Tillsonburg property owners will see no change to the education tax rate this year, but the Thames Valley District School Board’s new $1.25-billion budget raises longer-term questions about funding and local control. The budget, published July 2, 2026, covers the school year from September 2026 to August 2027 and was drafted under provincial supervision without input from publicly elected trustees.
The education portion of your property tax bill is set by the province, not the school board or the Town of Tillsonburg. The town collects those taxes and sends them to the board. For 2026, that provincial rate remains unchanged, so the school tax line on your next bill should look familiar. The full bill may still shift if the town or Oxford County changes their rates or if MPAC updates your property assessment.
Behind the numbers, the board is facing growing financial pressure. The 2026-27 Budget Report shows a projected deficit of $22.1 million that is expected to climb to $27.1 million by August 2027. Costs are running ahead of funding in several areas: special education is short $9.2 million, transportation is behind $5.1 million, CPP and EI premiums have risen $17 million, staff replacement costs add $4.7 million, and utilities are up $2.2 million.
The budget was developed without local trustee oversight because the board has been under provincial supervision since April 2025. An audit found financial mismanagement, including a three-day executive retreat held during Toronto Blue Jays home games. Trustee Sherri Moore said she is frustrated she cannot do the job she was elected to do and that the public is not being served.
For Tillsonburg homeowners, the immediate impact is minimal: your education tax rate is frozen. The risk lies further down the road. A structural deficit of this size could push the province to adjust funding formulas or, eventually, the education rate itself. For now, the town’s role is only to collect and forward the tax, but any future changes would flow directly onto your property tax bill.
