December 14th, 2015

On Monday, December 14, 2015, the Waterloo Region District School Board held its monthly board meeting. The agenda and reports for the meeting can be found on our website.

A quartet from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, under the direction of teacher Matthew Piche, played a variety of seasonal pieces for trustees and staff.

Consent Agenda

Trustees received/approved the following minutes:

  • Receive Minutes – Board Meeting of November 30, 2015
  • Receive Minutes – Inaugural Board Meeting of December 7, 2015
  • Approve Minutes – Parent Involvement Committee Meeting of October 27, 2015

Trustees received/approved the following monthly reports:

  • Suspension Expulsion Report to November 30, 2015
  • Staffing Information – Retirements and Resignations
  • Staffing Recommendations – Appointments

No delegations appeared at the meeting.

Reports

Refugee Reception Taskforce

The federal government has announced its plans to welcome Syrian refugees to Canada. An estimated 1,150 federal/provincial sponsored refugees (850 federal government assisted; 300 private sponsorship) are expected to arrive in Waterloo Region beginning December 10, 2015. Waterloo Region is one of six Ontario reception centres for Syrian refugees.

On Friday, November 20, 2015 over 200 community members attended a Region of Waterloo Preparedness meeting where details were shared regarding resettlement efforts for Syrian refugees. It was noted that many of the sponsored refugees will be large family structures, including a large number of student aged children.

The Board has established a Refugee Reception Task Force (Task Force) to support refugees in accessing educational and support services as they resettle in Waterloo Region.

The Task Force divided into three (3) working teams and focused on priority concerns:
1. Welcome Centre Working Team
2. School Based Resources Working Team
3. Communications Working Team

The Region of Waterloo has established a Refugee Resettlement Steering Committee to help coordinate efforts across the Region. The WRDSB is also represented on this Steering Committee. In an effort to coordinate supports, meetings between Board staff and members of these sectors have been occurring.

Long Term Fiscal Sustainability & Stability Task Force Quarterly Update

Trustees passed a motion on June 23, 2014, the Fiscal Task Force was formed. The Fiscal Task Force was mandated to undertake discussions and consider options and solutions to ensure the long term sustainability and stability of the Board.

As part of the committee’s work in preparing the Board’s budget for the 2016/2017 school year, the Fiscal Task Force has met monthly to develop a strategy to engage Stakeholder Groups and solicit their feedback related to the Fiscal Task Force’s mandate.

Additionally, the Fiscal Task Force has begun working on a survey which will be posted to the Board’s website for the purpose of soliciting public feedback. The survey will be made available from February 2016 to March 2016 with the final dates to be confirmed at a future date. The feedback gained from the engagement sessions and survey will be analyzed by the Fiscal Task Force and will be integrated into the budget process for the 2016/2017 school year as applicable.

Strategic Plan Working Group Update

Trustee Smith and Senior Superintendent, Student Achievement & Well-Being provided an update to trustees and staff regarding the strategic plan process. Future sessions are planned for trustees and staff to meet with the Working Group to engage in the strategic planning process.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:25.