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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04a Board 22 November 2011 Minutes Public MINUTES 22 November 2011 A meeting of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board was held this evening in the Board Room, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, Ontario, commencing at 7:30 p.m. with Trustee Jennifer McKenzie in the chair and the following also in attendance: Trustees Donna Blackburn, Rob Campbell, Cathy Curry, Mark Fisher, Pam FitzGerald, Bronwyn Funiciello, Katie Holtzhauer, Theresa Kavanagh, Lynn Scott (electronic communication), Shirley Seward and John Shea. STUDENT TRUSTEES: Kareem Ibrahim and Bill Lin STAFF: Director of Education and Secretary of the Board, Jennifer Adams; Associate Director of Education, Walter Piovesan; Superintendent of Facilities, Mike Carson; Manager of Planning, Karyn Carty Ostafichuk; Manager of Facilities, Peter Wright; Manager of Board Services, Monica Ceschia; Manager of Communications & Information Services, Diane Pernari-Hergert; Communications Coordinator, Sharlene Hunter; Central Audio-visual Technician, John MacKinnon; and Board/Committee Coordinator, Sue Baker. On a motion by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Kavanagh, the Board resolved into Committee of the Whole (in camera). Trustee Funiciello assumed the Chair in Committee and later -323 refers) 322. Call to Order Chair McKenzie called the public meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. 323. Report from Committee of the Whole Trustee Funiciello reported that Committee of the Whole met in camera this evening and there were no recommendations. 324. Approval of Agenda Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT the agenda be approved. the Business Services Committee directing staff to bring forward a plan for Full-Day Kindergarten McKenzie ruled that, as this is a recommendation coming from a committee of the Board, it should remain on the agenda and be discussed at the appropriate time. Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT the agenda be approved. - Carried _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 296 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 325. Confirmation of Minutes a. 8 November 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Shea, THAT the minutes of the 8 November 2011 Board meeting be confirmed. Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Shea, THAT the minutes of the 8 November 2011 Board meeting be confirmed, as amended. - Carried 326. Business Arising from the Minutes a. 8 November 2011 There was no business arising from the minutes of the Board meeting of 8 November 2011. 327. Director Adams reported that Experiential Learning Week is being celebrated this week. The -Carleton District School Board and other area boards, is highlighting unique experiential learning programs. She noted that yesterday, students from Ottawa Technical Secondary School Jewelry Firing program and A.Y. Jackson Secondary School students in the Foods and Hospitality program showcased their talents at the Administration Building, 133 Greenbank Road. Director Adams expressed appreciation to the staff and students who showed off their cooking skills and jewelry. Director Adams advised that the 7th annual Rainbow Youth Forum will be held at Confederation Education Centre on Thursday, 24 November 2011. Secondary school students and staff will participate education and cultural proficiency into daily practices. Director Adams reported that tGrowing Up Great Partnership will honour Heather Graham, Principal of W.O. Mitchell Public School, for her ongoing commitment to children and youth. Principal Graham rd" at the National Arts Centre on Monday, 28 November for her work in the Healthy Active Schools Program. The program enables children to make healthy food and activity choices. Director Adams extended congratulations to Principal Graham. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 297 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 328. eport Chair McKenzie congratulated the Boys and Girls Glashan Spikers volleyball team who placed first at the 32nd Ontario Provincial Volleyball Championship in Durham, Ontario. They competed against 48 boys teams and 48 girls teams from across Ontario, and this is a significant accomplishment for Glashan Public School with a student population of just over 300 students who compete against much larger schools with populations over 1200 students. Chair McKenzie reported that school libraries at Severn Avenue Public School and Queen Mary Street Public School will receive boxes of new books thanks to Indigo's Adopt-a-School program. A fundraiser by Chapters on City Park Drive raised $3,781 for Queen Mary Street Public School and Coles Stores in the east end raised 4,560 for Severn Avenue Public School. These funds will allow each student to choose a favorite book for the school library, and the books will be a welcome addition to existing collections. Chair McKenzie reminded Board members that the Official Opening Ceremony for Westwind Public School will take place on Thursday, 24 November at 7:00 p.m. She noted that staff and students have planned a memorable event, and members of the Jinkinson family will be present to celebrate the naming of the school library. Chair McKenzie invited everyone to attend the ceremony. Chair McKenzie reported that she and Director Adams attended a meeting of public school board Chairs and Directors of Education in Toronto on Friday to discuss a number of topics including the promotion of public education, all-day kindergarten, salary negotiations, education funding, special informative and useful and would like to see the meetings continue in the future. In response to queries from Trustee Seward, Chair McKenzie replied that the school board chairs and directors did not share policies or best practices at the meeting but this could be explored in the future, either as a full group or a sub-group of urban boards. Chair McKenzie noted that a number of participants brought along the advocacy report and the top three issues in the report were the topics of sessions that she attended. Trustee Seward thanked the Chair and Director for taking part in this initiative. In response to queries from Trustee Curry, Chair McKenzie advised that the meeting was chaired by Martyn Beckett, Director of Education for the Durham District School Board and an Executive member of the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE). Trustee Curry noted that while the Director of Education speaks on behalf of staff, the Chair represents the Board of Trustees and the Board should have an opportunity in the future to provide input to the issues being presented as those of the Board. Regarding the top three issues in the advocacy report, Chair McKenzie noted that they were part of a Board motion regarding the three advocacy priority areas for the Board of Trustees. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 298 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 329. Public Question Period a. David Sierra-Baigrie David Sierra-Baigrie, speaking on behalf of members of the public in attendance, expressed appreciation for the recommendation to adopt a hybrid delivery model for the Extended Day program. He noted some concerns about governance and accountability as the program unfolds and asked whether the Board of Trustees would consider an advisory committee for stakeholders including trustees, staff, parents and third-party providers, to have a voice in developing the framework for the implementation. Mr. Sierra-Baigrie expressed the hope that this advisory committee would be a permanent governance committee and asked trustees to convene the committee as soon as possible. Superintendent Carson advised that staff is considering the establishment of an advisory committee for the Extended Day program that will be delivered by district staff. With regard to a a larger advisory committee for programs delivered by third-party providers, he noted that staff would take this suggestion under advisement. Superintendent Carson expressed the opinion that the current Board of Trustees governance structure is in place to monitor all of the district programs and it may not be advisable to duplicate or create parallel systems where none are required. 330. Report 10, Strategic Planning & Priorities Committee, 02 November 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee FitzGerald, THAT Report 10, Strategic Planning and Priorities Committee, dated 02 November 2011 be received. - Carried Trustee Funiciello advised that the recommendation was dealt with at the 08 November Board meeting. 331. Report 9, Business Services Committee, 09 November 2011 Moved by Trustee Holtzhauer, seconded by Trustee Fisher, THAT Report 9, Business Services Committee dated 09 November 2011 be received. - Carried _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 299 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 a. Direct Staff to Proceed with the Implementation of a Hybrid Delivery Model for the Extended Day Program Moved by Trustee Fisher, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, A. THAT staff be directed to proceed with the implementation of a hybrid delivery model for the Extended Day program: i. In schools where there is currently no school-based childcare program, the Extended Day program, when introduced, will be delivered by district staff; and ii. In schools where there is currently school based childcare, the current provider will be given the opportunity to enter into a Third Party agreement to offer the Extended Day program on behalf of the district; and B. THAT staff be directed to begin discussions with existing school based childcare providers and school communities for each of the Year 3 Full-Day Kindergarten program sites. - Carried, unanimously - A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, FitzGerald, (12) Funiciello, Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENSIONS: Nil (0) b. Direct Staff to Bring Forward a Plan for Full-Day Kindergarten Implementation in Years 3, 4 and 5 regarding Balanced Funding This was not a consent item and, when dealt with later in the meeting, the following discussion ensued: Moved by Trustee FitzGerald, substituting for Trustee McKenzie, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT staff bring forward a plan to the trustees for approval for Full-Day Kindergarten implementation in years 3, 4 and 5 showing how operational and capital overspending with respect to related funding will be avoided in each and every year. In response to a concern expressed by Trustee Curry earlier in the meeting with regard to meeting of 09 November that it planned to present a Full-Day Kindergarten implementation plan _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 300 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 in January, Superintendent Carson advised that the staff report was intended to address budget planning in the context of an earlier Board motion regarding no additional classes. It was not planned to specifically address all operational and capital overspending as directed in this motion. Trustee FitzGerald introduced the motion and noted that the Board has provided funding for seven Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK) classes this year at a cost of approximately $1,050,000 without a clear understanding of where the funds will be found. She added that there would be capital costs associated with FDK as facilities are upgraded over the next three years. Trustee FitzGerald submitted that a staff report that provides detailed information with regard to where the budget founds would be found to cover capital and operating costs would assist the Board in planning for implementation of FDK in years 3, 4 and 5. In response to a query from Trustee Curry regarding previous planning undertaken by staff for FDK implementation and whether a new report would provide additional information, Director Adams noted that staff has worked hard to make the best projections possible; however, the program is more popular than anticipated and boards across the province are experiencing similar issues with extra unfunded classes. Despite best planning efforts, parents are registering their children for FDK in September which creates staffing and resource challenges for the district. Staff has attempted to provide some buffer in years 3, 4 and 5 to deal with additional class requirements. Trustee Curry expressed the opinion that a Board discussion at a future meeting on possible ways of dealing with the provision of additional classes beyond what is funded by the Ministry of Education in future years would be more useful than requesting another staff report. She submitted that staff would not be able to guarantee that overspending would not occur. She also suggested that the additional grants generated by the enrolment of FDK students who would otherwise attend a coterminous board should be factored in when calculating the cost of providing additional classes. Superintendent Carson, in response to a query from Trustee Scott, advised that the province has not provided a clear commitment that, at the end of the implementation period, all students who register for FDK would be fully funded; however, it is understood that all students would be funded through Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) grants rather than the half-day funding plus additional capped funding for FDK as is currently the case. At issue is the amount of the FTE grant per student that would be provided. Amendment moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Campbell, related funding provincial funding, operating and capital, specific to Full- - Carried, friendly Amendment moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Campbell, will be avoided be replaced with could be avoided. - Carried, friendly Speaking in support of the motion, Trustee Scott expressed the opinion that a staff report _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 301 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 would provide the Board of Trustees with key questions that need to be considered in their discussion. Trustee Seward agreed that the Board would benefit from a staff report that prompts difficulties they foresee and what would be required to avoid having to pay more than what is funded by the Ministry. She also suggested that the Board may wish to undertake some provincial government advocacy work through OPSBA and CODE as this is an issue for many school boards in the province. Trustee Campbell suggested that the report provide details on buffers and actions that may need to be taken to avoid overspending. He suggested that options may include revisiting the list of schools for FDK implementation in years 3, 4 and 5; or capping the number of classes provided. He also supported a full discussion of this issue by trustees prior to the budget process. In response to queries, Director Adams advised that a staff report would normally be presented to a committee of the Board for action or information. Superintendent Carson added that the report should be presented prior to the staffing process, and not later than the February meeting of the Business Services Committee. Amendment moved by Trustee FitzGerald, seconded by Trustee Campbell, Priorities Committ - Carried, friendly In wrap up, Trustee FitzGerald reiterated the need for trustees to fully discuss and understand the budget implications of implementing Full-Day Kindergarten. She submitted that a detailed staff report would provide the necessary background information to enable the Board to make a reasonable and thoughtful decision. Trustee FitzGerald acknowledged the unpredictability of FDK enrolment, the unique nature of the FDK funding model, and the duty to anticipate implementation costs and their budgetary impact. Moved by Trustee FitzGerald, substituting for Trustee McKenzie, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT staff bring forward a plan to the Strategic Planning and Priorities Committee not later than 01 February 2012 for approval for Full-Day Kindergarten implementation in years 3, 4 and 5 showing how operational and capital overspending with respect to provincial funding, operating and capital, specific to Full-Day Kindergarten, could be avoided in each and every year. - Carried, unanimously _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 302 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, FitzGerald, (12) Funiciello, Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENSIONS: Nil (0) 332. Report 10, Education Committee, 15 November 2011 Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT Report 10, Education Committee, dated 15 November 2011 be received. Trustee Seward requested that, on folio 45, trustees on an urgent basis to permit discussion of the transfer policy prior to early 2012 when transfer requests are made. Trustee Seward stressed that this update had been requested last year at SPPC when the initial report was brought to trustees. Chair Mckenzie advised that this request would be taken under advisement. Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT Report 10, Education Committee, dated 15 November 2011 be received. - Carried - a. Receipt of Special Education Advisory Committee Report 9, 26 October 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Seward, THAT Report No. 9, Special Education Advisory Committee, dated 26 October 2011 be received. - Carried b. Receipt of Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee Reports i) Report 9, 12 October 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Seward, THAT Report 9, Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee, dated 12 October 2011 be received. - Carried _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 303 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 ii) Report 10, 26 October 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Seward, THAT Report 10, Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee, dated 26 October 2011 be received. - Carried iii) Report 11, 2 November 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Seward, THAT Report 11, Special Education Policy Ad Hoc Committee, dated 2 November 2011 be received. - Carried 333. Report 4, Special Committee of the Whole, Public, New Chapman Mills/South Nepean Area Review, 14 November 2011 Moved by Trustee Funiciello, seconded by Trustee Blackburn, THAT Report No. 4, Special Committee of the Whole, Public, New Chapman Mills/South Nepean Area Review, dated14 November 2011 be received. - Carried Trustee Funiciello noted that there were no recommendations. 334. Staff Report 11-205, Approval of 2011 Debt By-law No. 02-2011 The Board had before it Report 11-205 seeking approval of a debt by-law necessary for the Ottawa--term capital financing plan through the Ontario Financing Authority (OFA). Chief Financial Officer Clarke (CFO) advised that the Ministry of Education arranges financing to fund all capital projects that have been authorized, and paid for, by the Ministry. School boards are required to enter into a long-term debt arrangement, and the Ministry of Education fully funds the annual payments on the OCDSB loan of $721,960 over a 25-year term. The Board is required to authorize the loan by 25 November 2011 by approving By-law number 02-2011. Moved by Trustee FitzGerald, seconded by Trustee Scott, THAT the Board approve By-Law 02-2011 as set out in Appendix A of Report #11-205 to the 22 November 2011 Board meeting. In response to queries from Trustees FitzGerald and Campbell, CFO Clarke provided the following information: The wording in this by--law and it has been vetted by a Toronto legal firm on behalf of all school boards; _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 304 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 A simple majority of the Board is required to approve the by-law; The by-law has been presented directly to the Board for approval due to time constraints The district received the borrowing instrument following the 08 November Board meeting and the deadline for approval is 25 November; The Ministry requires school boards to record the debt on their financial statements until it has been paid; and School board debt is consolidated at the provincial level. Moved by Trustee FitzGerald, seconded by Trustee Scott, THAT the Board approve By-Law 02-2011 as set out in Appendix A of Report #11- 205 to the 22 November 2011 Board meeting. - Carried A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, FitzGerald, (12) Funiciello, Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENSIONS: Nil (0) 335. Staff Report No. 11-211, Full-Day Kindergarten Class Reorganization The Board had before it Report 11-211 providing information regarding the creation of an additional full-day kindergarten class through a reorganization of existing staff at Grant Public School. Director Adams advised that Grant Public School was initially allocated one full-day kindergarten class for the 2011-2012 school year. To address the large class size of 25 junior kindergarten and 10 senior kindergarten students, the school has created a split senior kindergarten/grade one class of 15 students. This approach will allow for a reduction in the number of students in the kindergarten class without the need for additional staffing. There is no requirement to assign an Early Childhood Educator to the split class as there are fewer than 16 students enrolled. Director Adams noted that information on school reorganizations is not normally presented to the Board; however, in this case, the reorganization creates an additional Full-Day Kindergarten class and the Board has been monitoring the number of FDK classes that have been established as the program is being implemented. Trustee FitzGerald expressed the opinion that alternative schools have traditionally accepted multi-aged groupings of students and parents have generally been in favour of split classes. She submitted that a Senior Kindergarten/Grade 1 split class could be a model as FDK is implemented in all schools over the next few years. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 305 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 Trustee Seward queried the criteria used by staff when schools are reorganized by establishing split classes rather than requesting that additional classes be added to a school. Director Adams advised that the preference is to reorganize within the school before adding additional staff; however, it is more complex at the elementary level, particularly in small schools with two or three different program streams. Director Adams noted, for example, that in schools where there are four classes of FDK with more than 30 students in each class it would make sense to add a fifth class. When contemplating a school reorganization, the principal considers whether the school has a high needs population, the number of students with special needs, the number of students enrolled in the program, and the size of the classrooms. Trustee Campbell commended staff for this solution and expressed the hope that this solution could be found more often if circumstances permit. He expressed concern about the addition of information reports to the agenda of Board meetings rather than informing trustees by memo or presenting information reports to committee where they can be discussed in full. Director Adams advised that, in this case, the report was presented to the Board because of the sensitive nature of adding additional FDK classes and to inform the Board in a timely manner. Chair McKenzie noted that determination of agenda topics for Board meetings could be included in the discussions of the Board Governance Task Force. 336. New Business a. Expression of Appreciation Trustee Shea noted that this was the last regular meeting of the Board before the annual reorganization meeting on 06 December 2011. He thanked the Chair, Vice-Chair and Chairs of Committees for their leadership over the past year and congratulated them for a job well done. b. 16 November 2011 Facilitated OESC Session Trustee Seward expressed appreciation to Chair McKenzie, Director Adams and Board Governance Task Force Chair Kavanagh for organizing a facilitated Ontario Education Services Corporation (OESC) Board Development Program session with Marilyn Gouthro on 16 November 2011. She noted that it was an excellent experience. c. Trustee FitzGerald provided a brief oral report on the annual Childrens Mental Health Ontario conference that she recently attended in Toronto. The conference was attended by community caregivers on mental health issues. She noted that there are no expectations that additional resources would be forthcoming and that teachers would be expected to identify and help children with mental health issues in the classroom. Information about the conference can be found at (http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/documents/Res_CMHO_Conf_Program.pdf). _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 306 - MINUTES 22 November 2011 337. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m. Jennifer Adams Jennifer McKenzie Director of Education and Chair of the Board Secretary of the Board _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 307 -