The Policy & Governance Standing Committee will ensure that Board policies, bylaws and trustee self-evaluation are in alignment with the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan and operational goals. The committee will deal with such matters as may be referred to the committee by the Board and receive reports as requested or as appropriate.
2025-2026 Policy & Governance Standing Committee Meetings
| Date | Agenda | Recording | Minutes |
| September 17, 2025 | Agenda | *Not available due to technical difficulty | Minutes |
| November 10, 2025 | Agenda | YouTube | |
| January 14, 2026 | |||
| February 9, 2026 | |||
| March 9, 2026 | |||
| April 13, 2026 | |||
| May 13, 2026 |
*Due to unforeseen technical difficulties during our transition to the new governance structure, a recording of this meeting is unfortunately not available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please note that the meeting minutes serve as the official record and will be made available in due course. Questions can be directed to the Manager of Corporate Services at stephanie_reidel@wrdsb.ca
All Standing Committee meetings are open to the public. Under the Education Act, meetings that are closed to the public (in-camera) are conducted to discuss matters of personnel, property, contract negotiations and litigation.
Information on attending or watching a Standing Committee meeting can be found on the 2025-2026 Standing Committee Meetings page.
Terms of Reference
Membership: Four (4) Trustees plus the Chairperson of the Board
Members Election of Committee Chair and Vice-Chair: Election to be held at the first meeting of the Committee after the Inaugural Meeting or the Organizational Meeting of the Board and will follow the Election Process outlined in Section 10 of the WRDSB Board Bylaws.
Term of Appointment: Two (2) year term
Quorum Requirement: Majority of members
Meeting Frequency: Approximately six (6) to ten (10) meetings per year
Reporting Structure: Directly to Board
Administrative Responsibility: Director of Education
Approval Date/Last Update: August 31, 2025
COMMITTEE MANDATE:
- to consider and make recommendations to the Board regarding the development, review, revision or elimination of Board policy
- to monitor, prioritize as required, and make available to the public a list of Board policies scheduled for review, based on a four-year cycle, concurrent with the trustees’ term of office
- to entrust the implementation of Board policy, through operational procedures, to the Director of Education
- to implement a policy development and review process that incorporates specific methods to obtain input from the educational community
- to ensure that relevant Board policy changes, including the development of new policies, will be communicated broadly to the educational community with related rationale and supporting documentation and information about how the policy direction aligns with the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan and student achievement
- to ensure the Committee’s deliberations are undertaken with the intent to achieve the goals of equity, decolonization, inclusion, anti-racism, anti-oppression and accessibility and in compliance with its obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code and related policies
- to consider and make recommendations to the Board regarding the addition, amendment, repeal or replacement of the WRDSB Bylaws following Board approval of a Notice of Motion to do so
- To ensure the completion of the annual performance self-assessment of the Board of Trustees
- to provide all members of the WRDSB community with an opportunity to provide input to the Committee
- to ensure that the Committee’s decision-making process and any subsequent recommendations are free from discrimination and adhere to the Ontario Human Rights Code and related policies in addressing historically and currently marginalized or underserved students or families
- to consider delegations in accordance with the WRDSB Bylaws
Roles and Responsibilities of Members:
- to ensure that the Committee’s work supports the goals in the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan and the Board’s Mission, Vision and Values
- to ensure that the Committee’s work is supported by relevant Board policy, where applicable
- to provide official minutes and related recommendations to the Board for its consideration
- to ensure that the Committee’s work is conducted in an open and transparent manner (within the confidentiality provisions of the Education Act)
Annual Reports:
- Board Policies
- Trustee Self-Evaluation
