Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB), in partnership with the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA), is celebrating Local Government Week to raise civic awareness among our students, staff, and local communities.
School board trustees are the oldest form of democratically elected representation in Ontario. Since 1807, generations of community-minded citizens have made decisions on behalf of local, publicly funded schools, building the foundation of our system today.
The Board of Trustees in BWDSB sets our
multi-year strategic plan, including the vision, mission, and priorities that guide decisions supporting student achievement and well-being. Our trustees also develop policies, allocate resources, and set the goals that lay the foundation driving programs and board operations. This includes the recruitment and performance monitoring of the Director of Education to ensure progress in meeting board goals.
Fast Facts about Trustees
Trustees are elected every four years during municipal and school board elections, including more than 320 publicly elected individuals who represent 31 public English school boards and three school authorities across Ontario.
Indigenous trustees are appointed to the board by their First Nation. More than half of Ontario’s English public school boards have Indigenous trustees, including BWDSB.
Student trustees are elected by the student body of the board. The Ontario Student Trustees' Association (OSTA-AECO) represents more than two million students. The
BWDSB Student Senate represents the student voice at the board table throughout the school year.
Hospital board/school authority trustees are appointed by the Minister of Education for a term of four years, on the same term cycle as publicly elected trustees.
BWDSB is comprised of nine elected trustees, one appointed First Nations representative, and two student trustees (representing the Student Senate). View BWDSB's
2022 – 2026 Board of Trustees and the areas each trustee represents.
The Kindergarten to Grade 12 education sector is the second-largest recipient of provincial funding, after healthcare. The provincial government estimates that they will invest about $30.7 billion in education for the 2025-2026 school year.
Public school trustees oversee budgets ranging from just over $50 million to $3.7 billion. In BWDSB, trustees are responsible for overseeing a budget of $299,099,413 (2025–2026), which supports approximately 18,900 students in 41 elementary schools and nine secondary schools, and 3,000 permanent and casual staff.
The election of school board trustees is governed by the
Education Act and the
Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Both are the laws or rules that trustees are required to follow.
Many MPs, MPPs, mayors, and municipal counsellors began their political careers as school board trustees.
The next municipal election will be held on October 26, 2026.
About Ontario’s Public Education System
Preparing students to become productive and contributing citizens is the foundation of a civil society.
Ontario’s English public district school boards provide universally accessible education for all students, regardless of their ethnic, racial, or cultural backgrounds; social or economic status; gender; individual exceptionality; or religious preference.
The English public system is founded on the principle of equity of educational opportunity: every student deserves an opportunity to achieve to their fullest potential.
Public school boards provide high standards in their programs and ensure that there are supports and resources to help all students reach those standards.
Public school boards also focus on character education to ensure that students develop as caring and responsible members of their community and of Canadian society as a whole.
Character education embraces values such as Citizenship, Cooperation, Courage, Empathy, Fairness, Honesty, Humility, Inclusiveness, Initiative, Integrity, Kindness, Optimism, Perseverance, Resilience, Respect, and Responsibility.
English public district school boards, in partnership with parents and caregivers, prepare students for success in whatever field they choose.
Trustee Roles and Responsibilities
Trustees are required to: