London school board lawyer Ali Chahbar latest exec on leave amid senior leadership upheaval
Interim boss Bill Tucker is looking at board spending and conducting a leadership review
Another senior leader at the Thames Valley District School Board is on a leave of absence as the organization continues to review its operations following several high-profile scandals that saw the Ontario government step in.
Ali Chahbar, the TVDSB's in-house lawyer, left his position with pay earlier this week, CBC News learned Thursday. The leave was effective as of March 3, interim director of education Bill Tucker confirmed.
Last week, board chair Beth Mai announced she was taking a leave from her position for health reasons. Over the last six months, more than five other senior leaders have left the board, some on paid leaves of absence, others for new positions.
Last fall, the province announced it was conducting a management audit of the TVDSB, as well as an investigation into its spending. It came after senior leaders spent $40,000 on a three-day planning retreat in Toronto and ran a flower-arranging workshop for communications staff.
Tucker was appointed interim director when Mark Fisher was put on leave in September. Others who have left include associate director Linda Nicholls, Katie Osborne, superintendent of education, and Cheryl Weedmark, director of communications.
Tucker would not comment on the nature of Chahbar's leave or if it was linked to the leadership and organizational review he is tasked with conducting.
Chahbar's salary is listed on the Sunshine List as just over $199,000, plus benefits. He's been with the school board since 2018.
The board is staring down a $16-million deficit, which rose when forecast enrolment dropped this year.
CBC News did reach out to Chahbar on Wednesday for comment, and this story will be updated if he responds.
The school board has held a series of in-camera meetings in recent days, including one that saw Mai step aside for several weeks.
"For certainty, I wish to declare that I am not subject to any investigations or inquiries related to my conduct or my role at the TVDSB," Mai wrote in a statement.