Latest news with #Ottawa-CarletonDistrictSchoolBoard
Ottawa Citizen
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
OCDSB supervisor to reintroduce final exams for Grade 9 and 10
Student assessments for Grades 9 and 10 will be reintroduced, beginning this September, says the supervisor appointed by the province to oversee Ottawa's largest school board. Article content The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is one of the few boards in Ontario that does not include exams or summative assessments in Grades 9 and 10, said supervisor Robert Plamondon in an email to parents. Article content Article content Article content 'Although the OCDSB had had final evaluations in Grade 9 and 10, those evaluations have not included a final exam which will better prepare them for more consequential evaluations in Grade 11 and 12,' said Plamondon. Article content Article content 'Following a review of our Student Success Days and feedback from teachers and parents, I have directed staff to reintroduce exams or summative assessments in Grade 9 and 10, beginning in September 2025,' he said. 'This practice will ensure students are prepared for their next courses or post-secondary pursuits.' Article content In 2022, a spokesperson for then-education minister Stephen Lecce said local decisions are made by schools and boards to determine if they will administer an exam to determine a final grade for secondary students. In January 2023, Grade 9 and 10 students at the OCDSB had a week off unless their teachers asked them to come in to finish incomplete work. According to the OCDSB, exams were scrapped to better support the mental health and well-being of students. Article content Article content Plamondon was appointed supervisor on June 27 as the Ford government announced it would be taking control of four school boards, including the OCDSB. The province said it has appointed a supervisor to the OCDSB to address concerns of financial 'mismanagement' and growing deficits. Article content In his email, Plamondon, who has had a 35-year career in governance, finance, public policy and public administration, said the OCDSB's operating challenges go beyond budgeting. Article content 'Despite the dedicated efforts of teachers and staff, confidence among parents in the OCDSB has declined,' said Plamondon in the email. 'Many believe the board lost focus on the fundamentals of education — impacting both trust and student enrolment.' Article content According to figures released last December, enrolment at the OCDSB increased by over 200 students in the school year starting in September 2024, but that was almost 1,000 fewer students than it projected the previous spring. Meanwhile, enrolment in the city's other school boards has far outpaced growth at OCDSB. Article content The past year has been a tumultuous one for the board. Last month, trustees approved $18.1 million in budget cuts to its $1.244-billion budget. Three trustees have resigned in less than a year. Article content Plamondon said since he was appointed, he has met with central board staff, representatives of principals and vice principals, the federation of nine unions representing the district, some trustees, incoming and outgoing student trustees, students and other outgoing staff. Article content 'As the OCDSB supervisor, I am mandated by the Minister of Education to ensure the financial sustainability of the District. However, my top priority is student success and well-being. Achieving this requires strong engagement from staff — especially teachers — and from parents. It also requires that we direct our resources to where they matter most: the classroom,' said Plamondon. Article content Article content 'As I told school leaders, I work for the students, and by extension, their parents. This also means supporting educators, those who have chosen one of the most meaningful careers in society.' Article content Plamondon also addressed the OCDSB's elementary program review, which included changes to French immersion, phasing out alternative schools and some special education classes, as well as controversial school boundary changes. Article content 'Conversations are continuing with the ministry about this, and I will update you as soon as I have news to share,' he said. 'While the discussion continues, I want to assure parents that no students will be required to move schools for the 2025-2026 school year.' Article content Changes to boundaries were not slated to begin until the school year starting in September 2026. Trustees heard in April that there would be opportunities to 'grandparent' children at their current schools as school boundaries change. Article content 'Although supervision means elected trustees have no decision-making authority, I have asked staff to take extra steps to ensure the District remains open and responsive to parents, students, and the broader community,' he said. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Justine Bell the third OCDSB trustee to resign in less than a year
Justine Bell has become the third trustee to resign from Ottawa's largest school board in less than a year. Article content In a letter to residents in Zone 10 (Somerset), Bell said the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board table 'was often a difficult space, and at times, a toxic one.' Article content Article content Her resignation is effective June 30. Article content 'There are a number of reasons why I'm resigning,' Bell, who has been a trustee for five years, said in an interview. 'The most important is my family.' Article content Article content Bell recently adopted a three-year-old girl from her husband's hometown in Mexico and for the past year and a half has been dividing her time between Ottawa and Mexico, sometimes attending school board meetings via Zoom. Article content Article content Bell said when she's in Ottawa, she spends time visiting schools in the city and remaining in contact with principals and superintendents, and has always answered questions by email immediately. Article content 'I went above and beyond some trustees who were present,' said Bell. Article content Being a trustee is not supposed to be a full-time job. But during a controversial elementary program review that started in the spring of 2024 and continued into this year, being a trustee became more than a full-time gig, she said. Article content 'There are so many ways a trustee can make a difference. For that, I'm really sad that I'm stepping down,' she said. 'The demands on a trustee are full-time. If you want to do it right and do it with heart, it can be a challenge.' Article content Article content The OCDSB's Code of Conduct complaints process has been weaponized and has taken up a lot of time and energy, said Bell who said she has worked hard to improve the environment at the board table, including advocating for respectful dialogue and pushing for a conflict resolution practitioner. Article content Article content 'Let's remember that we're here for the students and not the petty fighting. The entire board allows this to continue. We have to focus on the kids.' Article content Meanwhile, Bell said she's concerned about the next round of reviews, set to begin this fall, which may include changes to continuing education and adult education. Adult high school is one of the few avenues of real integration for newcomers to Ottawa, helping them make social connections get help finding a job, she said.
Ottawa Citizen
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Mault: New Ottawa French-language high school still faces challenges
The grass is freshly cut on the soccer fields, but nobody plays. No students are performing in the auditorium. The gym could play host to school tournaments, but alas, it sits empty. Article content This is the case of the Adult High School at 300 Rochester St., a purpose-built high school in Little Italy, with a capacity of 1,300 students. In fact, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is sitting on three similar school assets, all within a 5-km radius, with a combined enrollment of 56 per cent. Article content Article content Article content Last year, I wrote in the Ottawa Citizen about the urgent need for a French-language high school in central Ottawa. Since then, there's been encouraging news: the government of Ontario has committed $40.8 million to build a new French-language public high school, which is currently expected to be located at LeBreton Flats. Article content But that school is very unlikely to open this decade, and is certainly many years away because of site complexity and a myriad of decision-makers. For francophone families in Ottawa Centre, the need is immediate. Students within the system have been living with this crisis for years. Students entering public high school this fall cannot wait all these years. For them, the need is urgent. Article content Last year, when a grassroot coalition of parents ( proposed the Adult High School as a temporary location — because of the physical attributes and the under-utilization of this asset, we were basically told 'hands off' by an OCDSB school trustee. Article content Article content Article content Much has changed since our 2024 proposal. First, provincial funding has now been secured for a new French-language public high school in Ottawa Centre. Second, the OCDSB recently revealed that it has 17,000 empty seats in its schools and is facing a $20-million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year. To close the gap, the board considered major cuts: selling off surplus buildings, eliminating programs like gifted education and outdoor learning, and even charging families for busing to specialized programs. In fact, several reports confirmed that the Adult High School was being studied as a potential cost-saving measure. Article content The timing is serendipitous. The Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO), which delivers public French language education in Ottawa, is seeking a temporary solution to house students in Ottawa Centre while the long-awaited new school is being built. Leasing part of the Adult High School facility to CEPEO would allow today's francophone public high school students to stay in French-language education while generating valuable revenue for the OCDSB.
Ottawa Citizen
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Bell High School valedictorian defended by advocates after pro-Palestinian remarks
A part of Bell High School valedictorian Elizabeth Yao's speech mentioning the war in Gaza initiated a call from her principal, asking Yao to stay home the following Monday. Article content Now, some advocates are showing support for Yao and demanding that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) issue her a public apology. Article content Article content 'I think people are using the platforms they have to make important statements. That, I think, is totally legitimate,' said Sam Hersh, a member of Independent Jewish Voices Ottawa. 'Touching on politics and the commencement speech and talking about what students and younger generations are going to face is probably appropriate and contextual for the times that we're currently living in.' Article content Article content Yao's Valedictorian speech largely focused on the memories she made after four years at Bell High School. Article content Article content In videos and a written copy of her speech circulating online, Yao reminisces about preparing 200 waffles with her peers for a fundraiser. She thanks the custodial staff for their reliance and speed, and the front office workers for supplying students with forks to eat their lunch. Yao also mentions her fellow students, saying their participation in school events made them 'the heart of our high school experiences.' Article content 'As a commitment to truth and reconciliation I must acknowledge colonial and genocidal atrocities today, including the massacre of more than 17,000 Palestinian children in Gaza,' the speech reads. In videos of Yao's speech, her comments are met with cheers and applause from the audience. Article content Article content 'I refuse to stand on the side of history that allows the repetition of crimes against humanity,' she continues. 'It is my hope that every single one of you present today consider my speech and my desperation for a free Palestine.' Article content Article content In an email addressed to parents and guardians, Bell High School principal Jane Conrod apologized for the speech's 'unexpected and unapproved' comments. Article content 'The content of the remarks, which touched on deeply sensitive global events, was not part of the pre-approved speech,' the email reads. 'We deeply regret that this occurred and are truly sorry for the harm that has been caused.' Article content In a statement, OCDSB spokesperson Diane Pernari said Conrod would not be available for an interview. But Pernari said the goal of their commencement ceremonies is to 'create a joyous celebration of student achievement.' Article content 'Our schools provide appropriate forums within the school year to engage thoughtfully with a wide range of issues that impact our community. These settings are designed to facilitate respectful, safe and supportive discussions,' the statement said.
Ottawa Citizen
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Today's letters: Ontario is being simplistic about hospital parking fees
Article content Article content The reasons Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth have given for her resignation as a trustee from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board reinforce the growing knowledge that board employees will not be protected from extremist intimidation and threats (depending on who is making the threat and who the target of the threat is), nor from years of administrative abuse of power. Article content Kaplan-Myrth's story is another example of a public school system that has run amok due to years of not having to be accountable to its taxpayers. Its financial mismanagement is just the tip of the iceberg. Article content We truly need the Ontario government to ensure our children and youth are being properly educated for the 21st century and to demand that the school boards committed and hard-working employees get the support and protection they need in the face of administrative indifference and the multifaceted extremist ideologies that infuse our culture and threaten our children's future. Article content Article content I was struck by news coverage of homes destroyed by wildfires and tornadoes and by how vulnerable wooden homes are. That, plus the rise of homelessness and the recent tariffs on Canadian steel, makes me think that now is the time for Canada to develop its own modular, pre-fabricated steel homes. Article content This would create a local demand for Canadian steel and aluminum products, while providing easily deployable, strong, durable structures resistant to the natural disasters. They could be transported by truck or rail, then dropped on site as needed to address emergency/temporary and long-term housing needs. The walls themselves could then be reinforced and insulated locally with poured concrete. Article content
