Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Chapter 6: Elementary and Secondary Education
The government is aware of the benefits of children’s service integration. Strategies to improve
children’s services such as mental health and school health support services have made
compelling cases for the need to reduce duplication and make services simpler to access. 35
The Pascal report also warned against “bureaucratic duplication” and supported making
schools “true community hubs” for service delivery. 36
The Ministry of Education should be a leader in promoting service efficiency and reducing
duplication. Existing school board facilities and information technology may offer effective
platforms for co-operation with other ministries and agencies in fostering innovative service
delivery. All ministries with a role in supporting children should continuously examine how
government can improve service while lowering costs through co-ordination and co-operation.
School boards should continue to seek opportunities to collaborate with each other and with
other parts of the BPS to foster procurement efficiencies. As significant purchasers of similar
supplies, equipment and services, school boards can work together to make smart purchasing
decisions through their expanded buying power. Important steps have already been taken in
this respect through the establishment of the Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace
(OECM), a not-for-profit procurement organization. In consultation with the education and
postsecondary sectors, OECM competitively procures common contracts on behalf of school
boards, colleges and universities. Additionally, regional buying groups and transportation
consortia have encouraged prudent joint procurements.
School boards and other BPS bodies, such as post-secondary institutions, should continue to
find ways to create savings and efficiencies through collaborative procurement. Future
measures could include a co-ordinated procurement policy framework, strategic sourcing,
contract management and product/process standardization. Boards should be required to take
advantage of existing organizations such as the OECM and regional buying groups.
Boards can also work together to consolidate back-office functions. Given the similarities in
business demands and functions and technological advances, models of shared services
could help boards operate more efficiently and reduce administrative costs. Information
technology, financial services and human resource co-ordination could all be delivered at
lower costs if effectively consolidated by boards. The <strong>Commission</strong> notes that French-language
boards share many administrative and educational services.
35 “Open Minds, Healthy Minds — Ontario’s Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy,”
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/mental/pdf/open_minds_healthy_minds_en.pdf; Deloitte, Review of School Health Support
Services: Final Report, http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/ccac/docs/deloitte_shss_review_report.pdf, 11.
36 “With Our Best Future in Mind,” p. 6.
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