A group of trustees at an Ontario Catholic school board are apologizing for going to Italy this summer to buy $100,000 worth of artwork for a new school.
Rick Petrella, chair of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB), told Global News in a statement Thursday they “deeply regret” the trip, which is now subject to a ministry investigation.
“We recognize that the optics and actions of this trip were not favourable, and although it was undertaken in good faith to promote our Catholic identity and to do something special for our two new schools, we acknowledge that it was not the best course of action,” he said.
“We take responsibility and ownership for this and are committed to addressing and remedying the situation. Each trustee, including myself, who participated in the trip has agreed to repay all the expenses incurred to the board.”
Board ‘failed students and parents’: minister
The BHNCDSB has been under fire following a Tuesday report in the Brantford Expositor that revealed four trustees went on a $45,000 Italy trip for a week in July to buy $100,000 worth of artwork for a new high school under construction in Brantford, which is near Hamilton.
Petrella told the Expositor the artwork, which includes life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, is part of a plan to make the new school a “flagship” institution for the board. It is set to open in September 2026.
The Expositor reported the trustees also bought a bust of Pope Francis for another new school set to open in September 2025 in Caledonia. Petrella told the outlet he bought a hand-carved crucifix for the boardroom at the board office, and donated an outdoor statue for the courtyard of the new Brantford high school.
Funding from the artwork came from the board’s $33-million surplus, while funding for their trip came out of a general allocation used for trustee travel and expenses, Petrella told the outlet.
He added that board approval for the artwork and the trip wasn’t required given the dollar figure was small when compared to the $46 million being spent on the school, and the fact that money makes up the bigger budget approval process, which is OK’d by the board annually.
Education Minister Jill Dunlop ripped into the board in a statement Thursday.
“Our government increased public education funding to historic levels to support student achievement and better equip teachers in the classrooms, not to expense trips on public dollars by school board staff. In this instance, the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) not only failed students and parents but the community with a serious lack of fiscal responsibility and judgement,” she said.
“School boards are expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, whether in a deficit or surplus situation. I take this issue seriously and I have asked my Ministry to explore all options available to investigate this matter.”
The trustees travelled to South Tyrol, an area known for producing religious art since the 1500s, the Expositor reported. Artists there have supplied work to the Pope in the past, the outlet indicated.
Petrella told the Expositer he had been researching art there and was talking to artists, but after realizing they were going to spend a decent amount, they had to “do our due diligence.” Petrella said the board was able to “negotiate better pricing” given the volume it intended to buy.
In his statement to Global News, Petrella said they are exploring “other non-board funding options” to help offset the costs of the statues they commissioned.
Also, he said the board of trustees has decided to allocate more funds to help support student needs, including enhancing health and safety de-escalation training for teaching and support staff, as well as improvements to the board’s school breakfast programs.
Furthermore, trustees will begin reviewing expense policies to ensure they align with the province’s broader public sector procurement directive.
“We deeply regret the events that have taken place, and I want to personally assure everyone that such incidents will not occur again,” Petrella said.
“We are committed to providing the highest quality educational experience for our community and to continuing our longstanding tradition of sound fiscal management, ensuring that our board remains one of the best in the province.”
BHNCDSB not the only board under ministry probe this year
The cost of another school board trip this year has also caught the ministry’s eye.
A $38,444.92 summer retreat by members of the Thames Valley District School Board is under audit by the ministry. The fee for the retreat in Toronto included transportation, a stay at the Blue Jays stadium hotel, meeting spaces and food expenses.
The board’s chair and interim director of education called the trip a “learning experience” that would “not happen again.”
The trip cost came just days after the director of education, Mark Fisher, went on a leave of absence.
The school board would not state the reason for the leave of absence, but it did come following pushback to disclose the cost of the trip from the local union representing early childhood educators.
CUPE Local 4222 president Mary Henry criticized the spending, especially with the board dealing with a $7.6-million deficit for the 2024-25 budget.
— with files from Sawyer Bogdan