Committee of the Whole: January 21, 2025
The Committee of the Whole meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board took place on January 21, 2025, with me as chair. Staff brought forward one report with one recommendation for discussion.
I voted in favour of the recommendations in Report 25-002, on the Comprehensive Report on the Elementary Program Review, Proposed Program Model and Support for Students. This report sought the approval of the Board of Trustees to initiate the next iteration of community consultation on the Proposed Program Model and Support for Students. In April 2024, the Board of Trustees approved the initiation of the elementary program review which allowed staff to examine the delivery model for all six programs: special education, English as a Second Language development and all other elementary offerings to determine if the elementary programming needed adjustments. You can read more about the initiation of the review in my blog from April 2, 2024, here.
With the approval, staff undertook community consultation to hear feedback from the community and produced a consultation report here. In total, the review captured input from over 4,000 respondents, seven public meetings, focus group sessions at six Student Achievement Through Equity schools, town halls with unions, advisory committee meetings, and principal consultations. You can read more about the presentation of the consultation in my blog from September 10, 2024, here.
In addition, the District consulted industry experts to provide the analyses and syntheses of District-level data and contextually relevant external research related to the program review at the elementary level. You can read more about the presentation in my blog from October 8, 2024, here.
The Elementary Program Review is now in the Proposed Model and Community Feedback with two pathways: Enhanced English and French Immersion. The model aims to improve program quality and accessibility, with a focus on community-based education, dynamic, bilingual teaching and learning environments and a continuum of inclusion. The proposed model includes changes to grade configurations, attendance boundaries and support for diverse learning needs. A new model is being proposed because the existing model is not meeting the needs of all students as highlighted in the consultation and research up until now.
Prior to the meeting, I sent questions to staff via email and during the discussion, I asked the following questions (timestamp 1:15:49):
Question (asked during the meeting): In community consultation sessions, it is inevitable that there are underrepresented groups. I would like to hear from the Director and then any staff member who would like to add what groups do you predict will be underrepresented in this consultation?
Answer: Staff have done a lot of analysis to date on what groups we predict will be underrepresented. Towards the end of the report on pages 17 to 18, staff speak to the importance of having broad community consultation from staff, students and the community. Staff are also looking to have specific consultations with the Indigenous community and will work with the Indigenous team to conduct these consultations. In addition, staff will be conducting sessions in some of the higher needs school sites and within community buildings to target the groups we do not always hear from. The goal is to gather as diverse voices as possible in these consultations.
Question (asked during the meeting): What is the plan if we do not see a diverse representation in the community consultation? I am worried we are only going to hear from the loudest voices in the room that have time to engage and not the voices that are underrepresented and do not have time to engage.
Answer: Staff through the strategic analysis are trying to not just hear from the loudest voices but also not do a tally count of how many voices we have heard. Staff are trying to setup the consultation to ensure there is a diversity of voices.
Question (emailed in advance of the meeting): My colleague and I have previously asked if we were prepared to hear from the community and not make changes if that is what the community said. I appreciate that we heard that the programs do need to change, but I would like to know what the message is to parents that do not want to see a change or are being affected by the reorganization of the special education classes.
Answer: Staff believe that members of our respective communities will request that changes not be made, whatsoever. This is to be expected, and it is an integral reason as to why we are where we are at this time. We have simply avoided the decisions that have needed to be made in the past. Nonetheless, a key precursor to undertaking the program review at the elementary level was an acknowledgement that difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions were before us as an organization. Having said this, the feedback on the proposed program model and support for students has been fair to favourable, a very positive, productive response from a society that understands that change is needed, and, perhaps, long overdue.
With respect to Specialized Program Classes, the key messages are that the vast majority remain in place and that the re-integration of less than a third of the Specialized Program Classes has been thoughtfully considered to ensure optimized learning trajectories for students.
Question (emailed in advance of the meeting): Why two programs of Enhanced English and French Immersion, why not more or only one program?
Answer: With respect to two program pathways proposed, staff is looking to honour and promote dynamic bilingualism across the District. As parents, guardians, and caregivers of the National Capital Region value the choice in program for their children, we are looking to offer dual-track programming as extensively as possible, system-wide. With respect to the Enhanced English offering, we close to one-third of our families choosing this option and that is significant. The move to one program only could jeopardize a huge market share element. Further, as an English-language school board, there is a ministerial expectation that we offer English-language programming which is both reasonable and understandable. In terms of the French Immersion offering, truly, it is our “bread and butter”. The provision of an early entry to French Immersion is our greatest attraction to the District. It is, by far, the most popular program we offer with over two-thirds of our families choosing this option also very significant. Further, the early entry leads to optimal confidence, proficiency and achievement in the French language over time much more so than any other French Immersion program offering (middle or late).
It is important to note that the flexible, fluid entry for Grades 1 to 3 has been very well-received. It provides parents/guardians/caregivers a little extra time to decide on an option for their children and I am confident it will serve us well as an organization. By third grade, students must enter the program in order to accumulate the minutes of French-language instruction in order to be considered being in the French Immersion program.
Question (emailed in advance of the meeting): In the video on the Engage OCDSB website, the Director spoke to the support in place for the transition from French to English but did not highlight the support in place for the transition from English to French. What support will be in place to support this transition or is this a one-way transition?
Answer: In regard to transitions to and from each program, again, the fluid entry point into French Immersion provides flexibility for students in the primary grades, before the gap in French-language instruction becomes too significant for seamless entry. Students would not be able to enter French Immersion beyond the primary grades, as they do not accumulate the required hours of French-language instruction. In terms of transitions from French Immersion to English, students do have that option throughout the elementary grades as the French Immersion program may not be for all students and as the English-language offering is an expectation for an English-language school board.
Having shared the above, it is important to highlight that centrally established criteria will be an expectation for school sites to follow to support students in the French Immersion program before considering a shift to the English program as opposed to a quick transition. Of course, parents, guardians, and caregivers may choose to do so for their children, and we will respect that decision as staff.
I am encouraged to be at the proposed model phase of the Elementary Program Review. It gives Trustees and senior staff the opportunity to engage directly with the community and hear their feedback on the proposed model.
Throughout the process, there are a couple of ways to engage:
Engage OCDSB: Community members can provide your feedback on the online consultation site.
Public Meetings: Community members can attend public consultation sessions that will be scheduled throughout February and March.
Email the Director: Community members can email the Director of Education to provide your feedback directly to the Director and staff.
Email me: Community members can reach out to me directly throughout the process to provide feedback.
The recommendations were carried.
Please note, that the opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not reflect an official position of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board or the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board of Trustees. Please note answers from staff are paraphrased, the recording can be found here if you would like to watch the entire meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using my contact form here.
Key links
Video for the Committee of the Whole meeting on January 21, 2025
Agenda for the Committee of the Whole meeting on January 21, 2025
Report 25-002, the Comprehensive Report on the Elementary Program Review, Proposed Program Model and Support for Students
