Former Toronto budget chief Mike Del Grande has been selected as the next chair of the Toronto Catholic school board.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) elected Del Grande – who replaced son John Del Grande as trustee for Ward 7 (Scarborough/North York) in the Oct. 27 municipal election – to its leadership position at its annual caucus meeting last night.
Before becoming a city councillor representing Ward 39 (Scarborough Agincourt) in 2003, Del Grande first served as a Catholic school trustee for nine years starting in 1994 – including a stint as chair from 2000-2001.
The new chair-elect – a former chartered accountant who holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, a Masters in Theological Studies and a Bachelor of Education degree – said that he returned to his role as trustee because his "heart is with the Catholic board."
"I saw some fundamentals that need to be corrected, and a ship that needed to be steered," he said in a statement. "We need to re-affirm the vision of the Toronto Catholic District School Board to have a system that is Christ-centered, student focused, demonstrating a clear sense of purpose."
Ward 12 Trustee Nancy Crawford was recommended to a second term as vice-chair of the board, while other TCDSB appointments to statutory and standing committees include:
- Special Education Advisory Committee: Trustees Garry Tanuan, Ann Andrachuk, Angela Kennedy
- Supervised Alternative Learning: Trustees Patrizia Bottoni, Sal Piccininni
- Suspension and Expulsion Committee: All Trustees
- Audit Committee: Mike Del Grande, Maria Rizzo, Barbara Poplawski
- Student Achievement and Well Being, Catholic Education and Human Resources Committee: Angela Kennedy (chair); Garry Tanuan (vice chair)
- Corporate Affairs, Strategic Planning and Property Committee: Joseph Martino (chair); Sal Piccininni (vice chair)
- Catholic Parent Involvement Committee: Maria Rizzo, Garry Tanuan
- Governance and Policy Committee: Jo-Ann Davis, Ann Andrachuk, Angela Kennedy, Garry Tanuan
- Budget Committee: Ann Andrachuk, Sal Piccininni, Maria Rizzo, Garry Tanuan
The new board of trustees will be officially ratified and sworn in at the TCDSB’s inaugural meeting on Dec. 1.