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Highlights of the September 2013 board meeting

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
September 25, 2013

GUELPH, Ontario — The regular monthly meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board was held Tuesday, September 24, 2013. The following are highlights from the meeting.

Performance Review – Director of Education

Trustees commended the board’s Director of Education, Martha Rogers, on her exceptional leadership skills and her senior administrative team. The vote on her performance appraisal was unanimous. Board Chair, Mark Bailey said that during a difficult year with labour unrest and challenges she met and exceeded the expectations of the trustees. He also commented on her dual role as both a local and provincial leader.

Boundary Review New Rockwood Elementary School

The first report and the beginning of the Boundary Review for the new school proposed in Rockwood was approved by the board. The review will confirm the boundary and the grade configuration for the school, and will focus on the enrolment and boundaries for Eramosa PS, Rockwood Centennial PS and Brisbane PS. Also included is the potential for the start-up of a JK/SK or JK/SK/grade 1 French Immersion (FI) program starting in September 2014, if enrolment warrants. The school for the proposed program has not been selected and will be part of the review. Advance enrolment for FI will be held in Rockwood in early October. The final report of the boundary review committee will be presented to the board in January 2014. The first report is available on the board’s website at www.ugdsb.ca/rbr.

Boundary Review Ponsonby Public School

Trustees approved the commencement of a boundary review for Ponsonby PS. Enrolment is expected to exceed capacity in the coming two years due to the introduction of Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) and residential growth in the school’s catchment area. The review will also examine the grade configuration of both Ponsonby and Elora public schools. The final report is expected to be completed by December 2013. The first report of the Ponsonby Boundary Review is available on the board’s website www.ugdsb.ca/pbr.

Lee Street Public School Project Approval Report

The construction tender for the new K-8 elementary school in Guelph’s east end was presented to trustees. The low bidder on the project was Devlan Construction, one of 12 pre-qualified general contractors. The board’s Capital Projects staff and ZAS Architects reviewed the tenders, and trustees accepted a recommendation that the lump sum tender be awarded to Devlan. The final project budget is $7.7 million, which is lower than the estimate in the Concept Design Report by approximately $400,000. The school is tentatively scheduled to open in September 2014.

New Rockwood School Project Approval Report

Twelve general contractors were pre-qualified to bid on the lump sum construction tender for a new elementary school to be built in Rockwood. Tambro Construction was awarded the contract on a conditional basis. Staff did not find any irregularities in their review of the tenders and Tambro will be awarded the contract subject to the architect’s detailed written analysis and recommendation. Timing to build the school is tight and it was necessary to get conditional approval from trustees at this time. The final project budget is approximately $6.26 million, conditional on confirmation of the detailed tender analysis.

Policies Rescinded and Approved

The following policies have been rescinded by trustees as they are not relevant to board operations:

Policy # 305 Accommodation Review was approved. It was to incorporate changes in the Ministry’s process and put into the new format.

The following policies were put into the new format and revised as necessary:

The revised policies will be posted on the board’s website.

Chairs’ Committee Report

The interim report on trustee expenses was deferred to October. The statement for review by the board was inadvertently omitted from the report.

Interim Financial Statements

The preliminary August 31, 2013 financial position of the board was received by trustees. The total operating budget is slightly above spending at this time last year (99.2% compared with 97.1%). This resulted in part from deliberate overspending on the computer refresh program. Purchases were accelerated over the summer and paid from a projected surplus and will not appear on forthcoming years’ budgets. Spending on professional development and sick leave costs are down due to labour action and the new sick leave plan. Administrative costs increased due to money spent on systems to implement the new labour framework. Additional invoices from the 2012-13 school year are being processed by the Finance Department and a final reporting on the board’s financial position will be completed later in the year.

Refinancing Capital Projects 

The board approved a by-law to refinance a portion of a Sinking Fund Debenture purchased in 2003 to pay for the construction of Sir Isaac Brock PS, Centre Wellington DHS and Wellington Heights SS. The maturing debenture requires a payment of approximately $16.9 million dollars. To cover these costs, the board will take out a new loan of $13.59 million dollars from the Ontario School Board Financing Corporation (OSBFC), a pooled ownership organization involving a number of Ontario boards. The balance comes from the board ($785,000) with no impact on the Operating budget as it has been accounted for, and sinking fund contributions of $2.75 million from the maturing debenture. The new loan matures in 2028. When the New Pupil Place (NPP) grant was phased out by the Ministry of Education, it assumed all debenture payment costs.

Appointment to Art Centre Board

Karen Silverstone was appointed to serve as a board representative on the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre for the period ending November 30, 2014. 

Conference Expenses Approved

Trustees agreed to pay expenses involved for Guelph trustee Linda Busuttil to attend a one-day conference in Mississauga convened by Canadian Parents for French (late October). The board also approved travel and accommodation expenses of up to $500 for the Chair, Mark Bailey, to attend the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) Northern Regional Conference. Trustee Bailey is a vice-president of OPSBA, which will cover the conference fees.

The board’s retiring Administrative Assistant, Kathie Gravel was thanked for her four years of exceptional work for trustees and presented with a gift. Kathie is retiring at the end of September.

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The next monthly meeting of the board will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2013 in the Guelph Board office at 500 Victoria Road North at 7:00 p.m. 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]
 

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