The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is the separate school board that oversees Catholic education in Windsor and the surrounding County of Essex, in Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in the Windsor Essex Catholic Education Centre in Windsor. It provides administration to a total of 50 schools which provide classes from kindergarten to grade 12, where Catholic teachings permeate all areas of the curriculum. The board was created in 1998 from the merger of the Windsor Separate School Board and the Essex County Separate School Board as the anglophone and francophone separate school boards.
Overview
The board's budget, spending and activities are directed by trustees who are elected for four-year terms, coincident with municipal elections in Ontario. Five trustees are elected to represent sections of Windsor, and four represent areas of the County. Two student trustees are also elected through by-elections of the Student Senate to represent the student body, and the clergy is also represented through a Board Chaplain.
Citing financial, labour and organizational issues, the Ontario Ministry of Education appointed a Supervisor to help the struggling school system with its fiscal and organizational problems. The Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board has been in financial disarray for years. It is currently the only school board in Ontario to have an accumulated deficit. And, according to the province, has repeatedly failed to present a balanced budget, which is a violation of the Education Act. The Government of Ontario appointed a supervisor to oversee the financial management and administration of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board for an indefinite period of time. The province made the move just hours after a report by an independent auditor made the recommendation. According to the Ministry of Education, the supervisor will return the board to fiscal sustainability, ensure there are no labour disruptions in the coming year and to put the best interests of students first. Norbert Hartmann has been appointed under the Education Act, effective Sept. 4, 2012. Ontario Education Minister Laurel Broten said immediately after the appointment that Hartmann's appointment is open ended and that Hartmann will stay as long as needed.
