Special Board Meeting & Committee of the Whole; June 17, 2025

Written By Cathryne Milburn

The Special Board Meeting and the Committee of the Whole meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School took place on June 17, 2025. Staff brought forward 3 reports with 1 recommendation for discussion.

Coming out of the Committee of the Whole Budget meeting on June 10, 2025 & June 11, 2025, I voted against the recommendations in Report 25-038, Staff Recommended Budget for 2025 to 2026 for discussion. This report outlines the staff-recommended operating and capital budgets for the 2025 to 2026 school year. For more information on the discussion around the budget, please refer to my blog post here. The recommendations were carried.

Staff brought forward Report 25-026, Update on the Indigenous, Human Rights and Equity Roadmap for discussion. This Roadmap is a companion document to the Indigenous Education Board Action Plan and the Ministry of Education Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework. It promotes equity, inclusion, anti-oppression, and belonging across the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. During the discussion, I asked the following questions (timestamp 1:35:00):

  • Question: There is a lot of quantitative and qualitative data that is outlined in the goals, and what I am envisioning as the years go on is that we are going to be able to see a comparison between the different years. Can I have confirmation of that approach?

    Answer: One of the things we are looking at is how we track the data and the roadmap. We are looking at creating a dashboard.

  • Question: The PowerPoint was a good summary; will it be uploaded to eScribe? This increases transparency and accountability to the public.

    Answer: Yes.

Staff brought forward Report 25-039, Strategic Plan Update for 2025 to 2026, for discussion. This is a midterm progress report on the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board's Strategic Plan from 2023 to 2027. It updates the Board and public on the school year for 2024 to 2025. initiatives and progress toward three key priority areas:

  • Learning

    • Implemented new literacy tools, supported multilingual learners.

    • Developed new Indigenous- and equity-centred programs.

    • Introduced eLearning expansion.

    • EQAO results align with the province; work continues to close identity-specific gaps.

  • Well-Being

    • Enhanced mental health supports and school safety initiatives.

    • Increased attendance rates.

    • Strengthened relationships between educators, parents/caregivers, and students.

    • Continued focus on anti-hate, substance-use awareness, and Indigenous supports.

  • Social Responsibility

    • Renewing Indigenous, Human Rights & Equity Roadmap.

    • Student leadership and identity-based forums support belonging.

    • Focus on sustainability

The next steps of the report will be continued refinement of the Indigenous Education framework, continued focus on equity, student voice, sustainability and prioritizing mental health, program accessibility, and diverse representation. During the discussion, I asked the following questions (timestamp 2:52:50):

  • Comments: I really like year-over-year progress. When we implement new plans, it would be great to see when these are implemented so we can track progress. I would also like to see more focus on the Math Achievement Action Plan.

  • Question: Is there an area staff feels we should focus on in the next year?

  • Answer: Recurring conversations about the same underserved students, and we need to focus on the why of that.

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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Committee of the Whole: June 10 & June 11, 2025