Ontario school board spent $32K to send staffers to education conference in Hawaii

The Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) in southwestern Ontario spent more than $32,000 Cdn to send three staffers to an education conference in Hawaii earlier this year, according to newly obtained documents.

A freedom-of-information request into the board's expense records for the Hawaii International Conference on Education held Jan. 3-6 revealed flights, mileage, rental vehicles, meals, conference registration and rooms at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Resort in Honolulu amounted to $32,190.79 in spending.

"It was a significant discussion at the senior executive level about whether or not to commit to the conference approval, because of the location," education director John Howitt said of the decision approved by senior administration and supported by the Indigenous Liaison Committee (ILC).

"There was no question that the quality of the conference met the needs of attendees … we also reviewed whether or not the same needs could be met at another conference that was not in this location, and we could not find anything."

The three attendees were members of the Indigenous Education Team and frontline staff, and the conference was not specific to Indigenous education but covered a wide variety of topics. 

Hotel room rates for the LKDSB representatives were as high as $1,113.09 US a night for one attendee, according to documents. Another attendee's room rate was $753 a night. The conference rates for rooms at the upcoming 2025 Hawaii conference are listed at $334 a night.

Other costs, in Canadian dollars, included conference registration ($2,199.32 for three attendees) and nearly $5,300 in flights, including additional seat and baggage charges.

"We were not able to get the conference rate for rooms for all of the attendees, and that is why there is the extra expense," Howitt said, adding the board will address the issue in its expense policy.

We expect every school board to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars that prioritizes student achievement, whether in a deficit or surplus situation.- Spokesperson for Ontario's education minister

Howitt said the trip was paid for through the LKDSB Board Action Plan funds, which are earmarked for Indigenous education. The board also sends representatives to the Indspire National Gathering for Indigenous Education, held annually in Canada, Howitt confirmed.

"Even though the location was something that we wouldn't normally approve, in the spirit of truth and reconciliation … we were convinced that the quality of the programming was there," said Howitt.

"The number one priority on our Board Action Plan is on language revitalization, and that was one of the themes that was attended and participated in at the conference. The other is land-based learning, which we also took advantage of in the conference."

A program outline for the 2024 conference includes one 90-minute session on Indigenous language revitalization and two that included land-based learning. The conference's keynote speaker, Roberta Ku'ulei Keakealani, also spoke about endangered language and generational storytelling.

Lambton-Kent is surrounded by four First Nations communities — Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Delaware Nation, Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation, and Walpole Island (Bkejwanong First Nation). 

"We trusted that the learnings would be used back in our system — which they are already being implemented in our system," he said, noting professional development is underway for the board's language speakers. "So, not everybody in the board would see that professional development directly; it is targeted to those providing Indigenous programming." 

LKDSB Indigenous lead Dallas Sinopole did not respond to a request for comment. 

"Director Howitt is the only LKDSB representative that will be providing comment on the Hawaii International Education Conference topic," the board said in an email. Additionally, Tracie Booth, president of the Lambton Kent Teachers' Federation (LKETFO), declined to comment because she was not aware of the details of the trip.

There is no mention of Hawaii in the board meeting or ILC committee minutes.

Representatives from public school boards in London and Windsor confirmed they have not sent staff to the Hawaii conference. 

"The only professional development that our Indigenous team would attend would be something within our region or as far as Toronto that is hosted by either the Ministry of Education or our Indigenous community," said Vicki Houston, director of education for the Greater Essex County District School Board.

Province examining expenses

The ministry recently announced an investigation into the financial operations of the Thames Valley District School Board after senior administration spent nearly $40,000 on a three-day planning retreat in Toronto in August.

"We will be examining discretionary expenses across the board," Edyta McKay, spokesperson for Education Minister Jill Dunlop, said in a statement. "We expect every school board to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars that prioritizes student achievement, whether in a deficit or surplus situation."

Howitt was approved for a five-year extension in February, but recently announced his intention to retire in April.

"The LKDSB is completely transparent with its spending and recognizes the incredible trust that is put in our hands in relation to taxpayer dollars," he said.