We’re gearing up for Toronto’s municipal election, but you shouldn’t only focus on the mayoral race.

It’s natural for this section of the ballot to get overlooked by most Torontonians, but we can’t let you go on election day uninformed. So, let’s dive into the school trustee race and what you need to know.

Now, a school trustee represents a ward, like councillors, and is elected to the local school board. There are 12 positions on each board; a limitation put in place by the provincial government earlier this year, hitting the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) hard, which previously had 22 positions.

It was one of the many changes part of the Putting Student Achievement First Act that limits the trustee role and is supposed to end financial mismanagement and governance breakdowns, according to a provincial government press release in April this year.

Trustee candidates won’t appear on every Torontonian’s ballot; it all depends on where you’re voting and your rights.

According to the Toronto Public Library, “By default, eligible voters are listed as supporters of the English public system. Voting for the English Catholic board requires meeting the Catholic separate-school eligibility rules. Voting for either French-language board requires French-language education rights, with added Catholic requirements for the French Catholic board.”

Trustees represent the students and families in the community and are supposed to help shape how schools are governed.

Duties include: approving annual budgets and allocating funds, establishing operational policies, bringing family and community concerns to the board and more.

In June 2025, the TDSB and TCDSB were put under provincial supervision, meaning a provincially appointed supervisor holds authority over the decisions normally made by the trustees. It also means trustees can’t do community outreach through their role, such as not being able to engage with families, principals, or parent councils at schools in any official capacity.

This means trustees elected on Oct. 26 will not have their regular powers until the supervision changes. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about your vote. When the supervision ends, the trustees elected this October will have their powers restored.

Before you head to the polls, find out which trustee ward you live in and learn about the candidates; none are running uncontested as of publication. The race may not be as talked about and two out of four boards in Toronto may be under supervision, but you should still cast your vote for who will represent your ward in our education system.