Hundreds of School Trustees Set to Gather in Toronto
Toronto, ON: School trustees from throughout Canada are preparing to come together in Toronto from July 3 to 5 for the annual Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA) Congress and National Trustee Gathering on Indigenous Education (NTGIE), hosted this year by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA).
With a theme of “Our Shared Tomorrow” / “Notre demain commun,” the event is taking place at the Westin Harbour Castle on Lake Ontario. The Congress and NTGIE features incredible speakers, topics, and activities including:
- Dr. Marie Battiste, author and educator, University of Saskatchewan, Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit
- Dwayne Matthews, future of education strategist, Building a Future-Ready Education System: A Strategic Approach for Education Leaders
- Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, education and psychology instructor and author, Stress Wisely
- Randell Adjei, Ontario’s Poet Laureate
- Dr. Jodie Lobana, chair, advisory board, McMaster AI Society, Governance of Artificial Intelligence
- An Indigenous marketplace
In addition to the professional development and networking opportunities for trustees, the conference will feature an exclusive session with Western University Professor Dr. Katina Pollock. In connection with the Congress, the CSBA will publicly release Professor Pollock’s recent academic report entitled “Local Voice in Decision-Making at the School System Level Across Canada.” Professor Pollock and her research team explored the participation and perceived impact of “local voice” in system-level decision-making in Canadian jurisdictions that have, or have recently had, democratically elected school boards. The CSBA has received the report and looks forward to proceeding on implementation of its recommendations.
Workshops and sessions on important education topics such as Indigenous student well-being and language revitalization, Artificial Intelligence (AI), school board governance, combatting hate and racism, and a Cross-Canada Check-in will ensure attendees leave the Congress and Gathering with a wealth of new knowledge, connections, and strategies to employ at their local school boards/divisions.
“CSBA Congress and the National Trustees Gathering on Indigenous Education is a vital opportunity for school board leaders to collaborate and shape the future of Canadian public education,” says CSBA President Alan Campbell. “I am so excited to come together with my colleagues in Toronto this year, united by our commitment to local democracy and inclusive and equitable public education for all students.”
NEW THIS YEAR – THE CSBA NATIONAL RECONCILIATION PARTNERSHIP AWARD
For the first time ever, the CSBA will present a national award that will be conferred upon both a publicly funded school board and its partner Indigenous organization, in Canada. The national partnership awards focus on demonstration of significant and sustained commitment by both a publicly funded school board(s) and its local Indigenous community(ies) to the promotion of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples through the good of public education. The inaugural ceremony for induction to the Award will take place at 11:15 a.m. on July 5 at the Westin Harbour Castle.
CSBA and OPSBA will hold their respective elections for President and Vice-Presidents during the associations’ respective Annual General Meetings occurring concurrently at the Congress and NTGIE.
For more information, please contact:
Trish Smith
CSBA Communications Support
T.J. Goertz
Senior Communications and Policy Officer, OPSBA
tgoertz@opsba.org
The Canadian School Boards Association represents governing school board members from across the country through their provincial associations. The CSBA champions collaboration and innovation in public education as applied to both the delivery of education and system governance.