Within the midst of a price range freeze, trustees at an Ontario Catholic college board despatched a senior workers member to Brazil, Italy and Germany this 12 months, and have accredited a fourth journey to the United Arab Emirates in 2025, at a complete value of greater than $41,000.
The aim of all 4 journeys was to satisfy with recruiters at conferences and entice worldwide college students to Halton Catholic District Faculty Board (HCDSB) colleges in Burlington, Oakville and Milton, superintendent, Anthony Cordeiro advised trustees at a gathering in April.
Worldwide college students attending HCDSB elementary and secondary colleges will “alleviate the pressures of declining enrolment,” mentioned Cordeiro, who attends the conferences on behalf of the board.
“It is at these recruitment gala’s that the primary connection and relationship-building begins.”
Trustees accredited $10,100 for a convention in Rome in September, $9,200 for a November convention in Berlin, and $9,700 for an additional in Dubai in February 2025. The budgeted quantities have been for airfare, four-night lodge stays, meals and taxis, in addition to $6,200 to register for every convention run by Worldwide Consultants for Schooling and Gala’s.
Cordeiro’s February journey to São Paulo, Brazil was anticipated to value $10,250, based on a 2023 report back to trustees. HCDSB advised CBC Hamilton it would not launch how a lot the journey really value until a freedom of knowledge request was filed.
The Rome journey ended up costing $2,000 greater than projected, based on a doc obtained by a freedom of knowledge request and seen by CBC Hamilton.
Superintendent Anthony Cordeiro’s requests for board cash to pay for worldwide journeys was accredited by trustees in 2023 and 2024. (HCDSB)
On the April assembly this 12 months, trustee Brenda Agnew was among the many minority that opposed spending cash on three extra journeys to Rome, Berlin and Dubai, because the board is working on a decent price range.
“Anecdotally, I’ve been listening to from workers within the system questioning why we’ve got a price range freeze, however we see lavish places being introduced for journey from senior workers,” she mentioned at a gathering in April.
CBC Hamilton discovered in regards to the journeys this month from a guardian, Allison Kolch, who had seen media protection of different Ontario boards funding journey for employees and trustees.
Kolch, whose kids attend an HCDSB elementary college in Oakville, mentioned she will be able to’t “observe the logic for why” a superintendent would wish to journey internationally with out offering detailed proof of the direct return on funding.
‘A way to boost cultural variety,’ HCDSB says
Earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, HCDSB workers, together with Cordeiro, had travelled to comparable conferences in locations like Mexico, Russia, China, Turkey and Germany, Cordeiro mentioned in April.
When requested by Agnew in April what number of college students have been recruited straight on account of these journeys, Cordeiro couldn’t say. However he famous on the time about 300 worldwide college students have been attending HCDSB.
The board has 36,000 college students enrolled in whole, based on its web site.
A screenshot of Cordiero’s touch upon a LinkedIn submit about his journey to Rome in September 2024. (Anthony Cordeiro/LinkedIn)
Cordeiro mentioned that following his journey to São Paulo, two Brazilian college students had expressed curiosity in attending HCDSB in September. HCDSB didn’t reply CBC Hamilton’s query about whether or not these college students did find yourself enrolling.
“Whereas we’re conscious of the related prices, we contemplate these investments in our worldwide schooling program a way to boost cultural variety inside our colleges and generate further funding that straight helps our college students,” spokesperson Amanda Bartucci mentioned in a press release.
“Contemplating present budgetary challenges, the worldwide scholar program supplies a income stream that helps packages and assets for all college students in our board.”
Return on funding not clear
The board didn’t say how a lot income is generated by this system.
The treasurer of the board, Aaron Lofts, advised trustees in April that whereas worldwide college students pay about $15,000 in tuition yearly to attend HCDSB colleges, the board has to rent further workers to help their studying, together with English academics.
Lofts was unable to supply trustees with a value breakdown on the assembly.
Kolch advised CBC Hamilton she requested a cost-benefit evaluation from the board after the assembly, however was advised in an e-mail from board chair Marvin Duarte that it is “difficult” to place one collectively.
“As accountable stewards of the board’s price range, we should be certain that our selections are backed by strong information and clear processes,” Duarte mentioned within the e-mail dated June 17 and seen by CBC Hamilton.
“Nonetheless, it’s difficult to supply a transparent value/profit evaluation as there may be not at all times a dependable strategy to assess a direct correlation between recruitment gala’s and worldwide scholar enrolment.”
Duarte mentioned he voted in favour of sending the superintendent on three journeys “with the intention of enhancing recruitment efforts to safe extra worldwide college students and thereby generate extra income.”
Province auditing college board spending
However Kolch is in search of extra due diligence, particularly when she sees the impacts of board price range constraints on her kids, she mentioned.
Final college 12 months, she mentioned she spent a pair hundred {dollars} to purchase hand cleaning soap, tissues and artwork provides for his or her school rooms. She’s additionally donated to guardian fundraising initiatives to buy gadgets like new laptops and stage curtains not coated by the board’s price range.
“I feel what we’re seeing extra broadly is that the mannequin is damaged in numerous methods,” Kolch mentioned.
She known as for extra oversight of trustees.
In current weeks, college boards throughout Ontario have come underneath scrutiny for spending tens of 1000’s of taxpayer cash on journey in 2024.
4 trustees in Brantford spent $50,000 to journey to Italy and bought $100,000 price of customized artwork on behalf of the board. After native media reported in regards to the journey, trustees agreed to pay again the board for the journey bills and discover donors to cowl the artwork prices.
Workers members at a faculty board close to London went to a convention in Hawaii, costing $32,000.
At one other college board within the space, 18 board members spent $38,000 for a two-night keep at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
And over a dozen senior workers members on the London Catholic District Faculty Board went on a $16,000 two-day journey to St. Catharines.
In response, Minister of Schooling Jill Dunlop introduced final week she’s going to instantly begin auditing the discretionary spending of all college boards in Ontario. The ministry didn’t reply to a request for touch upon this story.
