Have you ever wondered who it is that makes the decisions as to which houses get serviced by school buses, and which are in walk-to-school zones? Are you curious about the people who determine the course of your child's education? Does the prospect of learning about how a school board works sound interesting to you? Is there an interest on your part of someday becoming a part of a school board? Then this article is for you. It's all about the school boards and how they work!

How a School Board Works

The members of a school board are not appointed by the provincial government or the department of education. They're elected from among the people who live in nearby houses and voted on by people like you. As a committee, the school board elects its own chairman and together they discuss, debate, and allocate the budget they are given from the province. The school board also sets goals for education in the district and determines the course schooling will take in the future.

As an example: Toronto District School Board

The Toronto District School Board is the one that governs your child's education if you live in the city and your child attends public school. There are over 600 schools included under the TDSB umbrella in 22 different wards, each of which elects its own trustee to the board. The board also has two student trustees to represent their side of the issues. The board is helmed by a Ward representative which will act as the Director of Education for the board.

Toronto Catholic School Board

The Toronto District School Board isn't the only one operating in the area. There are also over 200 Catholic schools in the Toronto area which are governed by a separate board of education. So if you live in Toronto and your child goes to Catholic school, this is who you would be dealing with. There are 12 wards in the Catholic school system, each of which has its own representative. There is also one student representative chosen from the high schools.