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The Thames Valley District School Board is looking to hire.
Bill Tucker, the board’s interim director of education, confirmed on Wednesday that he plans to leave the role when the new director is chosen, a process that is expected to be complete by the end of the current school year.
Applications will be received until mid-March, he said.
“What made me decide this is the time? I’d say there are two or three things, and first and foremost, it’s time for me to rejoin my family. This will be my third retirement, so to speak,” Tucker told CBC News late Wednesday.
Tucker retired as director of education in 2013 after five years in the role, and in 2024 retired as a lecturer at Western University’s Althouse College.
“The second thing is, I’m looking at the road ahead for the board, and I believe we’re in a much stronger position than we were two years ago. I think this is a really good time for a new director to come in with a fresh set of eyes … and have the opportunity to rebuild an amazing system.”
TVDSB trustees brought Tucker back in September 2024, after the previous director, Mark Fisher, went on leave. Sources told CBC News at the time it was a result of fallout from the multi-day Toronto retreat taken that summer by 18 senior board staff members, costing nearly $40,000.
A subsequent audit launched by the province found the trip came as the board grappled with a budget deficit of at least $17.3 million in the 2023-24 year, down from a $3.5 million surplus three years earlier. Investigators also found non-compliance with compensation rules for senior executives, the province said.
In April, the province placed the board under the supervision of Paul Boniferro, taking control of the board away from elected trustees in a bid to clean up alleged financial mismanagement.
The deficit has only ballooned. A budget tabled last year by Boniferro reported the year-end deficit hit a projected $32 million for 2024-25, and pledged to get to $10.6 million the next fiscal year, including through cuts to 138 full-time equivalent positions and “future property sales.”
Boniferro will oversee the hiring of Tucker’s successor, determining the selection process and who sits on a selection panel to screen applicants, Tucker said. Choosing a director of education was previously the domain of elected trustees.
TVDSB is one of at least seven Ontario school boards under supervision. Critics have said Calandra’s moves to take over boards and sideline trustees erode local democracy and that boards are in dire financial shape because funding is not keeping up with needs or inflation.
Paul Boniferro was appointed by the Ministry of Education to oversee TVDSB as it works toward balancing its finances. (Paul Boniferro (LinkedIn))
Tucker said he remains optimistic about the board’s future and praised TVDSB staff for their commitment and for the “amazing things” happening in the board’s classrooms. However, he noted there will need to be continued scrutiny on spending.
“We have to go back to the principle that we operate on public dollars, and we have to remain focused on being public servants,” he said, adding the board should work with the province to see if there are different ways to bring in funding, such as for special education and transportation.
TVDSB has grown exponentially over the last six years, and trying to accommodate that financially has caused a problem, Tucker said. After years of increases, the board last year projected an enrollment decrease for 2025-26 due to a slowdown in new housing construction.
“What we have to do as a board is go back and say, ‘Okay, if our enrollment is decreasing, then our funding is going to decrease somewhat, so we have to pay closer detail to those areas that maybe were nice to have but don’t really align with the core purpose of education,'” Tucker said.
His official final day is open-ended and dependent on how long the hiring process takes and the length of time needed to transition a new person into the role.
“I have had just a wonderful experience coming back to Thames Valley. Thames Valley is in my blood,” Tucker said. “We have eight grandchildren in schools in the system, and I have just come back and really enjoyed seeing what’s happening in schools. That’s what’s always kept me going.”
