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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.2 a Report 20-007 Allocation of 2019 2020 PRO Grants Report 20-007, Allocation of 2019-2020 PRO Grant Page 1 PARENT INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE 15 January 2020 Report No. 20-007 Allocation of 2019-2020 Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grant Key Contact: Michèle Giroux, Executive Officer, Corporate Services, 613-596-8211 ext. 8310 PURPOSE: 1. To recommend an allocation strategy for the 2019-2020 Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grant funding. CONTEXT: 2. The Ministry of Ontario Parents Reaching Out (PRO) Grants are designed to support parents in identifying barriers to parent engagement in their own community and to find local solutions to involve more parents in support of student achievement, human rights and equity, and well -being. The Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) discussed Report 19-120 2019-2020 PRO Grants at its 20 November 2019 meeting, which explained the changes to the 2019- 2020 PRO grant funding and sought feedback from the Committee members on possible allocation strategies for the $40,521.00 PRO funding. Staff reported that the District would cover the cost of the Parent Conference and the Speaker Series, which have historically been funded by the PRO grant, to ensure the whole PRO funding is available for allocation. Staff indicated that the disbursement of the funds and the final report have to follow certain parameters stipulated in the Ontario PRO Transfer Payment Agreement. By the end of June 2020, any unspent funds are to be returned to the Ministry. KEY CONSIDERATIONS: 3. ThoughtExchange Results To solicit input of parents and school councils into possible allocation strategies of PRO funding, staff launched a ThoughtExchange survey between 22 November and 02 December 2019. The ThoughtExchange was included in two issues of the weekly School Council Newsletter (i.e. Update #12 and 13), and a separate OCDSB webpage was created for the purpose of explaining the survey initiative. Parents were asked to submit their thoughts on the following question: “What are your thoughts on the best strategy to allocate the OCDSB 2019 -2020 PRO Report 20-007, Allocation of 2019-2020 PRO Grant Page 2 grant?” A total of 20 thoughts were shared on the ThoughtExchange ; many of which are a reflection of the feedback that was received from the PIC November meeting and the feedback staff heard at the Ottawa -Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) 21 November meeting. 4. What We Heard The thoughts shared on the ThoughtExchange could be grouped into three categories: a) Allocation to individual school councils: 11 out of a total of 20 thoughts encouraged the allocation of PRO funding to individual school councils. Out of the 11 thoughts, 5 suggested the allocation to be based on the Resource Allocation Index based on Socioeconomics (RAISE), 2 suggested allocation based on student numbers, and 4 suggested equal allocation to all schools. b) Board-run projects for families of schools: 5 thoughts encouraged spending PRO funding on workshops or events that would be delivered to groups of schools and tailored to the needs of their respective communities. c) Developing electronic resources: 3 thoughts recommended the development of sustainable resources for school councils/parents, which would be easily accessible at the convenience of the parents. The feedback heard at OCASC is aligned with the abovementioned thoughts. OCASC members suggested that if school councils were to receive PRO funds, evaluation support from the District would be sought. School councils felt they do not possess the resources required to conduct an evaluation within the parameters dictated by the Ministry in the Ontario PRO Transfer Payment Agreement. Staff also approached school and system principals to discuss which types of tools/resources/supports could be most effectively used in the school to support parent involvement in education. There was a keen interest is resources or toolkits which schools could use to host family nights which help to engage parents and students in activities which support student learning and well-being. Available resources for these type of activities should include translation of materials and wherever possible, funds to support hospitality costs associated with these events. 5. Next steps With all of this feedback in mind, it is recommended that the PRO grant funds be used to make available toolkits which will facilitate schools offering “Family Nights” in the areas of math, science and student readiness to learn. These toolkits will be developed with a view to building engagement between home and school, building knowledge and skills in the content area, creating opportunities for school staff and school councils to support the delivery. The toolkits will include tip sheets for planning, promotional materials about the event, resource materials for the event, and feedback instruments which will help with reporting requirements. Report 20-007, Allocation of 2019-2020 PRO Grant Page 3 The priority for the delivery of these Family Nights will be at schools with higher levels of need on the RAISE index. Materials for the Family Nights will be translated and wherever possible, Multi-Cultural Liasion Officers will be engaged in the planning and delivery. This approach will allow schools to collect feedback on the events which will be shared with central staff. All Ministry reporting will be managed centrally. RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS: 6. The suggested allocation strategy will require the full allocation of $40,521.00 in PRO funding. The funding would be allocated in accordance with the grant provisions. The specific allocation in relation to each of the three subject areas may vary, based on the relative costs of developing and/or delivery the activity. For example, in the case of the math night, there will be staff costs associated with the development of the math night, but these costs would not be charged to the grant. This would allow the grant funding to be used for translation, communication and hospitality costs related to the event. COMMUNICATION/CONSULTATION ISSUES: 7. The District sought parents’ input into possible allocation strategies of PRO funding through its PIC and a ThoughtExchange survey in the School Council Newsletter. This report also considers feedback heard at the OCASC meeting of 21 November 2019. No further consultation is required at this time. Recognizing the priority for allocation is RAISE schools, communication will be focused on those who are eligible to participate. It is anticipated that this approach may result in the creation of some sustainable resources which could be used more broadly. As we work through the development, regular updates will be provided to the committee. STRATEGIC LINKS: 8. The allocation of PRO grant-funded projects in this way reflects the District’s commitment to building parent engagement, removing barriers to access opportunities and supporting engagement with and in our community. RECOMMENDATIONS: A. THAT the 2019-2020 PRO Grant funding be used to develop toolkits which will facilitate schools offering “Family Nights” in the areas of math, science and student readiness to learn, with a priority given to offering these opportunities to school with a RAISE value of 1.0 and above. Michele Giroux Executive Officer, Corporate Services (ext. 8607) Report 20-007, Allocation of 2019-2020 PRO Grant Page 2 Camille Williams-Taylor Director of Education and Secretary of the Board APPENDICES Appendix A – Supplementary Information: Report 17-048 Updates to the Resource Allocation Index based on Socioeconomics (RAISE)