UCDSB trustee for Perth, Lanark area resigns mid-term

Upper Canada District School Board Trustee Carole Dufort has resigned.

First elected in October 2022, she represented Ward Two, which includes the Lanark Highlands, Tay Valley, Montague Township, and the town of Perth. She defeated long-serving board trustee William (Bill) MacPherson in the 2022 School Board election.

The UCDSB said in a release that Dufort was resigning for health reasons.

“Dufort is a former award-winning educator and principal who has spent her career dedicated to public education,” the board said.

As a long-time supporter of the UCDSB’s Champions for Kids Foundation – a not-for-profit that assists students in that board to be involved in community sports and activities, she was recently awarded with the “Heart of a Champion Award” from the foundation.

UCDSB trustees will meet later this week to determine the process for appointing a trustee to fill the vacancy. The board has 90 days to do so under the provincial Education Act.

Dufort is the third trustee to resign from the board this term.

Ward Seven Trustee (Dundas County) Larry Berry resigned in May 2023, less than a year after his re-election – citing health reasons. He was replaced by former Ward Nine trustee John Danaher.

Earlier this year, Ward Nine Trustee Curtis Jordan (Stormont and Glengarry) resigned to accept a work employment position elsewhere. He was replaced by retired educator Liz Steinberg, who is from Smiths Falls.

Trustees will select from a short list of candidates for Dufort’s replacement in the fall. The replacement trustee will serve out the balance of the term, ending in November 2026. Voters will elect their next school board trustees in October 2026 during municipal elections.