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In order to do the excluding, tests, auditions, and middle school grades are utilized. And who ends up getting excluded? It is disproportionately those students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds.

For example, TDSB data has shown that even though Black students comprise over 12 per cent of the general student population, they represent only 3 per cent of students admitted to arts schools. While white students comprise 28 per cent of the student population, they represent 73 per cent of art school students. The same dynamic exists when it comes to socioeconomic status. Students from the poorest 20 per cent of families represent just 4 per cent of students in arts schools, while those from the wealthiest 20 per cent of families represent over 44 per cent. Similar types of disparities can also be found in the International Baccalaureate, French immersion, elite athletics, and gifted programs.

Taken together, what we have is a system that extends privileges to already privileged families, at the expense of those that are marginalized. This is why in 2017, board staff recommended phasing out specialty schools and programs altogether. However, after a forceful backlash from parents at these schools, the board backtracked, pledging instead to explore ways to make admissions more equitable. But now, even that modest reform is a step too far for some parents.

We see the same dynamic in other school boards. Last year, in an attempt to address the unsustainability and inequities of its French immersion program, staff at the Durham District School Board proposed capping enrolments and increasing French instruction for all students. At its subsequent board meeting, trustees heard from angry immersion parents who would not countenance the possibility that the boards鈥� French resources might be diverted from their children. Some threatened to leave the school district entirely. The result? The proposal was rejected.

The fear of losing affluent parents, who have the means to move their children to other districts or private schools, strikes fear in the heart of school officials. And it is this fear that motivates purportedly equity-oriented school boards to offer inequitable specialized programs. As documented in The New York Times鈥� podcast Nice White Parents, this is a practice that goes back decades. In the 1970s, white parents were leaving New York City schools in large numbers. What was the district鈥檚 solution? To start a gifted program. As admitted by a member of the local school board at the time 鈥渢he district started the program explicitly to maintain a white population.鈥�

The politics of implementing equity-oriented education reforms are not easy. The problem is that while everybody says they are committed to equity, that commitment rapidly wanes if it comes at the expense of their own privileges. Just a few months ago, three members of San Francisco鈥檚 Board of Education were recalled by angry parents after they similarly got rid of testing and grade requirements for admission to one of its specialized high schools. Yet, even after the recall, the admissions changes remain in place. The question before TDSB trustees is whether they will have the moral courage to do what is right, even if it comes at a personal political cost.

Sachin Maharaj is an assistant professor of educational leadership, policy and program evaluation at the University of Ottawa.