Ottawa's largest school board is confronting a significant financial crisis, with its appointed supervisor warning that it could take more than a year to eliminate a $20 million operating deficit.
A Deepening Financial Hole
Bob Plamondon, the supervisor appointed by the Ontario government in June 2023 to oversee the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), revealed the board's precarious financial state. Speaking to the Special Education Advisory Committee on January 6, 2026, Plamondon stated that the board's operating reserves have been completely depleted. "We're starting with a $20-million hole that we have to work our way out of," he said.
The province's intervention last summer cited concerns over "financial mismanagement" and growing deficits. This led to the removal of elected trustees from decision-making and the suspension of regular board meetings. Plamondon, an experienced auditor and governance expert, is now solely responsible for steering the board's finances.
The Core Challenge: Special Education Funding
The most pressing component of the deficit is a massive shortfall in special education funding. For the current school year, the OCDSB is contending with a $14.4-million gap in this area alone, which has ballooned from an earlier estimate of $10.3 million due to increased staffing costs.
This is not a new struggle for the board. A September 2025 report from the Ontario East Regional Internal Audit Team concluded that the OCDSB spent over 25% more on special education than it received from the provincial government. The board has historically chosen to fund programs beyond the provincial envelope, such as a $610,000 summer learning program for students with developmental delays and autism, which trustees voted to preserve last June.
Plamondon has pledged that special education will be "the last place" he looks to save money. However, he acknowledged the central dilemma: "The question with regard to next year’s $14.4-million special education shortfall is where will the money come from."
The Path to a Balanced Budget
The challenge now is to craft a credible budget for the coming year that honestly reflects the board's spending. Plamondon's goal is to present a complete and truthful financial plan, whether it leads to a balanced budget in one year or requires a longer timeline.
He does not anticipate changes to the Ministry of Education's funding formula. Instead, the OCDSB finance team is analyzing how provincial funding is allocated and is collaborating with other school boards to find solutions. This comes after the board had approved a seemingly balanced $1.244 billion budget just weeks before Plamondon's appointment, a budget that included $18.1 million in program cuts.
The road to financial stability for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board appears long, with the supervisor indicating that a multi-year recovery plan may be necessary to address the foundational $20 million deficit.
