This update provides a summary of the public meeting of Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board held Monday, September 25, 2017 at the Education Centre. It is an unofficial summary of the meeting; official minutes will be approved at the next meeting in October 2017.
Character Moment of Reflection
Each Board meeting opens with a Character Moment of Reflection. At Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, Growing with Character is our intentional focus on creating safe, caring, respectful and inclusive learning environments where students develop foundation for good character. Growing with Character is the foundation of the school board strategic plan. Through Growing with Character, we model, teach and expect demonstrations of our eight character traits which are: caring, cooperation, honesty, humour, integrity, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness.
This evening Morgan Beatty, Student Trustee, Centennial Secondary School, asked all to reflect on responsibility: We have a sense of duty to fulfill commitments. We take ownership for our own thoughts and actions. We are reliable and accountable in our words and actions.
Presentations
"Learning Happens Here" video
This video highlighted (video) student learning during the first few weeks of the 2017-2018 school year. It featured students from schools throughout Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board.
Achieving Excellence & Equity: Learning & Leadership
This presentation provided a summary of summer learning initiatives for students and employees.
- The Summer Learning Program for SK, Grade 1, 2 and 3 students focused on understanding number sense and developing reading skills. Students also learned age-appropriate coding and robotic skills. Six sites hosted the program: Earl Prentice Public School, Prince Charles School (Belleville), Prince of Wales Public School, Queen Elizabeth School (Picton) and York River Public School.
- Summer School for secondary school students was entirely online through eLearning. Students also engaged in the School Within a College program through courses such as: Culinary Techniques, T.V. and New Media, Building Construction and Make-Up Artistry.
- 429 educators from across the province, including 300 from HPEDSB, participated in the second Google Summit hosted at Bayside Secondary School. They learned how to use Google products to enhance classroom learning.
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Thank you to Teri Cook, Vice-principal, Stirling Public School; Wendy Goodman, Curriculum Coordinator; Tina Jones, System Principal; Heather McMaster, Early Years Lead; Roger Ramsay, Curriculum Coordinator and Marg Thompson, Student Success Lead. |
Report from Committee of the Whole
This report included the following:
Recommendations
External audit plan
Board members approved the content of the external Audit Plan as per Ontario Regulation 361/10. This is a result of amendments to the regulation related to audit committees. As a result, the Audit Committee is now required to make recommendations to the Board on the content of the external auditor's audit plan and on all proposed major changes to the plan.
Appointment of external auditors for 2017-2018
Board members appointed BDO LLP as the external auditor for 2016-2017 at a remuneration of $37,800.
2017-2018 Board policy review
Board members approved the review of four policies to determine any revisions to comply with legislation, guidelines, the strategic plan and current practices:
- Policy 5: Director of Education Job Description
- Policy 6: Delegation of Authority
- Policy 8: Board Members'Code of Conduct
- Policy 10: Duties of the Board Chair and Vice-chair
- Policy 11-C: Operations and Finance Committee
- Policy 17: Transportation
- Policy 11-M: Ad-Hoc Committees
- Policy 16: Selection of the Director
The revised policies will be reviewed by the Executive Committee, then be included on the November public Board meeting agenda for approval.
Annual review and approval of the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan: Possibilities Today & Tomorrow
An annual review of the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan (Pdf) has been completed. Progress on the 2017-2018 action plans will be reported through the Annual Report and revisited when the next review process begins in February 2018.
Approval of the Accessibility Plan
Board members approved the Multi-Year Annual Accessibility Plan for the period September 2017 to August 2022.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005) (AODA) and the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2001) (ODA) requires school boards to prepare annual plans to address barriers to persons with disabilities. The plan has had several revisions since it was first published in 2005.
The Accessibility Advisory Committee met in June 2017 to review and update the Multi-Year Annual Accessibility Plan which incorporates plans for the next five-year period. The plan is reviewed annually by the Accessibility Advisory Committee then approved by the Board.
The updated plan will be available online by the week of October 2, 2017.
Information
Calendar of events
A number of district and school events (pdf) are scheduled for the remainder of September and October 2017.
Upcoming events include the following:
- Terry Fox events: various schools, dates and times
- September 26: Grade 9 team building house league challenge and Terry Fox Run, Moira Secondary School
- September-October: Farm Fresh Fundraising events, Kente Public School
- October: Meet the Teacher Nights, various schools, dates and times
Report from the Chair
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Summary of participation at the Canadian School Boards'Association conference.
Report from the Audit Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Annual Report to the Board of Trustees
Report from the Executive Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Brief summary on the topic of human trafficking. We have been engaging with local police services to gain an awareness and understanding. More to come in the future.
Report from the Student Enrolment/School Capacity Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Review of a Ministry of Education memo about strengthening rural school boards.
- Update on three administrative reviews related to accommodation reviews.
Report from the Operations and Finance Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Review of the Accessibility Plan and Strategic Plan.
- Update on the addition and renovation at Marmora Senior Public School.
- Update on child care centres at Frankford Public School and Massassaga-Rednersville Public School.
- Summary of building renewal projects totalling $23.3 million.
- Two community planning/partnership meetings in late August, one at Centennial Secondary School and one at North Hastings High School.
Report from the Program and Human Resources Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Update on the Strategic Plan and actions for the 2017-2018 school year.
- Enrolment update.
Enrolment update
Each September elementary and secondary enrolments are collected then compared to projections to determine the impact on teaching staff and school organizations. This is required to address provincial class size guidelines and budget.
Elementary enrolment on September 15, 2017 was 10,340 compared to a projection of 10,285, resulting in an increase of 55 students over projection. Overall, elementary enrolment continues to show evidence that it is stabilizing, with a year-over-year increase of 167 students.
For secondary, using the data collected on September 15, 2017, the revised average daily enrolment (ADE) was projected for the year as 4,587. The revised projection shows a decrease of 112 ADE over original projections, and a year-over-year decrease of 132 secondary students.
The total combined student enrolment at this time is 14,927.
Administration is in the process of finalizing the impact on staff needs and class sizes to determine what adjustments are required.
Report from trustees
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Attendance at a Board of Director meeting of the Ontario Public School Boards'Association, where a guest speak spoke about equity and global leaders.
- Vice-chair Dave Patterson presented a proposal to the Board that school board initiatives align with municipal initiatives, particularly those relating to retaining and attracting and families in communities.
- Attendance at the Indigenous Trustee Council, which is an annual planning session through the Ontario Public School Boards'Association. Three areas of focus were chosen for the upcoming school year: 1) the need for fluent Indigenous language teachers; 2) professional learning about Indigenous learning; and 3) clarity about the role of the steering committee.
- Attendance at the provincial Indigenous Leads Gathering.
Upcoming public meetings
All meetings take place at the Education Centre unless otherwise noted.
- Thursday, September 28: Special Education Advisory Committee, 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, September 28: Parent Involvement Committee, 6:00 p.m.
- Monday, October 2: Executive Committee, 11:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, October 10: Student Enrolment/School Capacity Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 10: Program and Human Resources Committee, 5:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 10: Operations and Finance Committee, 7:00 p.m.
- Monday, October 23: Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, October 26: Special Education Advisory Committee, 5:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, extension 2354, [email protected]