 |
Actionable: Demand a Safe and Fully Funded Return To School
|
|
If you are concerned about a safe return to school for Ontario's 2-million students, teachers and education workers, then please mark July 29th at noon on your calendar! Ontario Families for Public Education and the Ontario Parents Action Network are leading a day of action, asking that as many people as possible visit their local MPP's office between noon-1 pm on Wednesday, July 29th to demand a safe and fully funded return to school. Click here for details and to register if you are able to attend!
In a July 20, 2020 opinion piece in the Globe & Mail entitled, “Getting children back to school has to be our top priority“, André Picard states that “getting children back in the classroom, smartly and safely, has to be the number one priority of politicians, public-health officials, educators and parents alike. Bars, restaurants, hair salons, golf clubs and the like should all take a back seat to ensuring that children get an education – and a childhood – pandemic or not.”
The time is now to demand that our provincial government prioritize public education and schools by providing the funding that is actually needed. The time is now for political will to be applied so that previously unimaginable public resources can be found and allocated to ensure all Ontario schools are safe, healthy, well-maintained buildings that provide environments conducive to learning and working. Adequate and stable provincial funding is imperative for a safe return to school amidst a global pandemic and, quite frankly, for always. See you on July 29th!
Thanks for helping Fix Our Schools,
Krista Wylie, Co-Founder
| |
Suspending We Charity/Me to We PartnershipsTrustee Robin Pilkey and I have submitted a resolution to be considered at an upcoming meeting of the Board to immediately suspend the TDSB's partnership agreements with We Charity and Me to We pending a review.
Review of Partnership Agreements With WE Charity/ME to WE
Whereas, increasing media scrutiny on WE Charity/ME to WE has surfaced concerns regarding some of the organization’s practices and policies both domestically and in the countries they seek to assist; and
Whereas, through existing partnership agreements, the Toronto District School Board provides WE Charity and ME to WE with a great deal of access to its students, staff, schools and families; and
Whereas, the WE Charity/ME to WE model intentionally engages schools as a conduit for their organization’s fundraising efforts[1]; and
Whereas, the TDSB’s current partnership agreements do not expire until the fall of 2021;
Therefore, be it resolved:
(a) That the TDSB suspend its current agreements with WE Charity/ME to WE and any other related organizations, pending a review of the agreements;
(b) That the Director review the terms of the current agreements in the fall of 2020, and present a report to the Board, through the Committee of the Whole, on the scope, process, considerations and outcome of this review before the end of the calendar year 2020, and before any consideration is made regarding any future contracts between the TDSB and WE Charity/ME to WE;
(c) That the report at Part (b) above include a detailed description of the financial activity between the parties, as well as an analysis of both the formal and informal connections between WE Charity/ME to WE and the TDSB.
[1] https://www.flare.com/news/we-charity-corruption-trudeau-kielburger/
| |
Expecting Provincial Announcement on Reopening Plans This Week
The health and safety of our students and staff is the number one priority for the board in determining plans for reopening schools. For weeks now staff have been meeting regularly with support from all levels to look at a number of possible models for September, including alternate days or weeks. Staff have also been considering PPE requirements, the ability to physically distance students and staff, the ability to switch between remote and in-person learning, and transportation, among a number of other items. These plans have been discussed with our union/federation partners and Toronto Public Health.
Our plans were to issue a Pre-Registration Survey this past week to help make informed decisions for September - we planned to ask all parents and guardians to pre-register their child to indicate their intention of returning to school in-person in September and confirm transportation needs, if any. We know how essential it is to reach all parents/families with this important information, so we were taking the additional step to translate the entire survey into 20 languages. We were also sending out a survey to all our staff.
But in light of the government’s recent statement that the model in which schools will re-open will be announced this week (Week of July 27), we are now concerned that we would be surveying our parents/guardians on school opening models that are in fact no longer under consideration. This would also make our data gathering processes potentially redundant as many of the options in relation to re-opening would not be on the table.
As a result, we are pausing our system survey to wait for the government’s announcement. We will then proceed with a two-tiered survey, a phone system survey and an online surveyfor parents and guardians supported by translation services. Moreover, by waiting for greater clarity from the government, our parent/guardian community will be in a better position to make important decisions with respect to their intentions to send their child to a TDSB school or opt for remote, home learning.
In the meantime, the Toronto Student Transportation Group will be sending out a letter to all parents/guardians that have signed up for their transportation portal to inform them of the upcoming transportation survey on student transportation that both boards will be doing.
Please see below for the letter that went out to parents/guardians late Friday, in case you missed it. Please also see the following for context -
| |
As we look ahead to September, we know that school will look quite different as a result of continued efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. We have been planning for our return considering all possibilities ensuring that student and staff well-being and safety is the priority. We are currently planning for three possible options as outlined by the Ministry of Education, with the final direction coming from both the Ministry and Toronto Public Health in August.
- Normal school day routine with enhanced public health protocols: Students going to school every day, in classes that reflect standard class size regulations.
- Modified school day routine: An adapted delivery model that allows for physical distancing and groups of students where there would be a limit of 15 students in a typical classroom at one time and students would remain in contact only with their classmates and a single teacher for as much of the school day as possible. This model would require alternate day or alternate week delivery to a segment of the class at one time.
- At home learning: Should the school closure be extended, or some parents choose not to send their child back to school, remote education would continue. Remote education should be delivered online to the greatest extent possible, including the establishment of minimum expectations for students to have direct contact with their teacher at the same time on a regular basis, also known as synchronous learning.
To help inform our work to reopen, we are working with our communities, including unions and federation partners, as well as asking our staff, parents/guardians and students to share their thoughts through surveys.
Planning for the return to school and workplaces is a complex task with many considerations. TDSB has formed a Return to School and Work Steering Committee and several sub-committees to plan and prepare for September.
On July 15, preliminary plans for reopening the TDSB were shared with Trustees for discussion. This presentation outlines our ongoing plans for back to school and our commitment to French programming. While the staffing requirements remain a challenge in some models, we continue to look at creative solutions to continue French programming — although it may look different than previously offered. Students are at the centre of our planning and the health, safety and well-being of everyone remains our top priority.
To learn more about the Ministry of Education's approach to reopening schools for the 2020-21 school year, visit their website for information on:
| |
On June 24, Trustee Michelle Aaarts and I hosted a ward forum “Let’s Talk Race, Racism and Resources.” We had a fantastic turnout, with over 100 participants at its peak. Our specialist facilitators were
Jim Spyropoulos, Executive Superintendent of Human Rights and Indigenous Education,
Karen Murray, Centrally Assigned Principal for Equity, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression.
Alison Gaymes San-Vincente, Centrally Assigned Principal Coaching and School Improvement
The video of the workshop can be found here (link requires the following password: RixRQNS8).
The slide show from the workshop can be found here.
And lastly, the minutes can be found here.
Michelle and I want this workshop to be a starting point for ongoing learning and reflection. We asked our guest speakers to first take us through the steps for addressing bias and how to have challenging conversations around bias, racism, and oppression in our families, with our friends/colleagues and in our schools.
If you are interested in resources, click on the link to the minutes above and read down to the hyperlinked list of resources, for both talking to kids, and educating ourselves as adults. We hope that these resources will provide you with an opportunity to reflect on ways to address bias and oppressive structures in our own day-to-day lives.
In September we will host a follow-up session with a focus on how to build antiracist/anti-oppressive school councils and how parents can be a guiding voice in supporting anti-racism work in their school and school community. Stay tuned for more!
Here are the notes, presentations and videos from the Workshop:
More Resources:
| |
Director of Education Search
The next steps in the search for a permanent director include the formation of a Trustee Search Committee, training, and then consultations with our staff, parent, and community stakeholders to get input on a Candidate Profile for a new director. Trustees will be aided in this work by an executive search firm (with a strong equity, diversity, and consultation focus). Please stay tuned for upcoming consultations and engagement as part of the process to build a comprehensive Candidate Profile.
| |
Worth Repeating -
2020-21 Draft Operating Budget Update
At the Finance, Budget and Enrolment Committee (FBEC) meeting on July 15, staff presented an updated Financial Position and Draft Operating Budget for 2020-21 report that was revised based on Trustee feedback with additional information regarding COVID-19 costs and funding and financials risks for next year. Staff continue to recommend no reductions or changes to current operations so that all efforts can be focussed on re-opening the system safely, with staff and student health and well-being prioritized. As noted in the report, staff continue to recommend an additional $22.5M in COVID-19 related costs for the first four months of the school year (September-December) to ensure that schools can open safely for all students and staff. Please note, this does not include any additional costs (e.g. staffing) associated with the Ministry-approved reopening model that is chosen. Since the projected operating deficit is primarily due to additional COVID-19 costs, staff are recommending the use of reserves to offset the projected deficit. However, the TDSB continues to request that the Ministry of Education provides additional funding to support school boards as they navigate opening schools back up safely next year.
The final draft budget will be presented at a Special FBEC meeting on August 5, and then a Special Board meeting on August 6.
Also at this meeting, Trustees passed two motions regarding next year’s operating budget. The first motion is to ask staff to reconsider current budget recommendations to charge fees for the Secondary IB Diploma Program. The second motion asks staff to reconsider last year’s budget reduction to Student Support Services so that students are supported in the return to school this fall. Both motions passed at FBEC and will be considered by the Board of Trustees on August 6.
| |
School Year Calendar 2020-2021
The official school year calendar for the Toronto District School Board runs from September 1 to June 30, inclusive and has now been approved by the Ministry.
- First day of classes for all students is September 8
- The last day of class for elementary students is June 29
- The last day of class for secondary (full year) students is June 25
- The last day of class for secondary (semestered) students is June 28
|
Board-wide PA Day
|
September 1, 2020
| |
Board-wide PA Day
|
September 2, 2020
| |
Board-wide PA Day
|
September 3, 2020
| |
Labour Day
|
September 7, 2020
| |
Thanksgiving
|
October 12, 2020
| |
Board-wide PA Day
|
November 20, 2020
| |
Winter Break
|
December 21, 2020 - January 1, 2021
| |
Elementary PA Day
|
January 15, 2021
| |
Secondary PA Day (Semestered Schools Only)
|
February 2, 2021
| |
Board-wide PA Day
|
February 12, 2021
| |
Family Day
|
February 15, 2021
| |
March Break
|
March 15 – 19, 2021
| |
Good Friday
|
April 2, 2021
| |
Easter Monday
|
April 5, 2021
| |
Victoria Day
|
May 24, 2021
| |
Elementary School PA Day
|
June 4, 2021
| |
Secondary School PA Day (Full Year Schools)
|
June 28, 2021
| |
Secondary School PA Day
|
June 29, 2021
|
EQAO
Gr. 9 Math: 1st Semester: January 11 - 22, 2021
Gr. 9 Math: 2nd Semester: June 3 – 16, 2021
OSSLT: April 8, 2021
| |
|
