Board Meeting | Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Presentations
Director’s Recognition Award
The Director’s Recognition Award highlights extraordinary contributions by staff members, students, school volunteers, or community members, and is presented by the Director of Education at each Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) Regular Meeting of the Board. Director of Education Wes Hahn introduced this month’s recipient of the Director’s Recognition Award.
Macaulay Public School head custodian, Cam Hill, was nominated for the attention to detail he brings to both inside and outside the school building. With new cleaning procedures in place, Hill goes above and beyond to ensure the safety of the students and staff at Macaulay. He takes great pride and ownership in his work and is known for being organized, calm, kind, hardworking, and a mentor to not only the custodial maintenance staff but also to teachers and students.
Director’s update
Director of Education, Wes Hahn, spoke about the great learning taking place within the board schools this year. Classrooms are once again bustling with activity and extracurriculars are in full swing. Sports, both indoor and outdoor, as well as clubs have also started up. There have been many visits to the board schools made by the superintendents, as well as the director, where they’ve all observed a return to normalcy inside and outside of our classrooms in many respects. Schools are working on their School Improvement Equity Plan (SIEP) – a plan that helps guide, focus, and report on the goals throughout the year. Student achievement continues to be the focus as the board continues its work on building the next strategic plan, with instructional and operational development also at the forefront.
The board’s focus continues to be on health and safety – we are seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases province wide and there are only two active cases in TLDSB.
TLDSB continues to limit visitors into buildings as recommended by the district’s public health units. Spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor events starting on November 1, while being masked and remaining physically distant. At this time, the board will not be permitting spectators at indoor events to err on the side of caution.
Permits for the community use of schools are open and it continues to be the responsibility of the booking organization to confirm proof of vaccination of their individuals in the TLDSB spaces. Board education centres continue to be closed to the public until further direction is given from the public health units.
Superintendent of Human Resource Services Traci Hubbert, reported that 87 percent of TLDSB staff are fully vaccinated. The staff and trustee attestation offers three options (fully vaccinated, proof of medical reason, or completion of an education program) and the number of individuals who were in the education program category are declining.
Administrative reports
Annual Audit Committee Report
Superintendent of Business Services, Tim Ellis, presented the 2021 Annual Audit Committee Report to trustees that summarizes the Audit Committee’s actions for the year ending August 31. This report is submitted to the Ministry of Education each year.
Suspension and expulsion data for 2020-2021
Superintendent of Learning, Paul Goldring, provided information on suspensions and expulsions, which is reported annually to trustees. This data is used to direct programs and supports in schools, and help to determine system-wide support needs.
There were a total of 780 suspension and/or expulsions last school year. Of those were nine Learn@Home classroom student suspensions, and 23 suspensions pending expulsion of which 15 were investigated and referred to meditation and eight resulted in expulsion.
The number of suspensions and expulsions was significantly less in 2020-2021 than in the prior three years, with the majority of suspension lasting between one to three days and a higher rate in the secondary schools compared to the elementary.
Facility Audit Report
Superintendent of Business Services, Tim Ellis, spoke of the Facility Service Audit that was conducted during the summer of 2021. After TLDSB received funds from the Provincial Government’s Excellence in Education Administration Fund (EEAF), KPMG was awarded the contract and conducted the audit. This audit reviewed the current operational functions of the department to identify opportunities and recommendations to improve the service delivery model, support structures, and address key risks and obstacles across the department.
Trustee Reports
Celebration at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School
Trustee, Gary Brohman, shared the details of a celebration that took place at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School. Grade 10 student, Taylor Horsley, was honoured with a plaque and certificate for the Climate Climate Crisis poster competition put on by the Retired Teachers of Ontario last school year.
2021 Board and Committee of the Whole meeting schedule
| Meeting | Date | Time | Location |
| Committee of the Whole | November 9, 2021 | 6:30 p.m. | TBD |
| Regular Board Meeting | November 23, 2021 | 6:30 p.m. | TBD |
| Organizational Meeting | December 7, 2021 | 6:30 p.m. | TBD |
| All Committee of the Whole and Regular Meetings of the Board are webcast and may be accessed through the TLDSB website www.tldsb.ca. | |||
