Committee of the Whole: March 5, 2024

Written By Cathryne Milburn

The Committee of the Whole Budget meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board took place on March 5, 2024. Staff brought forward three reports with one recommendations and trustees brought forward two notices of motion.

I voted in favour of the recommendations in Report 24-024 for the Adoption of Education Development Charges By-law. This report was previously brought to a Committee of the Whole meeting in January 2024. Staff hosted public meetings to present, discuss, and receive feedback regarding the by-law. Staff determined the attached by-law in Appendix A provides the board with the appropriate source of funding for growth-related education land costs, and costs to acquire and prepare school sites to accommodate students generated from new development The recommendations were carried.

I voted in favour of the recommendations in Notice of Motion for the Legislative Ban on Advertisements for Gambling. This motion asserts that the District supports a legislative ban on advertisements for gambling in all Canadian media and that the Chair sends a letter to local Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament to advocate that legislation be enacted to ban advertising for gambling in all media. During the discussion, I asked the following:

  • Question: I believe that two school boards have sent out a similar letter of support, is there a possibility to reach out to the remaining school boards and see if we can co-sign a letter to create a bigger advocacy structure? Answer: A reach out to the Ontario Public School Board Association is the more appropriate avenue for that kind of co-signing.

I appreciate the intent of the mover of the motion and with the amount of writing letter campaigns, I am worried we are diluting our voices at the provincial and federal level. However, I understand it is one of the only advocacy tools we truly have as a school board that speaks volumes and through the discussion around the table, I could see the connection and tangible impact that this motion has on our student community. The recommendations were carried.

I voted in favour of the recommendations in Notice of Motion for the Distribution of Products to Support Menstrual Equity Program. The Ministry of Education’s 3-year partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide six million products annually to students across Ontario will expire this year and the Ministry of Education has not indicated that this partnership will be renewed. This motion asserts that the Chair writes to the Minister of Education on behalf of the Board requesting that the Ministry ensure menstrual products are procured, distributed and accessible for all Ontario schools on an ongoing basis, free of additional charge(s) to individual boards. The recommendations were carried.

Staff brought forward Report 24-032 on Student Suspensions for the 2022-2023 School Year for discussion. This report examines the student suspension data and informs the implementation of actions and initiatives which are designed to enhance safety and support the cultural, emotional, and physical well-being of students and staff. In the 2022 to 2023 school year 1.9% of students were suspended, which is consistent with regional and provincial averages.

One of my main questions about these reports was if we saw a change in student behaviour because of discretionary suspensions for reasons such as the use of profane language or smoking or vaping on school or district premises. During the discussion, staff addressed this by highlighting how they incorporate an educational element where in suspensions and engage with the parents or caregivers to work on a behaviour change. Discussion on this report started at the timestamp 48:45.

Staff brought forward Report 24-037 on the Safe School Action Plan for discussion. This report presents the Safe Schools Action Plan outlining the learning and work occurring in the District related to the advancement of increased safety for students in schools. The report highlights the initiatives that the District is engaged in that will build on the creation of safe spaces in our schools through staff capacity building, student agency and collaboration between the District, parents, caregivers and community partners. During the discussion, I asked staff the following (timestamp 2:06:23):

  • Question: I have a question about screen time, we highlight that we are assisting students in recognizing the dangers of excessive screen time and technology use and we are doing this work through a speaker series and Rideau Woods Addiction Facility. My question is how are we delivering these sessions and is it by using screens? Answer: There are a few different tools that are being used including the local organization Media Smarts with a variety of tools that do not utilize a screen, speaker series and work through Rideau Woods Addiction Facility. Additionally, we are working with staff to model healthy behaviour and not constantly be on their phones in the district buildings.

I also highlighted how important it was to quantify our work in all reports for example when we say how many staff have been trained, we should say how many staff. This allows us to improve and to also celebrate our successes across the District.

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

Cathryne Milburn

By day I am passionate about diversity, inclusion, and communications. By night I am passionate about education, student well-being, and student achievement.

https://cathrynemilburn.com/
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