Friday, June 16, 2023
The following are the highlights of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB) meeting of Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
Board recognizes PSHS hospitality program educator
Blair Cousins, hospitality and culinary teacher and Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) lead for hospitality and tourism at Parry Sound High School (PSHS), was honoured at Tuesday’s Board meeting.
Cousins leads one of the largest SHSM programs in the board, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities. This year, he and his students hosted two SHSM dinners at PSHS. One was to encourage connections to the hospitality and tourism sector in the area, and one was to highlight the trade-related learning and opportunities in the community.
Cousins has also supported leadership in the health and wellness SHSM and hockey programs, further enriching the opportunities for students at PSHS.
The Board is pleased to recognize Cousins for his innovative, caring, and passionate leadership.
Work of Laurentian Learning Centre highlighted
Trustees learned of the work that takes place at the Laurentian Learning Centre (LLC), which provides secondary programming to disengaged, marginalized, at-risk and struggling secondary school students whose attempts to attend and succeed at mainstream secondary schools have not been successful.
Once students are admitted to LLC the goal is to maintain regular attendance, connect students with supports, improve academic achievement and develop readiness skills to experience academic success to return to mainstream secondary school.
LLC’s timetables are offered in octomesters (one course per day) and quadmesters (two courses per day) which allows students to enrol throughout the school year.
Continuing education programs like non-credit English as a Second Language, adult literacy and basic skills, personal support worker, custodial services programs and self-study continuing education are also offered at LLC.
LLC was also able to support 19 students in writing the Ontario Secondary Student Literacy Test which is required for graduation (the highest number in a school year to date). This school year, 18 students will graduate from LLC.
Director’s report recognizes work of student trustees
This month’s Director’s report included acknowledgements for the work that has gone into another successful school year. Within the report, Director of Education Craig Myles noted that as the school year wraps us, staff and students are celebrating student success, graduations, staff retirements, 25-year employee milestone recognition and summer learning. Myles also thanked trustees for their leadership through the first year of their term.
The director also noted that he’s been visiting schools throughout NNDSB. His experiences have reconnected him with the essence of the board’s mission, vision and values, and he’s found that witnessing the students’ passion for learning has been enlightening.
Student Trustee Cecilia Darling and Indigenous Student Trustee Allen Lewis Trodd received praise for their dedication to serving as the bridge between NNDSB’s student body and the Board of Trustees. Both will be leaving their roles as their two-year terms are completed. The director wished both success in their future endeavours.
MYSP committee presents year-end report
The Board received the Multi-Year Strategic Planning (MYSP) committee’s year-end report.
The report is created twice annually and demonstrates the positive direction NNDSB is moving in across the four priority areas.
As NNDSB wraps up the second year of working under the five-year plan, there have been many accomplishments made in embedding the plan into the culture of the board, including multiple methods of embedding the four priorities (excellence in communication, excellence in teaching and learning, excellence in relationships and excellence in innovation) into all aspects of NNDSB.
This year, the six-week cycle process was implemented throughout the system; all staff are involved in the cycle of plan, act, observe and reflect. At school level, this results in regular assessments of student learning, and the ability to modify.
Of note in the report is the completion rate of English and math courses; the board projected an ambition 86 per cent and 91 per cent but achieved 90 per cent and 94 per cent.
Board approves compliant deficit budget
Trustees approved a compliant deficit budget at the meeting. The deficit is just under $1 million. Boards are allowed to budget a one per cent deficit.
A report in the agenda notes that the board has budgeted a large transportation deficit for several years. It was felt that it was not appropriate to continue to reallocate funding from other areas when there are cost pressures in those areas, too.
There was also a media release issued about the budget.
Trustees approve sale of two elementary schools
With the completion of the new North Bay elementary school, Maple View Public School, E.T. Carmichael and E.W. Norman Public Schools have been declared as surplus property as of September 1, 2023. Each property is slightly more than five acres.
Under the Education Act, when schools are declared as property surplus and the decision is made to sell them, they must be offered to specific government-funded agencies before offering the property to sale to the public. The schools will be offered to preferred agencies for a period of 90 days (ending in mid-September). If no offers are received, then NNDSB will submit a request for Ministry approval to offer the property(ies) for sale to the public via a request for proposal.
Updates to NNDSB Special Education Plan approved
Updates to the NNDSB 2022- 2023 Special Education Plan were approved by the Special Education Advisory Committee on May 18, and then by the Board of Trustees at the June 13 Board meeting.
Under the Education Act, all Ontario School Boards are required to prepare and approved a report on the special education programs and services provided by the board, and to submit it to the Ministry for review.
The Plan outlines the Special Education model, roles and responsibilities, the Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) Process, Staff Development, and other key elements of programming and services to support students with special education needs. The plan can be found on the Special Education page of the NNDSB website.
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Note: the full agenda package is posted on the website prior to meetings, and official minutes are posted after they are approved at the next Board meeting.
