To Make Something Work You Have To Try

Amalgamation was sunk by the parochial attitude of politicians, school trustees and the bully tactics of city and school unions who were more interested in maintaining their spot at the trough instead of making way for those that pay the bills.

10 years of amalgamation ... and the Toronto District School Board is still debating whether to go back to the future

Unlike some school boards, they won't be breaking out the candles or cake today to celebrate 10 years of amalgamation at the Toronto District School Board.

Instead, trustees are doing more stewing and brooding over what to do to fix the worst effects of forcing seven school boards into one, even talking about breaking up into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Amalgamation "was probably inevitable since Toronto went to one city," says North York trustee Gerri Gershon, part of a trustee transition team back in 1997. But, "I think (the school boards) were almost an afterthought in the minds of government. We were not given a lot of the (organizational) help given to the city and there was not a lot of thought that went into this."

Little help perhaps, with a whole lot of culture clash. As at city hall, trustees from across Metro Toronto brought different ideas about doing things. Downtown trustees prided themselves on social and cultural programs and keeping under-enrolled neighbourhood schools open so students could still walk to them.

Scarborough and Etobicoke trustees were used to efficiency and doing without. North Yorkers thought highly of their student achievement testing. Sparks flew at the board table as trustees guarded their local pet programs from cutbacks.

MORE