Highlights from the June 2013 board meeting
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 27, 2013
GUELPH, Ontario — The regular monthly meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board was held on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. The following provides highlights of the meeting.
2013-14 Budget Approved
Trustees approved the 2013-2014 school year budget with an operating amount of $329,510,771 for the period of September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014. The capital budget was also approved at $68,008,570. The budget is balanced and compliant with Ministry of Education parameters. For more information, a budget release will be provided later today.
Elementary Principal Transfers
Effective September 1, 2014 the following have been appointed to head up the three new schools opening in September 2014: Kirk Runciman, currently principal of Kortright Hills PS, Guelph will be transferred to the French Immersion school on Zaduk Place (Guelph); Curt McQueen, principal at Victoria Cross PS in Mount Forest will become principal of Lee Street (Guelph); and Denise Heaslip, principal at Hyland Heights ES in Shelburne will be transferred to the new Settlers’ Creek elementary school in Orangeville. Congratulations to all.
Special Everyday Hero Award
Sarah Brake, a substitute bus driver with Stock Transportation, Orangeville was honoured at the meeting with an Everyday Hero Award for saving the life of a grade 4 student at Primrose Elementary School (Shelburne). Sarah had only completed her training a few weeks earlier when she helped save Abby Callegari who was choking on a hard candy. Lynn Topping, trustee for Dufferin County area, presented the award.
Delegation – Rockwood Centennial Transportation
Parents Patrick Robitaille and Amy Umrysh delegated the board to have transportation of Rockwood students extended for another year until the new school is built in the town, scheduled to open in September 2014. The board is eliminating busing for students who are within the walking distances set by policy, now that construction of the roadway and bridge in the town is completed. The transportation, paid in part by the Township of Guelph Eramosa, began in 2008 and continued until June 2013 due to the construction.
The route is no longer considered hazardous based on provincial standards. A motion to continue transportation was placed, but lost in a vote. The Township has agreed to use its contribution of $15,000 to add a pedestrian crosswalk and a crossing guard on the walking route beginning in September.
Delegations – Sir Isaac Brock Grade 7/8 Feasibility Study
Renee Chumbley, a parent at Sir Isaac Brock PS asked the Board to confirm its original recommendation to add grades 7 and 8 to Sir Isaac Brock Public School beginning in 2015. Rickson Ridge parent, Heather Staines, spoke against the recommendation citing concerns about the enrolment numbers at both schools into the future and the loss of students if the program is expanded at Sir Isaac Brock. Currently, students who graduate from grade 6 at Sir Isaac Brock attend Rickson Ridge for grades 7 and 8. In a recorded vote, trustees confirmed the recommendation to add the intermediate program to Sir Isaac Brock. The grade 7 program will begin in 2015, with grade 8 being added in 2016.
New Settlers Creek Boundary Confirmed
Trustees confirmed the boundary for the Settlers Creek Public School in Orangeville scheduled to open in September 2014. Currently students from the area attend East Garafraxa and Montgomery Village Public Schools. The new boundary encompasses the Settlers Creek subdivision, maximizing the number of students who can walk to the new facility. Based on a survey of grade 6 parents, the new school will open as a kindergarten to grade 8 school in the 2014-15 school year.
Full Day Kindergarten Play Spaces
The board approved a staff recommendation that some of the capital funding provided to fund renovations to existing facilities be used to develop appropriate JK/SK play spaces at schools. This requires an exemption from Policy 307, Creative Playgrounds. Board policy states that all creative playgrounds must be funded by the school, not the board. This equipment may help provide appropriate facilities for the JK/SK program. Other play space renovations could include naturalization and storage to ensure that the “play-based” curriculum of the JK/SK program is supported.
FDK Capital Project at Rockwood Centennial PS
A capital project designed to help Rockwood Centennial PS house the FDK Program beginning at the school in 2014 was approved. The project involves renovating two existing classrooms into a purpose built kindergarten room and a seminar room. Two other existing classrooms will also be expanded providing three purpose built FDK rooms. The target budget for the project is estimated at $1.2 million. A competitive procurement process will be used to select the architect.
Custodians’ Green Initiative Awards
Aberfoyle, East Garafraxa, Island Lake, James McQueen, Westminster Woods, and Westwood public schools, and Guelph CVI and Wellington Heights SS are this year’s recipients of $500 each to support environmental initiatives at their schools. The schools partner with their custodians to develop and implement plans to pursue energy saving opportunities and reduce their carbon footprints. The awards are presented to the schools by their custodians after the plans are assessed and monitored by the Operations Department. This internal grant program was started by the board in May 2011 and is funded through rebates received by the board from previous energy conservation projects.
Policies Approved
The following policies were approved by the board and will be posted on the board’s website: #708 Allowable Expenditures (new); #707 Reimbursement of Trustee Expenses (revised); #701 Reimbursement of Employee Expenditures (revised); #706 Corporate Credit Card (revised); #302 Purchasing (revised); and #102 School Generated Funds (revised) based on the Broader Public Sector and Ministry Guidelines. Policy #503 Safe Schools was revised with a new name and incorporates new components required as a result of changes to the Education Act (Bill 13, the Accepting Schools Act) and Ministry Policy and Program Memoranda.
Interim Report of the Environmental Education and Management Committee
The Environmental Education and Management Committee (EEMC) composed of trustees, board staff including central office departments, Principal and Vice-principal, teacher representatives, and secondary students presented its interim report to the board. The report focuses on a vision statement to complement the Environmental Education and Management Policy #210. It also highlighted existing policies, procedures and practices, program initiatives as well as areas that are currently missing in board and school practices. Next steps include continuation of the committee and the development of a comprehensive communications plan and action plans with short and longer term goals to support environmental stewardship in the board. This report will be developed in the fall and presented to the Board in January 2014.
Ontario Green Energy Reporting
A regulation under the Ontario Green Energy Act requires boards to report and make public 2011 energy consumption and greenhouse gas data for all its facilities, update it annually and develop a plan for energy conservation. The plan will be updated every five years. An abridged version of the data required was presented to trustees and will be posted on the board’s website by the deadline of July 1, 2013. The report will be posted also on the board’s website by July 1, 2014 as required by the regulation.
A special meeting of the board will be held on Tuesday July 9, 2013 to complete the business for the 2012-13 school year. The next regular meeting of the board will be held on Tuesday, August 27, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Guelph Board office, 500 Victoria Road North. Everyone is welcome to attend.
For more information:
Maggie McFadzen, Communications Officer
519-822-4420 ext.725
[email protected]
Mark Weidmark, Administrative Officer – Communications
519-822-4420 ext.544
[email protected]
Categories: Media Releases