By Matias de DovitiisThe Toronto District School Board is in the news yet again, and again it is for the wrong reasons. At issue is a very critical report by the Province (who runs the school boards) that slams the TDSB, and gives them a few weeks to solve some of their major problems.There are four major problems the province wants addressed. The first complaint is that Trustees micromanage school affairs, preventing staff from doing their jobs. The second issue is that a senior staff person got a raise that was not allowable, and then tried covering it up. The third is the Trustee budget; the province wants to limit spending by taking away their offices, getting rid of their part-time assistants, and limiting their ability to send newsletters and communications to parents.Finally, the province is calling for the sale of public schools, dozens of them.For all the noise that the government is trying to make on the Trustees and their misbehaviour, the real issue here is how the money is being spent in our public system. The trustees here are the tail wagging the dog.If we follow the money, the real consideration of the report that the Province is pushing is to get rid of the ability of local government to harness public dissent and coordination. If the elected Trustees have no office, no newsletters, and no assistants who will stand up for children, parents, and community members who disagree with the sale of our schools?The primary purpose of the report is to push for the sale of our public schools to pay for the maintenance of the public assets that will remain.Although, schools and education may not be a priority for everyone, we all care about our local green spaces, and nobody wants their local school to be turned into a gas station or a condo.In short, the Province’s report, prepared by Queen’s Park Beaurocrats, and the recommendations they’ve made will not make the situation better for Ontarians.If the province’s demands are met, what will you do if there is an issue with your local school? Who would you call under the new changes? Now we have Trustees, but if we get rid of them altogether, who is made responsible? The answer may be a bureaucrat in Queen’s Park, but we really don’t know, and that is a problem.