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Ottawa’s largest school board, currently under provincial supervision, has posted a job for a “senior strategic adviser” to assist the director of education.
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The salary range is $149,562 to $176,121 a year for “a critical strategic partner and trusted adviser” to Stacey Kay, who was named director last November, about five months after the province appointed a supervisor to take over the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, citing financial mismanagement and depleted reserves.
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“Serving as a senior-level leader within the district, this role is responsible for driving strategic initiatives, overseeing key departments related to communications, family and community engagement, and strategic data analytics, as well as building operational excellence through alignment and coherence, system-wide,” said the job posting, dated May 1.
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The adviser “acts as an extension of the director, managing the operational rhythm of the director’s office, triaging critical issues, and ensuring cross-departmental alignment.”
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The posting appeared only four days before 97 non-teacher positions were eliminated. (After existing vacancies are taken into consideration, the reductions mean that 69 unionized workers will be laid off as of Aug. 31.)
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The OCDSB is also cutting 83 teacher positions in response to declining enrolment projections next year.
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NDP education critic Chandra Pasma called the job posting “absolutely outrageous.”
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“To add insult to injury, the same week these cuts are announced, the director of education selected by the supervisor is looking to hire a $176,000 a year adviser to help her do her job — a position that has never existed before,” said Pasma, the MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean.
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“That money should be going to frontline supports, not more bureaucracy.”
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In November, Education Minister Paul Calandra said the supervisors appointed by the province to oversee school boards are eligible to earn $2,000 a day for a maximum of $350,000 a year. They have been tasked with overseeing and managing the administration of the boards, including financial management, policy implementation and operational oversight and are to provide the ministry with regular updates.
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Bob Plamondon, an experienced auditor appointed to be the OCDSB supervisor, said in February he would introduce a “student-focused resource optimization” project during the budget process.
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“This initiative moves well beyond simple budget trimming with an overarching goal of ensuring that every dollar and service directly supports the classroom,” said Plamondon in a message to parents.
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“To build a budget that meets this goal, we are evaluating all of our resources and structures to gauge t