TDSB Appoints Two New Trustees

Trustees with the Toronto District School Board have appointed two new Trustees: Fowzia Mahamed as the new Trustee for Ward 2 (Etobicoke Centre) and Alexis Dawson as the new Trustee for Ward 9 (Davenport). 

Ms. Mahamed and Ms. Dawson were the successful candidates following an open application process that was launched after the election of Marit Stiles and Chris Glover to the provincial legislature in June.

For more information, read the news release. 

TDSB Committed to Helping Increase Road Safety

It’s back to school time again and the Toronto District School Board is reminding drivers to be alert and slow down in school zones. In recent years, the Board has been working with community partners, including the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Health and Toronto Police Service to increase road safety for children and youth.

Learn more about road safety and active transportation at the TDSB.

Director of Education Letter to Teaching Staff Re: Health & Physical Education

The Director of Education, John Malloy, issued a letter to all teaching staff at the Toronto District School Board with regards to the re-issued Health and Physical Education curriculum in the Province of Ontario.

The full letter is available online. 

TDSB Top Scholars 2017-2018 Announced

The Toronto District School Board announced this year's TDSB Top Scholars on Thursday, July 19. This year, seven Grade 12 students attained averages of 99% or above during the 2017-2018 academic year.

The list of this year`s recipients is available online. 

TDSB Appoints New Associate Directors

The Toronto District School Board appointed three outstanding educational leaders to the roles of Associate Director: Manon Gardner, Associate Director, School Operations and Service Excellence; Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Associate Director, Equity, Well-Being and School Improvement; and Dr. Kathy Witherow, Associate Director, Leadership, Learning, and School Improvement.

The three newly-created senior leadership roles are part of larger structural changes to the TDSB’s Senior Team that aim to reinvigorate the Board’s focus on higher achievement, school improvement, student well-being, equity and service excellence.

Learn more at tdsb.on.ca .  

Appointments to the Program and School Services Committee and the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee

Trustee Fowzia Mahamed was appointed to the Program and School Services Committee and Trustee Alexis Dawson was appointed to the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee, for a term ending November 30, 2018.

Read the Board decision (15.2). 

National Alliance of Black School Educators’ 46th Annual Conference

Trustees David Smith, Sheila Cary-Meagher, Tiffany Ford, Fowzia Mahamed and Alexis Dawson received approval to attend the National Alliance of Black School Educators’ 46th Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland from November 6 to 11, 2018. 

The expense is to be covered by available funds in the trustees’ discretionary budget for professional development.

Read the Board decision (15.1). 

Motion: Health and Physical Education Curriculum

The Board passed a motion that urges the Ministry of Education to cancel the recently announced online forum where parents can share their concerns about school curriculum and how it is taught – www.fortheparents.ca. 

The motion recommends that TDSB parents address issues regarding teachers and their instructional approaches through the Parent Concern Protocol, while issues related about curriculum should be directed to the Ministry of Education. 

The motion also reaffirms the Board’s support for Director John Malloy`s efforts to communicate concerns regarding the inclusion of important topics, such as online safety, gender identities, sexual orientation and consent, as well as, it’s support for teachers.

TDSB Approves New Trustee Ward Boundaries

On Aug. 9, 2018, the Board approved a new realignment plan for its 22 ward electoral boundaries that aligns with the 25 federal/provincial electoral boundaries in the City of Toronto. 

These changes, which would come into effect on Dec 1, 2018, are a result of the Government of Ontario’s decision to reduce Toronto City Council from 47 to 25 councillors and realign the City of Toronto’s ward electoral boundaries to reflect provincial electoral ridings. By law, the TDSB is required to align its ward electoral boundaries with the City’s. 

Please note that this plan is pending due to the City of Toronto`s legal action against the provincial legislation.

For more information, visit the TDSB web page: New Ward Boundaries. 

TDSB Support for City of Toronto’s Legal Action re: Better Local Government Act, 2018, Bill 5 

Trustees voted to formally proceed with supporting the City of Toronto in a legal challenge of Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, in relation to trustee ward alignment and the Education Act.

For more information, read the Board decision and the news release.