The race to represent Somerset Ward at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is offering voters sharply different visions for public education — even as uncertainty remains over how much power trustees will have.
Keelin Pringnitz is running in Zone 10, saying she wants to bring a collaborative approach back to the board while protecting special education, gifted programming and French immersion.
A parent whose two-year-old son is expected to enter school in 2028, Pringnitz said her interest in politics and concerns about divisions on the previous board helped convince her to run.
“I think it’s really important that we have a board that is not suspended, that can make decisions that are in the best interest of our local schools, first and foremost,” Pringnitz said. “And then I think it’s also really important that whatever board is elected can work well with others.”
The Ontario government appointed Robert Plamondon as supervisor of the OCDSB in June 2025 following a financial investigation. Under supervision, Plamondon exercises the powers normally held by elected trustees.
If trustee powers are restored, Pringnitz said she wants the next board to work more closely with families while protecting existing programs.
“I will be advocating to the best of my abilities with the feedback that I’m getting from parents in the interests of maintaining the programs that we have currently in special education, gifted programs, and French immersion,” she said.
The board has also been examining how some specialized programs, including alternative schools, are delivered as it attempts to address a structural deficit.
Plamondon reported earlier this year that the OCDSB had run operating deficits for four consecutive years and its 2025-26 budget contained an underlying structural deficit of approximately $11.5 million.
Pringnitz argues the situation points to a larger provincial funding problem.
“He has made all sorts of cuts, and he still couldn’t balance the books,” she said of Plamondon. “So I think it’s very important to recognize that we are not being given enough money from the province to function properly.”
Another clear dividing line in the Zone 10 campaign is how schools should approach transgender and LGBTQ+ students.
Pringnitz supports the OCDSB’s existing approach to inclusion and believes debates over students’ gender identities have become disproportionately prominent in school-board politics.
“We have policies to accommodate transgender students,” she said. “I believe in inclusivity. I did my PhD on inclusivity in sport. So I support trans students. I support gay students.”
That differs from opponent Shannon Boschy, a financial professional making his second run for OCDSB trustee and third recent attempt at elected office.
Boschy first ran for trustee in Zone 6 in 2022, campaigning under the slogan “Education not Indoctrination” and opposing what he calls “gender ideology.” He finished third with 9.16 per cent of the vote.
Asked whether his position had changed, Boschy said it had not. He criticized gender-affirming health care and argued schools should not be able to keep a student’s gender identity confidential from their parents.
OCDSB procedure states students have a right to confidentiality regarding their gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation, including from parents or guardians, unless disclosure is required by law.
“I don’t care how people dress. I don’t care how people behave. I don’t care how people express themselves. That is a right in our country,” Boschy said.
Now president of the Ottawa Centre Conservative Riding Association, Boschy said he deliberately chose to run in Zone 10 despite its reputation as one of Ottawa’s more progressive areas.
“Conflict and confrontation drive conversation,” he said. “And it’s also, I believe, a bellwether test.”
Boschy argues the board has become too focused on social justice and identity issues at the expense of academics, discipline and financial management. He wants the next strategic plan to emphasize academic achievement and has also criticized the decision to end the former School Resource Officer program.
Ultimately, Boschy said the election offers voters a choice over the board’s direction.
“We can double down on the chaos and vote in another progressive, or we can put somebody in place who’s going to have a steady hand, who’s going to get back to, you know, ABCs and one, two, threes and consequences for behaviour that’s consistent across, no matter who you are,” he said.
Diana Mills registered as a third trustee candidate shortly before nominations closed, after the Kitchissippi Times print deadline.