The Ford government has fired the Toronto District School Board’s Director of Education just ten months into his term, according to an internal memo, as the province tightens its grip over the school system.
In an all-staff memo, sent on Friday morning, the board’s provincially appointed supervisor announced Clayton La Touche would be “leaving the TDSB effective immediately” in a decision that was jointly made with the Minister of Education.
“Now in my sixth month as Supervisor of the board, I feel that the TDSB needs a fresh start as we look to set the TDSB up for success in the years ahead,” Rohit Gupta said in the memo, obtained by Global News.
“With that in mind and after much consideration, I, together with the Minister of Education, have made the difficult decision to make a leadership change.”
La Touche, who previously worked as a senior bureaucrat in the Ministry of Education, was appointed as the TDSB’s education director in February 2025.
Get breaking National news
At the time, the board hailed La Touche as having a “wealth of experience” in the education system and called him an “inclusive, collaborative leader with a deep commitment to equitable achievement and well-being outcomes for all students.”
While the Ministry of Education declined to share details on the rationale behind the decision, government officials confirmed that Gupta flagged the impending change with Education Minister Paul Calandra to ensure the government was comfortable with the shift in direction.
“Under the continued leadership of the supervisor, the Toronto District School Board is refocusing on student achievement,” Calandra said in a statement.”
“I have full confidence that the supervisor, working with the Interim Director, will drive that focus and ensure every decision puts students first.”
Gupta said the Associate Director, Stacey Zucker, will step into the role in an interim position.
“Stacey successfully held this role during the last school year and brings with her a wealth of experience not only from the TDSB, but as an Associate Director at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board,” Gupta said in his memo.
A social media account assigned to the board’s director was immediately reassigned to Zucker, while the TDSB’s staff directory was scrubbed of La Touche’s name and picture.
In 2024, the director of education position came with a $308,000 salary and another $16,000 in benefits.
Asked whether the board will have to pay La Touche a severance package as part of his dismissal, the ministry declined to comment, citing “personnel matters.”
Comments