The Ministry of Education does not plan on swearing in newly elected trustees immediately following the municipal elections next week, a source with the provincial government tells CityNews.The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) are among five GTA boards currently under provincial supervision due to what the Ford government alleges is financial mismanagement, unsustainable deficits, and a failure to implement cost-saving measures.Newly-elected trustees would normally hold their first meeting shortly after their term begins and complete their declaration of office.However under a proposed regulatory change for boards under supervision, the first meeting of the new board would determined by the Minister of Education or the person appointed under the Education Act to supervise the board.Newly-elected trustees would replace outgoing trustees but would not assume governance responsibilities while the supervision is in place and would not be sworn in until that meeting is called.For Catholic school boards, trustees would still exercise their responsibilities for denominational matters.As of right now, there is no indication when the initial meeting would be called.Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles criticized the move, saying it shows no respect for the voters.“What it says to the people of Ontario is we don’t care how you vote, we don’t care what you think, we’re just going to do whatever we want to do, anyways, as the Government of Ontario,” said Stiles.“Paul Calandra wants to play at being the emperor of education, and he provides no information whatsoever to the people who actually do the work.”Sara Blumenstein, parent administrator for the Toronto Education Advocacy Network, called the change so close to the election “very concerning.”“We voted for our trustees, and if they are not being sworn in to their role, that’s a very concerning thing. That it is up to the whim of a supervisor, or up to the whim of an education minister, not us at the ballot box who are voting for our representatives,” said Blumenstein.“It is telling me that as a voter, my vote doesn’t count. It is telling me that they are not being respectful of the democratic process. There is a rule in place. It’s very simple. It is just a process rule. It just says within seven days of the new trustee term, you hold the first meeting and you swear in your new trustees. It’s basic. It’s there. There’s no reason to change that under supervision, not under supervision.”She added it’s still very important to be voting for your trustee because they could be reinstated at any time.The municipal election in Toronto is set for Oct. 26.