Boardroom Briefs is intended to provide highlights of presentations, reports and decisions made at the regular meeting of the Limestone District School Board of Trustees. The following are highlights of the August 21, 2024, Committee of the Whole Board Meeting. Board Meeting Agendas can be found on the website under Board Meetings.
All meetings begin with an Acknowledgement of Territory:
“The Limestone District School Board is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee. We acknowledge their enduring presence on this land, as well as the presence of Métis, Inuit, and other First Nations from across Turtle Island. We honour their cultures and celebrate their commitment to this land.”
Chair's Report
I am excited about the new school year, and I am confident this year will be characterized by great collaboration, learning and success, for everyone - staff and students alike.
Over the summer, we have updated the Board’s Director of Education Performance Appraisal schedule, as required by Ontario Regulation 83/24. This new, annual assessment will be based on both mandatory criteria and any specific priorities set by our school board.
Previously, we conducted these appraisals every two years, after the Director’s first year of employment.
Trustees have formed a committee to handle this annual appraisal, finalized the performance plan and evaluation cycle, informed the Minister of Education, and posted the information on the board’s website, as required by the regulation.
As we will see tonight, the Board’s Strategic Plan continues to evolve from community input and feedback. Director Burra will provide a report on the Strategic Plan 2023-2028 and new branding, finalized over the summer, and I am excited to see the fresh approach.
Trustees are fully committed to supporting student and staff success over the coming months, and I look forward with optimism and excitement to another great year in Limestone.
Director's Report
I hope everyone found themselves with some holiday time this summer to enjoy time with family and friends. In reflecting on this summer, it is important for everyone to have the opportunity to recharge and reflect on the important work we do collaboratively to support children and youth in the Limestone community.
With the summer season, schools were not running as they do for the other ten months of the year. However, there were lots of activities for students this July and August. Similar to last summer, over 300 students participated in Camp Read-A-Lot, and over 700 secondary students participated in the summer session earning credits. In addition, almost 450 students participated in outdoor education programming offered at some schools, at Gould Lake, and/or on outdoor education trips. It should also be noted that for the first time, Limestone successfully offered a travel for credit summer course in English and French for Grade 10 Civics/Careers. Trustees will receive a report in the fall providing more details regarding the range of summer programs that occurred in July and August. In addition, a considerable number of facilities work occurs in schools during the summer and Manager Fowler will provide a summary of this work in September.
We are looking forward to welcoming back staff and over 20,000 students as the school year starts. While over 99% of students will be in face-to-face classrooms, Limestone continues to offer a virtual option for some students. Regardless of the format of learning, Limestone will continue to do its best to meet students where they are and support student well-being. Mental health and well-being are essential conditions for learning of all students.
We look forward to Limestone schools welcoming students back on Wednesday, September 4, with a full range of activities to be available for students in the 2024-2025 school year. As a reminder, we are starting the school year with a PA Day on Tuesday, September 3. With almost all labour agreements behind us, we can expect stability on that front for the next couple of years. We all know that extracurriculars like sports and clubs, full arts programming, and field trips are of tremendous value. As Trustees know, all these student activities are made possible by the generous time provided by staff and some community members. I think I speak for everyone in expressing our gratitude to the staff and community members that provide these valuable experiences and services to Limestone students.
This evening there are some routine, cyclical reports coming to Trustees, but I also look forward to sharing with you an overview of new branding related to the strategic plan that we will highlight in the system at the start of this school year with refreshed websites for Limestone and all schools. I know all of us share the importance of central messaging as part of the Strategic Plan: we want everyone to see themselves in Limestone and for us to make a positive difference in the lives of every student, in every classroom, in every school.
As Trustees know, considerable work occurs by central departments: facilities, finance, human resources, and ITS during the summer months to ensure schools are ready for the school year. I would like to acknowledge staff in all departments for the important work they do throughout the year, but also during the summer months.
In the agenda package, Trustees will have already seen some required changes to Policy 5: Trustee Code of Conduct are on the agenda this evening, as well as important areas of emphasis for this fall related to cell phones, social media sites, and vaping.
And finally, I would like to highlight the fact that almost 150 Limestone educators are participating in the annual Limestone Summer Institute earlier today and tomorrow morning. We are pleased to be able to provide this valuable learning opportunity to staff. This is just one example of learning that Limestone educators have been participating in this summer. As we all know, learning is a journey, not a destination, and we must always model learning to support the system and do the best we can to serve students.
Private Session Report - Presented by Vice-Chair Godkin
Earlier in the evening during private session, the private session minutes from June 19, 2024, were approved. Executive Superintendent Young provided a personnel update which resulted in a motion and then that was followed by a property update. There was no other business conducted or motions passed in private session.
OPSBA Report - Presented by Trustee McGregor
Trustees attended the OPSBA Annual General Meeting. A new President was elected, Kathleen Woodcock. Currently in her sixth term as a Waterloo Region DSB Trustee, she has served the past two years as OPSBA’s First Vice-President. She will serve as president for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
Following that meeting, the Eastern Region met, and Susan Humphries will continue to serve as Chair of the Eastern Region. I declined to run as vice chair, but I did run for the Education Working Group, and I am delighted to say I was elected to serve on this group.
There are various meetings upcoming on August 12, 28 and September 12, 2024.
Reports for Action:
1. Short-term Borrowing Resolution for 2024-2025 School Year – Craig Young, Executive Superintendent:
This is a cyclical report that comes back every year, sometimes also called the credit facility resolution or line of credit resolution. The Education Act requires the Treasurer of the Board to furnish to the bank a copy of the resolution(s) authorizing the borrowing of funds.
Periodically the Board is required to borrow funds for current operating purposes to provide interim financing until revenues are received from Municipalities and the Province. The operating resolution authorizes the signing officers of the Board to borrow operating funds when required to meet short-term cash flow needs. The dollar amount of the operating borrowing requirement has been set to a maximum of $20 million and is the same amount as in 2023-2024.
The Board is also required to arrange short-term bridge financing during the construction of major capital projects, capital additions/retrofits and for School Condition Improvement projects. The Board currently has credit facilities to cover all the required borrowing for the School Condition Improvement projects.
MOTION Moved by Trustee Morning, Seconded by Trustee Godkin:
That the Board authorize the signing officers of the Board to enter into agreements with the Royal Bank of Canada for the following:
- The borrowing of funds to meet operating requirements to a maximum of $20 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. CARRIED.
2. Policy 5: Trustee Code of Conduct – Krishna Burra, Director of Education:
Policy 5 Trustee Code of Conduct has been renewed at various times based on legislative and/or regulatory requirements. It was last reviewed with resulting substantive changes as part of the bylaw and policy review that occurred in 2021. As a result of regulatory changes stemming from Bill 98, the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 updates are required. Recommended edits have been made to Policy 5 to comply with the regulatory requirements set out in Regulation 312/24. (See Appendix A, page 24, in the Board Agenda Package).
MOTION Moved by Trustee Elliott, Seconded by Trustee Godkin:
That Trustees approve the edits as outlined in Appendix A. CARRIED.
Reports for Information:
1. Interim Reporting Quarter 3, 2023-2024 – Paula Carson, Manager of Financial Services:
The 2023-2024 Interim Financial Report was presented to the Board on April 24, 2024, and provided operating expenditures for the period September 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024 (Quarter 2).
The 2023-2024 Interim Financial Report covers the period ending May 31, 2024 (Quarter 3).
As at Quarter 3, $243.9M of the $286.4M operating budget or 85% has been spent. This exceeds the 78% results from the same quarter last year by 7%. This increase is mainly due to the additional expenditures for the Bill 124 Remedy payments that were not part of the operating budget. These payments have been funded separately from the Ministry of Education. In addition, it is important to note, that expenditures are based upon items paid within the stated period. Certain expenditures may be non-cyclical in nature, which may lead to higher or lower expenditures within a given period. Due to additional payroll expenditures for the Bill 124 Remedy payments, it is expected that revenues will increase to cover the additional expenses and that the Board will end within the 2023-2024 fiscal year budgeted deficit of ($2.5M).
The report was received for information.
2. PPM 128: The Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes of Conduct – Cell Phones and Vaping – Patty Gollogly, Associate Superintendent, Amanda Posadowski, KFL&A Program Manager, and Steve Hedderson, Associate Superintendent provided the following report:
To promote healthy and welcoming school environments, the LDSB, along with all Ontario school boards, is currently revising its Code of Conduct to reflect new guidelines from the Ministry of Education about cell phone/mobile device use and vaping in schools as per PPM128: The Provincial Code of Conduct.
The regulations, as outlined in LDSB's Code of Conduct, Administrative Procedure 350 and Administrative Procedure 146, are crucial for fostering a safe and healthy learning environment and for mitigating the risks associated with substance abuse among students, restricting the use of cell phones at school, and limiting access to social media at school.
PPM 128 addresses the critical need for school boards to enforce restrictions on the personal use of mobile devices within schools. This includes ensuring that policies are in place to regulate when and how mobile devices may be used by students, to minimize distractions, protect privacy, and promote an environment conducive to learning.
As directed by the Ministry of Education in Policy/Program Memorandum 128 the updated Provincial Code of Conduct includes the requirement for all students to follow anti-vaping and cell phone/personal mobile device use guidelines, starting in September 2024.
Read more about LDSB’s expectations regarding PPM 128.
LDSB and KFL&A Public Health are creating comprehensive educational materials, including posters, lesson plans, parent resources, and videos that vividly detail the dangers associated with vaping. As part of these efforts, LDSB is also piloting the installation of vape detectors in two of its secondary schools to monitor and curb vaping on school premises.
The report was received for information.
3. See Yourself in Limestone: 2023-2028 Strategic Planning Process Branding – Krishna Burra, Director of Education:
Trustees received an update on Phase 4 of the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) development and roll-out. This phase includes refreshed branding aimed at introducing the new MYSP to staff, students, families, and community members.
Under the Education Act, Section 169.1, School Boards are given the responsibility for student achievement and effective stewardship of resources. More specifically, School Board responsibilities include the following components: promoting student achievement and well-being; promoting a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all pupils; promote the prevention of bullying; ensure effective stewardship of the board’s resources; develop and maintain policies; develop a MYSP aimed at achieving the goals; and annually reviewing the plan with the board’s director of education.
At the February 28, 2024, Board Meeting, Trustees approved the updates to Policy 1 that reflect Board decisions made regarding theDistrict’s Focused Intention, Mission, Vision, and Values for the new MYSP, as well as the Strategic Plan Framework for 2024-2028.
As part of the implementation process, several LDSB branded materials have been updated to reflect the new MYSP Intention, Mission, Vision, and Values. Updated materials will be shared with schools over the coming weeks to be displayed in schools for quick reference by staff, students, families and community members. Trustees can expect to see new branded materials now and in the coming weeks: posters, banner-ups, interior signage, letterhead, website messaging, social media posts, and more. This branding update aligns well with the new LDSB website redesign that launched August 19, 2024. See it now at http://limestone.on.ca. Student and staff-focused videos along with ongoing communications will support engagement with students, staff, families and community.
The report was received for information.
There was no other business conducted. The next Board Meeting is September 18, 2024.