by Erica Braunovan, OCDSB Trustee, Somerset-Kitchissippi
On April 2, at the OCDSB Committee of the Whole meeting, we held a discussion regarding an Operational Review of Learning Support Services, the department in charge of special education.
This discussion was an opportunity for trustees to give input into the scope of the review. The Special Education Advisory Committee was able to offer feedback to the review at their recent meeting.
A request for proposals will go out shortly and we are hopeful to have an update on the timeline late in this school year, or early in the fall, once an external consultant has been selected.
We also held a discussion regarding employee well-being and absenteeism on April 2. We understand how important this issue is to the quality of education that we are able to deliver.
Our human resource department is working with our federations to help better understand this complex issue and find ways to support our staff, so that they in turn can support students.
There will be budget meetings through April and May, and possibly into June. We expect to see the Grants For Student Needs from the Ministry of Education on April 14. On April 16, trustees will have an opportunity to hear initial thoughts from finance staff and give input regarding priorities prior to staff producing their recommended budget.
On May 13, staff will present their initial recommendation, and delegations will be welcome to give input at the Committee of the Whole budget meeting starting on May 29.
I am currently working with a couple of my trustee colleagues to host a joint community budget meeting at a school on May 14 (there will be more details to follow). These joint community meetings are an excellent opportunity to have a dialogue with your local trustee and Mike Carson, chief financial officer for the board, in a less formal setting than is available at meetings in the board office.
At our April 16 meeting, we will also have before us a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Equity that states “that the Board [should] explore funding to support mental health through an equity lens especially for students who self identify as First Nations, Inuit and Métis and for male students of African descent.”
As always, I welcome community feedback on motions in front of trustees, and ask that you email your thoughts to me at Erica.braunovan@ocdsb.ca.
We are hopeful that a draft of our next strategic plan will be available for feedback in early to mid May. Please keep an eye on my public Facebook page for this.