Spring Summer 2022: Canadian School Boards Association President' Bulletin
Spring Summer 2022
As another school year comes to an end, it’s a wonderful time for students, families, educators, and education partners, although the closing of this school year is bittersweet for me as I wrap up my four terms as President.
This July at our Annual General Meeting during the National Trustee Gathering on Indigenous Education and CSBA Congress, a new President will be elected to our Board of Directors. It has been an honour and privilege to serve our membership and work with my dedicated peers on behalf of publicly elected school board Trustees and students throughout the country. We have seen many changes in education over the last few years, and I am confident the excellent work of the CSBA will continue.
At our most recent Board of Directors meeting, we had additional time together to meet with federal leaders. It was a very positive experience for everyone, and I’d like to thank the Ontario Public School Boards Association for their support while we were in Ottawa for the meetings. Members of our board met with Senators, Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, Shadow Ministers and opposition critics to discuss common goals and priorities for public education. The meetings highlighted the many opportunities for collaboration and I look forward to the follow-up.
During the board meeting each of our committee and work team chairs reported on activities and presented recommendations to the Board.
Our Indigenous Education committee coordinated a session by Daniel Brant and Associates during the board meeting. Presidents and Executive Directors shared their experiences, advancements, and challenges at the provincial level. The members also discussed common priorities for collaborative work at the CSBA level. Daniel and his team will use the information from the discussions to identify priorities, goals, and actions for the CSBA, in support of member associations.
The “Putting Data to Work – Faisons parler les données” initiative is developing well under the supervision of Mary-Ann Zauhar Hiscock, Project Manager, and Brigitte Cyr, database expert from le CLÉ. They provided directors with an overview of the national database, which is foundational to quantitative data on the French teacher shortage. This initiative is another excellent example of collaboration between education partners as it involves the CSBA, the Canadian Association of School System Administrators, the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones and the Regroupement national des directions générale de l’éducation.
As we head off into summer vacation, once again I would like to thank all of our members and trustees for their support throughout the year. During my time as President, I have felt inspired by the commitment of so many education partners who are dedicated to providing the best possible education for our students. I am looking forward to seeing many of you at this upcoming CSBA National Trustees Gathering on Indigenous Education and CSBA Congress in Saskatoon July 6-8th – please find details on our website. My best wishes and sincere thanks for all you do in support of students and public education.
Yours in education,
Laurie French