Ottawa Carleton District School Board

Boardroom Newsbriefs

Our Boardroom Newsbrief  is a timely way to stay informed about key decisions made at OCDSB Board meetings. The Newsbrief is published within 24 hours of the meeting and helps to keep the community informed. Please note that the Newsbrief is not the official record of the meeting - please refer to the minutes for the official record.  Board and Committee of the Whole Meetings are also live streamed. The live stream is available on our Youtube channel at the time of the scheduled meeting.

Read our Newsbriefs

May 18, 2018
(The Newsbrief is meant to provide the highlights of the decisions made at the Board meeting for the benefit of our community. The notes do not serve as the official record of the meeting. Please refer to Board or Committee minutes).

Public Motions

Approval of Declaration and Disposition Surplus Property

Trustees approved the following properties to be declared surplus to the OCDSB.

a)         The former Grant Alternative School;

b)         The former Leslie Park Public School;

c)         The former McGregor Easson Public School;

d)         The former D.A. Moodie Public School; and

e)         Vacant land; Village of Vernon, former Osgoode Township

The disposition of any OCDSB property is governed by Regulation 444/98 and

Board Policy P095.  The policy and procedure require signage be placed on each property for not less than 30 days. The signs were placed on each property on the list above on March 14, 2018.  Information regarding the disposition of the properties is also available on the District’s website.

Trustees directed staff to make a special effort to circulate information to residents in the former McGregor Easson Public School area regarding the sale of the property. Staff will also review the procedure, to determine if the size of the signs is sufficient to ensure the community is notified.

Approval of Advisory Committee on Equity Representation on Committee of the Whole and Committee of the Whole Budget

Trustees amended policy P.010.GOV Community Involvement on Board Standing Committees to allow the Advisory Committee on Equity (ACE) to appoint one (1) non-voting representative to the Committee of the Whole and one (1) non-voting representative to the Committee of the Whole, Budget.

Approval of Capital Priorities 2018

The list of the OCDSB 2018 Capital Priorities was approved by Trustees for 2018.  Trustees were advised for each recommended capital priority an analysis was undertaken to establish the current number of portables on site at designated schools; the projected number of portables required in the future; the maximum number of portables each site is able to accommodate; and the projected growth in the District Needs Analysis.

The list is ranked in the following order:

1. New Fernbank Elementary School - New School - 628 pupil places – Opening by 2020
2. New Riverside South Secondary School - New School - 1,353 pupil places – Opening 2020
3. New Half Moon Bay Elementary School - #2 New School - 674 pupil places – Opening by 2020
4. Viscount Alexander Public School Addition - 118 pupil places – Opening by 2019
5. A.Y. Jackson Secondary School Addition - 252 pupil places – Opening by 2019
6. New East Urban Centre Elementary School - New School - 674 pupil places – Opening by 2022
7. New Findlay Creek Elementary School - 674 pupil places - Opening by 2022
8. New Riverside South Elementary School #2 New School - 628 pupil places Opening by 2023

Approval of UN Declaration re the International Decade for People of African Descent

Trustees approved the UN Declaration regarding the International Decade for People of African Descent.

The detailed motion includes the following statements:

In commemoration of the 390th anniversary of the arrival in New France of the first student of African descent, the OCDSB joins the Orders of Government in adopting 2015-2024 as the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent.

Trustees and staff are committed to the intent of the UN Decade for People of African Descent in Ottawa through their work to develop and undertake work on the Equity Action Plan. This plan is designed to reduce barriers to learning, to improve equity of access and opportunity for students of African descent.

Trustees have directed staff to intentionally adopt practices to create a safe and caring learning environment that respects, promotes, and protects the human rights of children of African descent.

Staff will collect and use identity-based data to measure progress and to inform decisions on policy and programs that impact the education of students.  In addition, staff will engage with parents and community organizations comprised of people of African descent in Ottawa to support their sense of belonging in the OCDSB education environment.

Director of Education Job Description to be used for the 2018-2019

Trustees approved the job description and performance assessment guide for the 2018-2019 evaluation cycle.

Appointments to OPSBA for June to December 2018

The following appointments to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) for the period June 2018 to December 2018 were approved:

A.        Trustees Boothby and Penny as the two directors to the Board of Directors;

B.        Trustees Braunovan and Olsen Harper as the two alternate directors to the Board of Directors;

C.        Trustee Penny as the voting delegate for the Eastern Regional Council Meetings; and

D.        Trustee Boothby as the alternate voting delegate for the Eastern Regional Council Meetings.

Appointment of Members to the Director's Selection Ad Hoc Committee

Trustees Schwartz, Braunovan and Penny were appointed to the Directors's Selection Ad Hoc Committee.  These three Trustees will join Chair Seward and Vice-Chair Scott on the Ad Hoc Committee.