by Erica Braunovan
OCDSB Trustee Zone 10
Wow! Here we are at March Break already. It is so nice to feel the warmth starting to return to the air. Hopefully, we are almost done with the ice and snow for another winter.
Icy schoolyards
I have heard from many people across the zone regarding snow and ice accumulation on schoolyards. We are committed to ensuring that students, staff and visitor are safe while on school property. However, this year has been particularly difficult and our contractors have been stretched really thin.
Academic staffing
The largest piece of board business that we are currently undertaking is academic staffing.
Our collective bargaining agreements require us to set the staff levels for our academic staff prior to the start of April. We hope to see our HR department’s recommendation for academic staffing on Tuesday, March 19. This will only be possible if the ministry has sent needed information to school boards, which has been promised to come on or before March 15.
It is possible, depending on the information, that staff may need to review and update their recommendation after receiving information from the province, which will in turn delay the report to trustees.
The OCDSB budget process is perennially awkward, as we set academic staffing levels well in advance of receiving our overall budget for the coming year. This year, this is compounded by potential changes to class sizes, which could affect academic staffing levels.
We are all anxiously waiting to receive information, as planning in the dark is not pleasant for anyone.
Response to changes to Ontario Autism Program
At our Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, March 5, we passed a motion to communicate with Minister of Education Lisa Thompson and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa Mac-Leod, regarding the changes to the Ontario Autism Program.
Our school district is committed to serving all of our students. We have concerns regarding the implementation of these changes, given that we do not have an accurate picture of what the implications will be, or how the changes will be adequately funded.
Chair Scott will be sending a letter to the ministers and will be requesting a meeting with local MPP Lisa MacLeod to share our concerns and explore solutions.
Updates
We are excited to announce that Eric Hardie will be joining us as a new superintendent of instruction on April 8. Eric is joining us from the Upper Canada District School Board.
And for anyone who is a planner (like me), next year’s school year calendar is available on our website at this time.