Committee of the Whole: November 5, 2024
The Committee of the Whole meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board took place on November 5, 2024, with me as chair. Staff brought forward 2 reports for discussion.
Staff brought forward Report 24-114, Math Achievement Action Plan for discussion. The Math Achievement Action Plan is aligned with the achievement-related pillar of the Strategic Plan for 2023 to 2027. The plan connects actions at the District, school, and classroom-levels with clear and measurable outcomes. It also reflects the latest Ministry of Education directives with a strong focus on improving program quality for all students and outlines key priority areas which include ensuring the fidelity of curriculum implementation, engaging in ongoing learning about mathematics and knowing the mathematics learners. Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) math scores for Grade 6 and 9 remained steady while Grade 3 students saw a 1% improvement compared to the previous year. Since the implementation of the plan, there has also been an increase in enrolment in university mathematics preparation course.
With the continued implementation of the Math Achievement Action Plan, there will be principal learning sessions with a focus on enhancing school leaders’ understanding of data collection, regular feedback sessions for educators, and continued support by 14 instructional coaches in the Ministry-identified schools. We will continue the actions with modifications from our lessons learned this school year and staff will bring forward the achievement data to the Committee of the Whole for discussion in February 2025. For more information on how parents or guardians can support their students in their math learning, please visit the resources on this Ottawa-Carleton District School Board webpage. We need the money to continue from the ministry. During the discussion I asked the following questions:
Question: Why do we only compare the results to the Ministry results? Could we compare to the other school boards in Ottawa?
Answer: Comparing our results to the Ministry data helps us to understand how we did comparative to the other school boards across the province. Looking at the results in relation within our region might be helpful, particularly if there are similar boards that face challenges like us.
Looking at our counterpart in the English Catholic Board, we can see that their results reveal. For our Grade 3 they are 5% higher in achievement, for Grade 6 we are at par with one another, and for Grade 9 they are 3% higher in achievement. With the comparison we do need to pay attention to the contextual information.
It is important to know that it is difficult to compare to the French school boards within Ottawa since they use a different curriculum.
Question: Do we collaborate with the English Catholic Board on techniques to tackle our mathematical challenges?
Answer: Yes, there is collaboration between our two boards, and we reach out to board across the province for new techniques or programs we can try within our own board.
Question: As Trustees, how can we support this plan moving forward? Are there specific things that we could advocate for?
Answer: Continue to provide positive support in relation to math. Celebrate the successes we can see in our improvements.
Staff brought forward Memo 24-057, Facilities Renewal Program, School Condition Improvement Funding and COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream 2023 to 2024 Update for discussion. During the 2023 to 2024 school year, the District spent $17.98 million on Facilities Renewal projects. The planned projects are based upon a multitude of inputs which are considered prior to the final determination of the Facilities Renewal Program, School Condition Improvement, and COVID 19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream projects including building condition audits, Facility Condition Index, long-range building envelope reports, mechanical systems useful life forecasts, electrical systems useful life forecasts, and program requirements to support curriculum changes, accommodation pressures, and accessibility needs.
During the discussion, staff addressed a question I had about how the District plans to address heat during the spring and summer months in our schools. Staff said they have an aggressive 8-year plan to address the heating and cooling within our schools. It is not as simple as putting window units in each classroom. We expect to see this plan come forward to the Committee for discussion. During the discussion I asked the following questions:
Question: Why are we carrying forward $2,362,669 for upgrading accessibility?
Answer: It is a completion of project and the remaining committed funds. Elevator work takes a lot of time to complete.
Question: I am glad to see that we have been upgrading the air purification systems throughout the District. Do we have any data to show a decrease in sick days due to the upgrade?
Answer: We have numerous strategies targeted at improving our employee wellbeing and physical wellbeing. It is hard to attribute one specific factor to an improvement in these areas. We have seen a decrease in short-term sick leave but there are too many moving parts that could contribute to this.
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 on November 5, 2024
Agenda for the Committee of the Whole on November 5, 2024
Report 24-114, Math Achievement Action Plan
Appendix A, Mathematics Achievement Plan
Appendix B, Assessment for Learning
Appendix C, Mathematics Achievement Plan
Memo 24-057, Facilities Renewal Program, School Condition Improvement Funding and COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream 2023 to 2024 Update
Appendix A, School Renewal Expenditure Report
Appendix B, School Condition Improvement Expenditure Report
Appendix C, COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream Expenditure Report
