The Toronto District School Board has voted overwhelmingly to terminate a controversial agreement with an arm of the Chinese government.

The Confucius Institute would have taught Mandarin and Chinese cultural studies to Toronto students. But many trustees were concerned that Confucius instructors would censor subjects that the Chinese government considered taboo.

Some were unsure of how the TDSB became involved in the first place. It was a pet project of former board chair Chris Bolton.

There were protests outside the board last night, and an equal number of presentations for and against the agreement.

The Chinese government paid the school board $225,000 to introduce the Confucius Institute. That money will have to be re-paid.