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This update provides a summary of the public meeting of Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board held Monday, June 20, 2016 at the Education Centre. It is an unofficial summary of the meeting; official minutes will be approved at the next meeting in September 2016.
Presentations
Recognition of the outgoing 2015-2016 Student Trustees
Vice-chair Lucille Kyle made complimentary remarks about the two outgoing student trustees, Lauren Barry, Centre Hastings Secondary School; and Morgan Hillier, Moira Secondary School. She commented about their energy, exceptional work ethic and that the Board has benefitted from students being at the Board table. During their term, both Lauren and Morgan identified issues that were important to students, and suggested ways to help address student achievement and well-being. Our best wishes to Lauren and Morgan as they progress to the next phase of their education and life journeys.
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Pictured right: Lucille Kyle, Vice-chair of the Board; Lauren Barry, Student Trustee, Centre Hastings Secondary School; Morgan Hillier, Student Trustee, Moira Secondary School; Mandy Savery-Whiteway, Director of Education.
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TWO DEMONSTRATIONS OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT & LEADERSHIP
Cathy Portt, Superintendent of Education, introduced students and staff from three schools and the Education Centre, connecting their presentations to strategic plan priorities.
Skilled Trades Competitions
Congratulations to Taylor McGinnis, Centennial Secondary School, who won silver in Automotive at the recent Skills Canada National Competition in Moncton, New Brunswick. He is the first HPEDSB student to compete at the national level.
HPEDSB has worked with Skills Ontario to promote the skilled trades as a career path for 25 years. This year HPEDSB supported students to compete in local competitions at Loyalist College and St. Lawrence College, then provincials in Waterloo. Through these competitions, students from five secondary schools competed in 15 competitions, including 4-person carpentry, individual carpentry, automotive, precision machining and welding, to name just a few.
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Pictured right: Taylor McGinnis (4th from right), Grade 12 at Centennial Secondary School, won silver in Automotive at the Skills Canada National Competition in Moncton, New Brunswick. He is the first HPEDSB student to compete at the national level.
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Taylor expressed appreciation to everyone who had helped him get to compete at all three levels. He added that he can fix anything on a vehicle, from a flat tire to working on the engine! Teacher Troy Bartlett described feeling privileged to work with students in these competitions. He commented that Taylor is already working at industry standard.
Provincial Climate Change Inquiry in Geography and Science with GreenLearning Canada
Three secondary schools participated in a provincial initiative with Green Learning Canada: North Hastings High School, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute and Quinte Secondary School. The topic was the carbon footprint in Ontario and how to address it.
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The students participated in a full-day of professional development with over 600 other Ontario students. Through this inquiry, they developed skills in critical thinking, digital fluency and collaboration. They directed their learning and applied their knowledge to do research, ask questions and engaged with a community member who works in fisheries at the provincial level. Quinte Secondary School student Delanie Austin was one of 10 students selected to write a final report.
Pictured right: thank you to the following for presenting this evening:
- Student Taylor McGinnis and Teacher Troy Bartlett, Centennial Secondary School.
- Curriculum coordinators: Eleanor MacNiven Hoecht, Erna Sorensen and Randy Votary.
- Students Julie Dagenais-Brethour and Heather Lane, North Hastings High School; Amanda Johnson, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute; and Delaine Austin, Quinte Secondary School.
- Teachers Leaf Worsley, North Hastings High School; Greer Koutroulides, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute; and Robert Montgomery, Quinte Secondary School.
Update on the new Trent River Public School
Mark Fisher, Superintendent of Education, introduced Nick Pfeiffer, Controller of Facility Services and Bill Launderville, Principal, Breadner Elementary School. They showed a presentation about the new Trent River Public School which is under construction now. It is scheduled to open in January 2017. This new school will be a 1.5 storey building with large windows, a learning commons, a large gym and a double-sided stage. Some classrooms will have collaboration rooms which are small areas between two classrooms where students can work together. The outside brick work will begin in the next few weeks, then the electrical and plumbing.
Report from Committee of the Whole
This report included the following:
- Agreement of Purchase & Sale for S.H. Connor School in Tweed.
Recommendations
Borrowing resolution
From time to time it is necessary to borrow funds to meet current expenditures until the current revenues have been received. An operating line of credit is established which states that the loan must not exceed a given limit at any time. The limit is the estimated maximum borrowing the board may require at any one time. Board members approved a recommendation authorizing the borrowing of up to $14,000,000 outstanding at any one time.
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Pictured right: Bill Launderville, Principal, Breadner Elementary School, unveiled the new logo for Trent River Public School, to be known as the Voyageurs. It is an exciting time for the school staff who are beginning a new voyage together!
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2016-2017 Budget
Board members approved the 2016-2017 operating in the amount of $191,770,315 and a capital budget in the amount of $14,534,915.
The 2016-2017 budget continues to support the HPEDSB strategic priorities of Achieving Excellence & Equity, Learning & Leadership, Public Confidence and Well-Being while maintaining the fiscal integrity of its operations. While additional work remains to fully address the phase-in of Ministry of Education funding changes and ongoing enrolment impact, progress has been made to align operational costs with available funding.
Consistent with prior years, funding levels for Ontario school boards will continue to reflect local enrolment fluctuations. In elementary, enrolment is projected to decline by five students for 2016-2017 to 10,126. In secondary, enrolment is projected to decline by approximately 95 students to 4,682. Total projected enrolment for the 2016-2017 school year is 14,808 students. It is recommended that the Budget Committee have regular meetings during the upcoming school year to deal with budget issues on an ongoing basis.
Election of the Representative to Ontario Public School Boards' Association
A representative and an alternate to the Board of Directors for the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) are elected at the June Board meeting in non-municipal election years. Congratulations to Dave Patterson, Trustee for Belleville/Thurlow, who was elected to this role and Mary Hall, Trustee for Belleville/Thurlow, as the alternate. This membership will be in effect for one year until the Board meeting in June 2017, unless a municipal election is called in the interim.
Draft Long-Term Capital and Accommodation Plan
Board members approved a motion to postpone the recommendation to adopt the draft Long-Term Capital and Accommodation Plan to September 30, 2016, enabling staff and the community to fully respond to the draft plan.
The draft Long-Term Capital and Accommodation Plan for HPEDSB is a review of all school groups and outlines possible considerations for the activation of standard or modified accommodations reviews. It does not contain any formal recommendations for school closure or consolidation and is intended to serve as a road map over the next 10 years. The plan includes enrolment projections, school capacity, renewal needs, potential consolidations and the constructions of new schools or additions, including significant renovations. The long-term capital and accommodation plan is a framework for decision making. It is intended to be a living document that will be monitored and updated as required.
The Ministry of Education requires the development of new or revised capital plans to effectively right-size and manage excess capacity in schools. School boards are expected to have capital plans that address the future needs of their students. The ability to sustain effective programming for students and continued declining enrolment, as well as surplus space, aging facilities and the phasing out of top-up funding by the Ministry of Education over the next three years, are the driving forces behind the development of a new long-term plan for HPEDSB.
Bill C-241, Excise Tax Act
Board members approved a recommendation to send a letter to the local MP in order to support Bill C-241.
Policy 9: Role of Board Member, includes advocacy and leadership as key roles for Trustees. The policy states that Board members are education advocates across the province and with the provincial government. On May 11, 2016, the Canadian School Board Association sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau in support of Bill C-241, An Act to Amend the Excise Tax Act so as to increase the goods and service tax rebate for school authorities from 68% to 100%. This is a Private Member's Bill introduced by Progressive Conservative Kevin Waugh that seeks to allow school boards to receive the full 100% GST rebate.
Information
Calendar of events
A number of district and school events are scheduled for the remainder of June and July 2016.
Upcoming events include the following:
- Tuesday, June 28 and Wednesday, June 29: Secondary school graduation ceremonies at various locations.
- Wednesday, July 6: Golf Tournament for The Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation, 1:00 p.m., Trillium Wood Golf Club.
Report from the Executive Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Bill C-214.
- Strategic planning review on May 10.
- Board and committee meeting dates for 2016-2017.
OPSBA elections.
- Professional learning series for trustees in the fall.
Report from the Student Enrolment/School Capacity Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Two delegations: 1) Wendy Riley, School Council Chair at Bayside Public School; and Brad Beale, School Council Chair at Bayside Secondary School.
- Review of public feedback on the draft Long-Term Capital and Accommodation Plan.
- Change to the motion initially presented at this meeting and mentioned above.
Report from the Program and Human Resources Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Presentation on literacy initiatives at elementary and secondary schools.
- Update on information technology initiatives.
Report from the Operations and Finance Committee
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Borrowing resolution.
- Bell wide-area network report.
Board and committee meeting dates for 2016-2017
This report provided the scheduled dates of Board and committee meetings for the new school year. Other meetings may be added, as required.
Reports from trustees
Highlights from this report included the following:
- Brief summary of workshops at the recent OPSBA Annual General Meeting.
Upcoming public meetings
All meetings take place at the Education Centre unless otherwise noted.
- Tuesday, September 6: Executive Committee, 11:00 a.m.
- Monday, September 12: Student Enrolment/School Capacity Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Monday, September 12: Program and Human Resources Committee, 5:30 p.m.
- Monday, September 12: Operations and Finance Committee, 7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 21: Audit Committee, 3:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, September 21: Special Education Advisory Committee, 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, September 22: Special Education Advisory Committee, 5:00 p.m.
- Monday, September 26: Board meeting, 7:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, extension 2354, [email protected]