Meeting with the Minister

On January 26, OCSTA president, Paula Peroni and Association staff, John Stunt (Executive Director) and Kevin Kobus (Sr. Policy Advisor-Finance), met with the Minister of Education to discuss a number of current issues, including:

§           The strong role of Catholic education in Ontario’s education system – The Minister acknowledged that Ontario’s Catholic schools are contributing positively towards the provincial goal of increasing public confidence in the province’s publicly funded schools.

§           Declining Enrollment Report – the Minister reviewed the principles OCSTA had included in the Association’s submission to the Declining Enrollment Working Group (see the OCSTA Declining Enrolment Brief here - http://www.ocsta.on.ca/governmentBriefs2008.aspx) and agreed with the Association’s stance that bigger or amalgamated school boards would not prove to be better in managing education in Ontario. The Minister did stress that it would be important for stakeholders in the education sector to collaborate and operate with greater efficiency during this period of scarce resources.  She also indicated that she could work with the principles in our brief regarding partnerships and sharing.

§           Finance – OCSTA raised the issue of pending arbitration on Copyright tariff negotiations.  A decision is expected at the end of February (2009) and OCSTA believes that there is a strong risk of copyright retroactivity that could have negative impact on current board budgets.  The Minister will be examining this issue further.  On the issue of education grants, the Minister re-affirmed her commitment to an early release of grants.

Seminar for Chairs, Vice Chairs and
Directors of Education

Almost 100 delegates attended the 2009 OCSTA Seminar for Chairs, Vice Chairs and Directors of Education. Keynote speaker Bishop Fred Colli delivered a spirited and well-received address about the role of Catholic trustees in developing a strong, unified voice for Catholic education in Ontario communities.

Bishop Colli’s full speech is in the members section of the OCSTA website (http://www.ocsta.on.ca/ocstamembers.aspx). Following is a poignant excerpt from that address:

“The challenge for us today, in the context of the present climate in society, government and culture, is to convince those who work with us, those who support us, those who desire our system for their children, and those who observe us from outside, to show how our system is different, unique, important and beneficial – not just to the Catholic community but to the community and society as a whole in the province of Ontario.

…You don’t have to wear a big cross or say ‘what would Jesus do now?’ in order to accomplish this, you must, however, live your life and make your decisions based on the faith that sustains you in the Lord. It is the foundation and it will give you insight into the decisions and directions you must take and make for the good of Catholic education.”

Delegates also received an update on Association activities and priorities during the address to members by OCSTA president, Paula Peroni. The president’s report and other presentations can be viewed by visiting the members section of the OCSTA website - http://www.ocsta.on.ca/ocstamembers.aspx.

A much anticipated and welcomed presenter at this annual Seminar is the Minister of Education, the Hon. Kathleen Wynne. During her address to delegates, the Minister congratulated Ontario’s Catholic school boards for their role in successfully negotiating labour agreements for all teachers and staff in our system.

Co-chairs for the Provincial Governance Review Committee, Rick Johnson and Madeleine Chevalier, facilitated a lively discussion among Chairs and Vice Chairs on the government’s School Board Governance Consultation paper. OCSTA Sr. Policy Advisor-Finance, Kevin Kobus and ECCODE President, Roger Lawlor, led a separate but similar discussion with Directors of Education.

The Governance Review Discussion focused on 4 main themes: Modernizing the Education Act (accountability, roles and responsibilities); Identifying Effective Governance Practices; Supporting School Board Leaders (training and professional development), and; Strengthening School Board Accountability.

Feedback shared by Chairs, Vice Chairs and Directors of Education will form the basis of OCSTA’s submission to the Provincial School Board Governance Review Committee. That submission will be made available to members, upon its completion and approval by the Board of Directors. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2009.

Chairs' Panel participants: Kathy Ablett (Ottawa CSB); Robert Van Oort (Northwest CDSB) and; Elizabeth Crowe (York CDSB). Not shown: Anita Labadie (St. Clair CDSB).	Provincial School Board Governance Review Committee members (l-r) Paula Peroni (OCSTA President), Madelenie Chevalier (Trustee, Conseil des ecoles catholiques de langue francaise du Centre-Est) and Rick Johnson (President, Canadian School Boards Association & Trustee Trillium Lakelands DSB).
St. Clair CDSB Chair, Anita Labadie with Minister Wynne.	Musical Liturgists: (l-r), Michael Bodsworth, Ginny Bodsworth and Nancy Boss.  Not shown: Jeff Boss.

OCSTA in the News

Ontario Needs a Better Brain Trust, report says

By Elizabeth Church, Education Reporter

February 5, 2009--It will take more college and university graduates - especially management majors - to transform Canada's most populous province into a world talent leader, says a new report that sets ambitious targets for remaking the Ontario economy.

The sweeping study by business school dean Roger Martin and urban thinker Richard Florida targets higher education as one of four fronts where the province must focus efforts to remake its work force for a new "creative age."

The report calls on Ontario to transform itself into a "talent province," by dramatically increasing enrolment in higher education - boosting the percentage of young people who go on to college and university to 60 per cent from about 40 per cent now.

Such participation levels would make the province the world's "first and best talent jurisdiction," the study says, and would help wean the region from its reliance on manufacturing.

In a recommendation that is sure to raise some eyebrows in the academic community, the two business pundits argue the province is not producing enough management graduates, lagging well behind the United States.

While many industry and provincial initiatives have focused on increasing enrolment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the report finds the province is already outpacing the United States when it comes to producing science and engineering graduates.

"Having more 'hard' science workers has no direct relationship with regional prosperity," the study says. "While a region can innovate, it takes management to convert that innovation to regional prosperity."

It's not enough just to have great science and innovation in the universities, because the best creative companies have great managers, Dr. Florida said in an interview.

"We need more effective management, not only on its own but combined with science and technology and combined with arts, culture and entertainment," he said.

Premier Dalton McGuinty, who has worked hard to cast himself as the education premier, told reporters yesterday that he shares the report's emphasis on education.

"We've got to continue to find ways to invest in our people, in their skills, in their education, and find better ways to harness their talents and their creativity," he said.

The McGuinty government has injected billions into higher education since it came to office.

However, campuses are still facing major financial pressures because of the surge in enrolment during that time.

The rising demand has left the province scrambling to accommodate more students looking for a college or university education, especially in the Toronto area.

Ontario's Minister for Training, Colleges and Universities, John Milloy, said industry has made it clear that it is looking for more graduates with science, engineering and technical backgrounds. Growth in the system, said Mr. Milloy, a history scholar, must be aligned with the needs of the economy, but should include a range of disciplines, including college and apprenticeship programs.

Figures from the most recent census show that the most common qualification among working-age Canadians is some form of business training.

In 2006, 25 per cent of postsecondary graduates said they had studied business, management, marketing or other related support services.

The report's recommendation to increase enrolment in higher education represents a huge leap for any jurisdiction and would require large government investments at a time when the province is struggling with a looming deficit.

Depending on what figures are used, Canada leads industrialized nations when it comes to enrolment in university and college programs. At the national level, about 48 per cent of Canadians between 25 and 64 have a university or college education, according to numbers produced by the Organization for Economic Co- operation and Development.

When university degrees alone are considered, that percentage falls to 23 per cent, and puts Canada behind countries such as Norway, the United States and Iceland.

Student Trustees

The Ontario Student Trustees' Association has published a report about the cost of extracurricular activities in Ontario’s schools. The students’ group is calling on school boards and the Ministry to “begin a process to identify, cap and ultimately phase out student extracurricular activity fees.”  The report can be viewed by visiting the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association's website at:  http://osta-aeco.org/policy.html."

OSTA-AECP Annual English Catholic and English Public Board Council Conferences:   The Ontario Student Trustees' Association will be hosting its annual 'board council conferences' February 20-21 in Ottawa.  This year’s theme is “Creating Change: Forging Improvements.” OCSTA President, Paula Peroni and the Ontario Public School Board Association President, Colleen Schenk, are the keynote speakers for this year’s event. For more information please visit:  http://osta-aeco.org/conferences.html.