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Highlights from the March 2015 Board Meeting

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
April 1, 2015

GUELPH, Ontario – The regular monthly meeting of the board was held on March 31, 2015. The following are highlights from the meeting. 

Cold weather debate stalled

The contentious issue of whether schools should remain open on extremely cold days (below -35C), even if buses are not running, was stalled by a procedural dilemma. At the Business Operations Committee meeting on March 10, Trustee White had moved that schools remain open on extremely cold days, and that parents would decide to send their children to school or not. At that meeting trustees voted to defer White’s motions to the September meeting of the Business Operations Committee, to allow time for feedback from staff, the community, and to obtain comparisons with other boards. At the March 31 board meeting Trustee White argued that trustees should not wait until after a long hot summer, and put forward an amendment to have the motions debated at the May meeting of Business Operations. White’s amendment failed in a 4-4 tie vote, and a subsequent vote on the deferral to September also failed in a 4-4 vote. The deadlock resulted in the issue being taken off the table entirely. The Chair of the Board, Trustee Bailey, said that he will consult the Board Procedural By-law to see if and when the matter can be raised again.

Boundary Review for the new Couling Crescent School

Trustee approved Report #1 of the Couling Crescent Boundary Review and adopted the proposed timelines for it. Due to overcrowding at École Edward Johnson Public School, students who enter grades JK to 3 in September 2015 who live east of Victoria Road will attend Tytler PS until the new school opens (2016 or 2017). JK to grade 4 students will be housed at Tytler in September 2016 if the new school does not open by then. These students will form the interim boundary for the JK to grade 8 French Immersion (FI) school, with a review of the King George (JK-grade 8 FI school) to set the full boundary for the school. The boundary review will come to board at its June Business Operations Committee and be confirmed at the June 23 board meeting. Report #1 is posted on the board’s website at www.ugdsb.ca/egbr.

French Review Terms of Reference

The board adopted the terms of reference for the UGDSB French Review. The review was prompted by:

Trustees met and established the rationale, scope and membership of the committee. It is to bring options and recommendations to the full board by December 31, 2015.

The 31 members of the committee will include 7 parent representatives (four from Guelph, and one each from Orangeville, Centre/North Wellington, East Wellington), the presidents of the local ETFO and OSSTF unions, and six trustees (three from Guelph, and one each from Orangeville, Centre/North Wellington and East Wellington). The parent reps will have experience with a different French delivery model including regular track, dual track, FI centres and in the elementary and secondary panels. The rest of the committee will include board staff from all areas of the organization.

The committee will develop a timeline for its work (which is short considering the scope), report back to the board on a frequent basis and review and analyze a variety of existing UGDSB data sources (enrolment, expenditures/funding, staffing and retention/attrition rates). It will also review current research, undertake surveys of students, parents and teachers and propose strategic options and recommendations. Simulations will be conducted to understand the pros and cons and overall impact on students and their families, program (both English and French), facilities, transportation, funding and the board.

Trustees were selected to serve on the committee: Moziar, Fairbairn, MacNeil, Challoner (student), Evoy, White and Cooper.

Motion of Reconsideration – Rickson Ridge/Sir Isaac Brock

The motion of reconsideration placed the previous month by Trustee Schieck regarding the expansion Sir Isaac Brock to a grade JK-grade 8 school beginning in September 2015 was not placed. The trustee said that having heard from the Sir Isaac Brock parents at a previous meeting had convinced him that this was not necessary. 

Special Education Advisory Committee

Carole Craig was appointed as the alternative representative for the Integration Action for Inclusion Equity and Community (Ontario) on SEAC. The non-profit volunteer organization promotes inclusion in education and community for people living with disabilities. Don Richardson is the current representative.

A letter of strong support for the development of a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) strategy will be sent by the board to the Minister of Education and the Ontario School Boards’ Association (OPSBA). Ontario is the only province in Canada that does not have a FASD strategy in place.

Other Business 

Trustee MacNeil reported on her attendance at the Poverty Challenge summit held in Kingston hosted by the Limestone DSB. The challenge uses role playing by students and volunteers who enact what it is like to be living in poverty and dealing with those who live in poverty. The Poverty Challenge is being proposed for the Upper Grand DSB next year.

Trustee Cooper was granted her request requested that the board pay for her attendance at Learning for Sustainable Futures Symposium (approximate cost $150-$250).

Trustee Moziar noted the unique presentation by history teacher Neil Orford of Centre Dufferin District High School on his Digital Historian Project, a course offered by the three Dufferin high schools in the Dufferin County Museum. The project by Orford has been submitted to OPSBA to the selection process for showcasing at the Annual General Meeting in June. 

The Chairs’ Committee will investigate the need to reduce paper and to organize the electronic documents for trustee use.

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]
 

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