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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard 22 March 2011 Minutes Public MINUTES 22 March 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 7:00 p.m. with Trustee Jennifer McKenzie in the chair and the following also in attendance: Trustees Donna Blackburn, Rob Campbell, Cathy Curry, Mark Fisher, Katie Holtzhauer, Theresa Kavanagh, Lynn Scott, Shirley Seward and John Shea. STAFF: Director of Education and Secretary of the Board, Barrie Hammond; Executive Superintendent, Jennifer Adams; Superintendent of Facilities, Michael Carson; Manager of Planning, Karyn Carty Ostafichuk; Manager of Facilities, Peter Wright; Manager of Communications, Diane Pernari-Hergert; Manager of Board Services, Monica Ceschia; Communications Coordinator, Hyacinth Haddad; Audio Visual Specialist, John MacKinnon and Senior Board Coordinator, Maureen Strittmatter. STUDENT TRUSTEE: Elizabeth Blight On a motion by Trustee Shea, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, the Board resolved into Committee of the Whole (in camera). Trustee Seward assumed the Chair in Committee and later presented the Committee’s report in the public session. (Board Minute 11-126 refers) 125. Call to Order Chair McKenzie called the public meeting to order at 8:10 p.m. 126. Report from Committee of the Whole (In Camera) Trustee Seward reported that Committee of the Whole met in camera this evening and reports and recommends as follows: Moved by Trustee Kavanagh, seconded Trustee Seward, THAT staff proceed, as directed in Committee of the Whole in camera, with respect to an employment issue. - Carried - Trustee Scott expressed concern that the wording of the in camera motion was not as transparent as it possibly could have been. A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (10) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 101 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 127. Approval of Agenda Chair McKenzie advised that agenda item 9 and 10 should read “Report 4”. Moved by Trustee Shea, seconded by Trustee Seward, THAT the agenda be approved, as amended. - Carried - 128. Confirmation of Minutes a. 08 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT the minutes of the 08 March 2011 Board meeting be confirmed. - Carried – 129. Business Arising from Minutes a. 08 March 2011 There was no business arising from the minutes of 08 March 2011. 130. Director’s Report Director Hammond advised that some OCDSB intermediate students will be attending the Trades and Technology event on March 30 and 31. This is an opportunity for students to try out a variety of hands-on activities, with booths set up for manufacturing, computer engineering, landscape and design, hairstyling/cosmetology, electrical, construction and many more occupations. Director Hammond announced that April is “Skilled Trades” month, and scheduled events for our school board include:  Skills Canada Women’s Networking Dinner on April 12;  Special Algonquin Connections Day on May 4; and  Mission Employable on April 14 at the Confederation Education Centre. The annual Spring Leadership conference is scheduled for April 20 and 21 at the Hampton Inn and Conference Centre. This conference for vice-principals, trustees, parents and community members will build upon ideas generated from the Lead the Way to Creativity conference held on the evening of April 19. In response to a query from Trustee Curry regarding whether it was possible to change the date of the April Education Committee meeting since it conflicts with the Lead the Way to Creativity event on th April 19, Trustee Seward (Chair of the Education Committee) noted that she would take this request under advisement. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 102 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 131. Chair’s Report Chair McKenzie announced that all parents and guardians are invited to the next Parent Involvement Committee Meeting on Monday April 11th at 7:30 p.m. to be held at the Administration Office, in room B-400. Families are also invited to attend Maplefest at MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre this th Sunday, March 27, on Wilhaven Drive in Cumberland to enjoy a pancake breakfast, sleigh rides, live music, and tours of the sugar bush. Admission will be $3.00 per person, with children under 3 free. The Osgoode Township High School Parent Council is inviting the community to a special information evening, entitled Parenting Your Teen Through Turbulent Times. A Special Alcohol & Drug Awareness Panel will be speaking onApril 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. This event is supported by a Parents Reaching Out Grant from the Ontario Ministry of Education. Chair McKenzie reminded all to take time and admire the teacher artwork in the foyer and Board Room. Chair McKenzie advised that in response to a query from Trustee Curry at the last Board meeting regarding a trustee comment, a discussion had been held at the Board agenda prep meeting about a possible revision to the 22 February Board minutes; however, it was agreed that the minutes did accurately reflect the meeting. She added that a commitment has been made to have a discussion on trustee code of ethics. 132. Public Question Period There were no public questions. 133. Report 4, Business Services Committee, 09 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Holtzhauer, seconded by Trustee Curry, THAT Report 4, Business Services Committee, dated 09 March 2011, be received. nd Trustee Scott requested that staff review the statement on folio 21, 2 bullet, “Trustee Scott suggested that criteria for dealing with disasters…..”. Superintendent Carson added that, in his opinion, it may be referring to explosion in population, and should possibly note that even though we have a plan, unexpected surges in population would be reflected. Superintendent Carson clarified that, at the meeting, trustees had expressed some question whether categories other than the ones that staff had identified should be considered in the capital plan, and noted that this is why the motion was written “approve in principle”. He added that, if approved, the plan would be developed based on trustees input (folio 20) and the issues identified in the report itself. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 103 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Holtzhauer, seconded by Trustee Curry, THAT Report 4, Business Services Committee, dated 09 March 2011 be received, as amended. - Carried - a. Approve in principle the Development of a Comprehensive OCDSB Capital Plan Moved by Trustee Curry, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, A. THAT the Board approve in principle, the approach and scope, as outlined in report 11-061, and taking into consideration Trustees’ suggestions made in committee, for developing the OCDSB Capital Plan; and B. THAT staff proceed with a Request for Proposals to select a consultant to assist in developing the comprehensive OCDSB Capital Plan and bring recommendations to the Business Services Committee. - Carried - A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (10) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) b. Authorize staff to proceed with projects under the Renewal of Major Building Components re Energy Efficient Schools Projects Moved by Trustee Campbell, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, A. THAT staff be given authority to proceed with the new projects under the Renewal of Major Building Components, identified in Appendix B of Report 11-058, out of the EES approved funding; and B. THAT staff be given authority to add projects as a result of tender results, provided that budgets permit, from the Contingency project list as per Appendix B of Report 11-058. - Carried - _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 104 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (10) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) c. Approval of the Good Places to Learn budget and projects for 2010-2011 Moved by Trustee Campbell, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, A. THAT the revised GPTL budgets and projects as outlined in Appendix B, C and D of Report 11-059 be approved; and B. THAT over-expenditures in GPTL Stage 1 and Stage 4 continue to be funded by GPTL Stage 2 and Stage 3 under-expenditures. - Carried - A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (10) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) d. Authorize that the Board ask the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority to Investigate Public Transportation for South Carleton High School Students Moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Holtzhauer, THAT the Board ask the Ottawa-Student Transportation Authority to investigate with OC Transpo the possibility of allowing some empty OC Transpo rural commuter buses to pick up students in the afternoon, at student expense, at a stop at or near South Carleton High School, with one or more stops in Stittsville or other parts of the South Carleton attendance area, to facilitate participation in after-school extra-curricular activities for at least some of our rural secondary students. - Carried - _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 105 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (10) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) 134. Report 4, Education Committee, 10 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Kavanagh, THAT Report 4, Education Committee, dated 10 March 2011, be received. Trustees requested the following revisions:  Folio 43, the amendment by Trustee Kavanagh, that the Minister’s title be changed to “Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism” be included;  Folio 43, first paragraph after Trustee McKenzie’s opening remarks, insert “Trustee Seward noted that the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) plays a critical role in the Ottawa-Carleton District, particularly in those communities and schools represented by a high proportion of immigrants, especially recent immigrants”; and th Folio 41, middle paragraph, 6 line, strike “when reviewing the Time Allocation Model” and leave “She noted that arts education is often integrated…” Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Kavanagh, THAT Report 4, Education Committee, dated 10 March 2011, be received, as amended. - Carried – a. Receipt of Special Education Advisory Committee Report 3, 23 February 2011 Moved by Trustee Blackburn, substituting for Trustee McKenzie, seconded by Trustee Seward, THAT Report 3, Special Education Advisory Committee, dated 23 February 2011, be received. - Carried – Trustee Seward noted that the meeting had been a very rich meeting with a lot of comments and discussion. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 106 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 b. Authorize that a letter be written to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration re Proposed Funding Cuts to Immigrant Services Moved by Trustee Seward, substituting for Trustee McKenzie, seconded by Trustee Fisher, THAT the Board Chair and Director be directed to write a letter to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and begin discussions with federal officials expressing deep concerns with the proposed cuts to immigrant services in Ontario as they affect our students and copy all federal opposition critics and relevant provincial officials. This was not a consent item and, when dealt with later in the meeting, the following discussion ensued. In introducing the motion Trustee Seward pointed out that when the motion was drafted trustees were not aware that there was a possibility of an upcoming Federal election, which may be the case, making more importance to the motion. She added that the Ottawa organization that may face cuts is Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO), which operates on a relatively modest budget and do wonderful things for our students and their families. The proposed reductions would have a serious operational impact on the organization and the OCDSB relies quite heavily on their work for our schools. Trustee Seward urged trustees to support this motion noting that the outcome may be important at this time. Trustee Fisher clarified that the letter would be written to the “Federal” Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. An amendment moved by Trustee Fisher, seconded by Trustee Shea, THAT “Federal” be inserted between “the” and “Minister”. - Carried, friendly – In response to a trustee query regarding whether the political side would be included in the discussions, i.e., MPPs, Deputy Minister and others, Chair McKenzie confirmed that this was the intention. An amendment moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Kavanagh, THAT “representatives and” be added prior to “officials”. - Carried, friendly – In wrap-up, Trustee Seward noted that there was no cost for the motion; however, the impact could be quite significant, and to the Federal Government this was only a modest amount of funds. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 107 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (10) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Scott, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) Moved by Trustee Seward, substituting for Trustee McKenzie, seconded by Trustee Fisher, THAT the Board Chair and Director be directed to write a letter to the Federal Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and begin discussions with federal representatives and officials expressing deep concerns with the proposed cuts to immigrant services in Ontario as they affect our students and copy all federal opposition critics and relevant provincial officials. - Carried - 135. Report 4, Director Selection Committee, 07 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Seward, seconded by Trustee Blackburn, THAT Report 4, Director Selection Committee, dated 07 March 2011, be received. - Carried – In response to a trustee query regarding the scheduling of meetings, Chair McKenzie advised that th the date for the next meeting has been tentatively set for March 30 and a confirmation would be forwarded to all trustees in the next day or two. In response to a trustee query regarding the dates for the interviews and why trustees were not canvassed, Chair McKenzie advised that, at the first Director Selection Committee meeting, the entire process was discussed including the reason for the selection of those dates. Trustees had been provided with a memorandum giving a few months notice of the dates. Chair McKenzie agreed to review the reasons that these dates had been selected for the interviews and provide the earlier memorandum to all board members. 136. Report 2, Audit Committee, 07 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Fisher, seconded by Trustee Scott, THAT Report 2, Audit Committee, dated 07 March 2011, be received. Trustee Scott advised that she was in attendance; however, was not a member of the committee and this should be reflected in the report. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 108 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 Moved by Trustee Fisher, seconded by Trustee Scott, THAT Report 2, Audit Committee, dated 07 March 2011, be received. - Carried – Trustee Fisher advised that at the meeting CFO Clarke had indicated that 12 English language schools boards in Eastern Ontario have joined together to conduct an analysis of their core business functions to determine what business functions are areas of opportunity for a shared service model approach to reduce costs, i.e., finance and accounting, human resources, information technology, supply chain management, facilities and planning. He added that the Ministry has not conducted any other study like this in the past. Trustee Fisher highlighted that staff report 11-057 provides the revised financial forecast for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The year-to-date expenditure is lower this year (41.8%) compared to last year (43.5%) therefore a surplus may be anticipated. The accumulated surplus reported on the 31 August 2010 audited financial statement is $12.2 million, which includes the 2009-2010 surplus but not the retirement gratuities. 137. Staff Report 11-069, Consultation – Terms of Reference – Centretown, Glebe, Old Ottawa South Accommodation Study The Board had before it staff report 11-069, seeking approval of the scope and timelines of a larger Centretown, Glebe and Old Ottawa South Accommodation Study. Director Hammond noted that since the last Board meeting staff has hosted a consultation meeting with members of the area to review the Terms of Reference for this study. He added that the staff report reflects the issues heard. Director Hammond noted that the District is committed to working to find resolutions for any issues that may arise during the study. Manager Carty Ostafichuk highlighted that staff had been directed to consult on the timelines and Terms of Reference and, on March 7, a consultation meeting was held at Hopewell Avenue Public School that was well attended. Prior to this, staff had provided the draft Terms of Reference to stakeholders and allowed a week for review prior to a deadline for submitting feedback. The identification of the schools for the study had been discussed, and were provided on folio 1 of the report. Manager Carty Ostafichuk advised that there is an ability to add schools, or even to remove schools if they wish to back away from the process. Also provided in the terms of reference is a voting structure that could be used for schools and the community associations. Manager Carty Ostafichuk mentioned that the possibility of including Lady Evelyn Alternate School was discussed and a decision had been made to not recommend inclusion of the school at this time because of the conclusion of the Alternative review and Lady Evelyn was not central to the accommodation solution. However, if the discussion moves in a way that Lady Evelyn Alternative School should be included the Terms of Reference would allow this. She added that the proposed timelines include one public committee meeting; however, this can be changed by the working committee if they wish. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 109 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 Another suggestion that staff received in feedback was that perhaps voting should take place by school population, but Manager Carty Ostafichuk advised that this is not the way the voting has taken place in the past and not the way the Terms of Reference had been written. She added that community involvement has not been an issue in the past, nor has there been a concern with the balance of power on these committees. Every past decision has been by consensus and staff is always available if something arises that should be brought to the attention of board members. Manager Carty Ostafichuk pointed out that this was not an Area Review Committee (ARC) under the provincial guidelines and the scope of this committee’s final outcome was restricted. Should the committee find itself leading in the direction of an ARC, a reconsideration of the mandate of the committee or recommendation for future consideration and implementation would be brought back to Board. She added that the timelines provided in the report were realistic. Moved by Trustee Campbell, seconded by Trustee Fisher, That the Terms of Reference and Timelines for an Accommodation Study provided as Attachment 1 to Report No.11-069 involving the schools noted below, be approved: Cambridge Street Community Public School Centennial Public School Elgin Street Public School First Avenue Public School Glashan Public School Hopewell Avenue Public School Mutchmor Public School In introducing the motion, Trustee Campbell thanked staff for conducting the consultation on the Terms of Reference and expressed the view that this was a best practice that ensures that the community is fully apprised. In response to a question regarding a small boundary area, i.e., Viscount/Elgin overlap in terms of English/French catchments, and whether there would be an opportunity to have such discussions with the working group, Manager Carty Ostafichuk advised that this may be considered, but not acted upon. Trustee Scott noted that when the motion had originally come to Committee an opportunity to discuss the proposal before referring it for consultation had not been provided. She expressed the view that further discussions should be held in Committee of the Whole, public. Moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Curry, THAT the Board move into Committee of the Whole, public. - Carried - The Board moved into Committee of the Whole, public at 9:10 p.m. * * * * * * * * * * The Chair called the Board meeting back to order at 9:30 p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 110 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 Trustee Seward reported that Committee of the Whole met in public and there were no recommendations. An amendment moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Blackburn, THAT Part B be added: B. THAT Lady Evelyn Alternate School be invited to send a representative should the school council so wish. In introducing the amendment, Trustee Scott noted that this community of schools has some students that come from the other schools and enter Lady Evelyn and vice versa, and in her opinion, it was important for Lady Evelyn Alternate School to feel that a representative would be welcome to attend and participate in the discussions. Trustee Campbell, though appreciating the motivation for the amendment, noted that the school has been kept informed and he has not heard that they would like to be included. He expressed concern that the amendment would place special emphasis on this school as opposed to Richard Pfaff or any other school that may be appropriate to invite at a point in time. He added that the Terms of Reference includes the option of inviting any schools into the study. Trustee Curry, speaking in favour of the amendment, expressed the view that this school was different from Richard Pfaff as some of the students come from the other schools in the study and vice versa and they should be provided with the option to make the decision whether to be included or not. In wrap-up, Trustee Scott noted that geographically Lady Evelyn Alternate School was central to the area under review and requested a recorded vote on the amendment. A recorded vote was held and the amendment was defeated on the following division: FOR: Trustees Curry and Scott (2) AGAINST: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Fisher, Holtzhauer, (8) Kavanagh, McKenzie, Seward and Shea ABSTENTIONS: Nil (0) An amendment moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Blackburn, THAT Part B be added: B. THAT Lady Evelyn Alternate School be invited to send a representative should the school council so wish. - Defeated - _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 111 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried on the following division: FOR: Trustees Blackburn, Campbell, Curry, Fisher, (9) Holtzhauer, Kavanagh, McKenzie, Seward and Shea AGAINST: Nil (0) ABSTENTIONS: Trustee Scott (1) Moved by Trustee Campbell, seconded by Trustee Fisher, That the Terms of Reference and Timelines for an Accommodation Study provided as Attachment 1 to Report No.11-069 involving the schools noted below, be approved: Cambridge Street Community Public School Centennial Public School Elgin Street Public School First Avenue Public School Glashan Public School Hopewell Avenue Public School Mutchmor Public School - Carried - nd 138. Student Trustee Report from February 22 Board Meeting Student Trustee Blight provided an overview of the student trustee report and noted that over the th years they have seen a drop in school spirit. A survey had been sent to all students with 4/5 of the replies indicating that the school spirit is low and half stating that there has been a dramatic drop. She added that school spirit represents a sense of connection between the student body and their high school and assists students in reaching their academic potential. Trustee Seward expressed the view that this was an important issue, and questioned whether old measures were used to determine the amount of school spirit. With the revolution in electronic social media/networking/communication there is a lot of communication which may be linked to school spirit. Student Trustee Blight agreed that the majority of the events and planning can be found online; however, expressed the view that this does not replace the social connections with friends, groups and peers at schools. Trustee Campbell encouraged the Student Senate to pursue this issue further to possibly determine the causes. Trustee Curry shared that at the Building Blocks conference in September she had heard about a software program designed specifically for schools “tell them from me”. The students can go anywhere in the school and fill in different questions or make statements, which is then reviewed. _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 112 - MINUTES 22 March 2011 Chair McKenzie thanked Student Trustee Blight for being available to elaborate on the student trustee report. 139. New Business Director Hammond shared that an article was on the Ottawa Citizen website today about a young woman, Alison Irvine, who is a graduate of Ottawa University and a former OCDSB student. He encouraged all trustees to read the article and expressed the view that it reminds everyone of the importance of our schools and the role they play in the community, by providing students with opportunities for success even in very difficult circumstances. Chair McKenzie noted that she would provide all trustees with a copy of the article. Trustee Curry noted that she had attended a Best Start meeting for the Kanata area that day. She mentioned that in the last two years they have been setting up hubs, with two being set up which offer a lot of services to families. Trustee Curry expressed the view that other board members may wish to attend these meetings for their zone. 140. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m. Barrie Hammond Jennifer McKenzie Director of Education and Chair of the Board Secretary of the Board _____________________________________________________________________________________ - 113 -