' radar for supervision but it is a concern.
"So it would be a shame to see the loss of a local voice. And I think that's, that's extremely unfortunate that the minister seems to be going down that path," said Soulliere.
Soulliere said she's hopeful the minister will make positive changes.
"It would be wonderful to be included in conversations around what that could look like. And I think to date provincially, our association hasn't been engaged to provide any input, and I don't think that trustees have been engaged either to provide any input," she said.
Bill 33 is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law Thursday afternoon.
-With files from CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske