OCDSB supervisor reinstates some exams, says board's problems go 'beyond budgeting'

The provincially appointed supervisor of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) said exams will be reintroduced for students in grades 9 and 10, writing in an email to parents Wednesday that the problems with Ottawa's largest school board are "beyond budgeting."

The supervisor, consultant Robert Plamondon, was appointed by Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra at the end of June.

The province had previously launched an investigation into the OCDSB's finances, spurred by the previous four years of financial deficits at the board. The province cited financial mismanagement as its reason for installing a supervisor over the OCDSB, though critics have panned the move as a "power grab."

On Wednesday evening, Plamondon sent parents an email addressing problems within the board.

"The operating challenges facing the board go beyond budgeting," Plamondon wrote. "Despite the dedicated efforts of teachers and staff, confidence among parents in the OCDSB has declined. Many believe the board lost focus on the fundamentals of education — impacting both trust and student enrollment."

Exams to return in September

Plamondon also shared a list of updates with parents that included the return of exams or summative assessments for students in grades 9 and 10, effective this September.

The OCDSB had dropped exams for those grades in 2023 as a means of supporting "the health and well-being of students by removing the pressures associated with exams," though many parents took issue with the decision.

Plamondon also wrote that conversations with the ministry about the OCDSB's controversial elementary program review are continuing, saying he would update parents on the status of those talks as soon as he has news to share.

"Supervision is not just a change in governance — it's an opportunity to move quickly and make the positive changes our students need and deserve," he wrote.