Petrella declines nomination; Luciani acclaimed as new BHNCDSB Chair

A new chair has been named for the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board for the first time in 10 years.

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Carol Luciani was acclaimed to the position after fellow nominee Rick Petrella declined the nomination.

The selection was made during the board’s annual meeting on Tuesday night.

Luciani and Petrella were named in a secret ballot by the six board trustees.

“I respectfully decline,” Petrella responded when asked by director of education Mike McDonald if he would stand for nomination.

Petrella, chair for the past 10 consecutive terms, is one of four BHNCDSB trustees – including Bill Chopp, Mark Watson, and Dan Dignard — who traveled to Italy last July to meet with artists and procure almost $100,000 worth of art for the chapel at St . Padre Pio Secondary School, a new Catholic high school being built on Powerline Road in Brantford.

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Expenses from the trip included $28,000 for airfare and close to $16,000 for accommodations, according to documents obtained by The Expositor through a Freedom of Information request. The four trustees also spent $1,600 for a single dinner at a gourmet hotel and spa.

News of the trustees’ trip sparked an outcry from the public, including the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association that issued open letters to the trustees demanding they step down. A public petition also calls for their resignations.

Petrella later issued a statement saying the trustees regret their actions and will repay the board all of their expenses, adding that donations were being collected to pay for the artwork.

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Ontario’s Minister of Education Jill Dunlop expressed concerns in mid-October over “the misuse of taxpayer’s dollars” and called for a governance review. In early November, Premier Doug Ford ordered an audit of all Ontario school boards amid a slew of travel scandals.

Two weeks ago, Petrella told the Hamilton Spectator he would not step down but would not seek re-election to the board in 2026.

“It’s an honor to serve as the chair of the board of trustees,” Luciani, who represents Norfolk, told those in attendance. “I want to thank Rick Petrella for his dedication to the role of chair and his work with the Ministry of Education helping to secure funding for our two new schools.

“I deeply appreciate the trust you have placed in me, and I am committed to fulfilling this role with dedication and respect.”

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When asked following the meeting what led him to decline the nomination for board chair, Petrella told The Expositor “I direct any questions to the chair of the board” before abruptly leaving the boardroom.

Luciani has spent 38 years in education as a teacher and principal, and after retirement was elected as a trustee in 2014.

“I think I was a little surprised,” Luciani said of Petrella’s decision to decline his nomination. “But that was his prerogative too. Everybody needs a change.”

Dignard was elected vice-chair, after winning the vote over fellow trustee nominees Mark Watson and Dennis Blake.

The board provides faith-based education to more than 13,000 students in the City of Brantford, Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk counties, Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

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