Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Highlights of the August 24, 2004 meetingBoard Highlights
Board urges parents to register children for school Aug. 30 to Sept. 3
The Peel District School Board is urging residents who are new to Peel schools, and have school-age children, to register for school from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3. "The board wants to ensure that most students are registered and ready to begin school on Sept. 7," says Jane Mason, superintendent of staff development and school support. "Registering children during the week of Aug. 30 will help the board establish bus routes and ease demands on schools during the first week back. Our staff will be at schools and happy to help get children registered."
Children who turn four or five this year can also register for kindergarten during this week. Youth up to age 21 can attend regular secondary school classes. The board has more than 210 elementary and secondary schools serving 140,000 students in Peel.
Parents can call the board's Planning and Accommodation department at 905-890-1010 or 1-800-668-1146, ext. 2212, to find out the name and location of the neighbourhood school their child will attend. For more information on school registration, parents can visit the board's website at www.peelschools.org and look for the "school registration" icon on the home page. Parents can also
call their local school or the board's Staff Development and School Support department at 905-890-1010/1-800-668-1146, ext. 2640.Board writes to province regarding renewal of Access Copyright licences
The board is writing to the minister of education to express the board's concerns regarding the renewal of Access Copyright licences for school boards in Ontario. Currently, school boards hold print copyright licences with Access Copyright. These licences are scheduled to expire Aug. 31, 2004. Notes Janet McDougald, chair of the board, "It is critical that the Ministry of Education participate in the defence at the Copyright Board as the outcome of this issue may have a significant cost impact on school boards in this province."
Board approves new EDC by-law
On June 24, 2004, the board held a public meeting to consider the proposed new EDC by-law for the Region of Peel. The board's current by-law expires on Sept. 1, 2004. The current by-law imposes charges of $1,281 per residential dwelling unit and $0.16 per square foot ($1.72 per square metre) of non-residential gross floor area.
Since June 24, 2004, representatives of the board have met with representatives of Osprey Valley Resorts Inc., and have received a submission from Metrus Developments Inc. concerning land values used to calculate the proposed charge.
The board has submitted information to the Ministry of Education and awaits the approval of the Minister of the estimates of projected students and the number of school sites used by the board in calculating the proposed charge. Such approval is a condition to the passing of the new by-law.
The report is available by calling 905-890-1010, ext. 2212.
Board renews membership in OPSBA
Peel District School Board will continue to be a member of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA). OPSBA is the voice of public education at the provincial level and works with education partners to further the interests of public education and Canada's schools. The annual fee for OPSBA is $168,687. More information can be found at www.opsba.org.
Board approves secondary average class size
The board approved that the average aggregate class size of the board's secondary classes be maintained at 22 for the 2004-05 school year. By maintaining the average class size at 22, the equivalent of approximately 98 teachers are available to be re-deployed to meet the teacher workload requirements under Bill 80, the Stability and Excellence in Education Act, 2001. The following resources will be used to support secondary programs:
- Student supervision
- On-call support
- Teacher-advisor program
- Library and guidance support
- Special education monitoring
- Program support in co-op and peer tutoring or leadership
The secondary staffing model, based on Bill 80, continues to facilitate the offering of a co-instructional program to meet the needs of students in the Peel board.
Board sets meeting schedule for 2004-05
The regular board meetings will be held on the following dates:
September 2004
September 14 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
September 28 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.October 2004
October 12 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
October 26 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.November 2004
November 9 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
November 23 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.December 2004
December 6 - Annual Organizational Meeting and Second Meeting of the Board - 7 p.m.
December 14 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.January 2005
January 11 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
January 25 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.February 2005
February 8 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
February 22 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.March 2005
March 8 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
March 22 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.April 2005
April 12 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.May 2005
May 10 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
May 24 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.June 2005
June 7 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.
June 23 - Regular Meeting of the Board - 7:30 p.m.Secondary Vice-Principal Appointment
The board approved the following vice-principal appointment, effective Sept. 7, 2004:
Nancy Chew from acting vice-principal at Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School to vice-principal at Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School.
Retirements
Trustees recognized the contributions and years of service of the following staff who are retiring effective Dec. 31 unless otherwise indicated:
Robert Boyes, principal
James Dodds, custodian, retired July 23
Robert Feather, maintenance leadhand, will retire Oct. 31
Brian Gill, principal
Sheilagh Hall, teacher, retired July 31
John McGill, teacher, retired May 31
Deloreen Metzak, secretary, will retire Dec. 7
Debra Mitchell, superintendent
Louella Nagy, teacher
Laurie Pedwell, co-ordinator, retired July 31
Karen Riley, teacher, retired June 30
Bonnie Jeanne Unrau, will retire Aug. 31
Dorothy Woods, senior human resources clerk, will retire Aug. 31Keep up to date with website subscription service
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