THE work of your trustee
Advocate
Facilitate
Facilitate
Advocating for students, parents, and school communities. Advocating for Catholic education – its promotion and protection – with our partners and the community at large. How? Meeting with parents and students, and our education partners, including local Councillors, MPPs and MPs.
Facilitate
Facilitate
Facilitate
Ensuring fair processes in resolving student, parent and school issues. How? Working with senior staff and local education partners to bring together those needed to resolve an issue. Ongoing policy change through board motions where a gap or barrier to student achievement and well being has been shown to exist.
Governance
Facilitate
Governance
Continuing to strengthen the framework used for effective and transparent decision-making. How? Working with trustee colleagues and our Director, seeking best practices from other jurisdictions and through membership on the Governance & Policy committee.
Lobbyist
Strategic Planner
Governance
Meeting with all levels of government, local agencies and community partners to ensure those who influence or control resources for our students and families - they need to hear the voice of our communities and understand the needs of our students.
Strategic Planner
Strategic Planner
Strategic Planner
The board of trustees has responsibility for developing the TCDSB’s strategic multi-year plan, and approving our annual budget, in support of our board’s mission and vision as an innovative Catholic education system which acts compassionately as a witness to our faith.
Policy Maker
Strategic Planner
Strategic Planner
Creating policies which help to create a level playing field of learning and developmental opportunities (spiritual, mental and physical) for each student. Then monitoring and evaluating the impact of these policies and making changes, where necessary.
Board of Trustees
It's why we have elected, representative, trustees. Is your trustee.......?
- Consulting with parents on coming board decisions in order to get community input? Parents should be consulted on changes to: policy, programming, transportation, annual budget, multi-year strategic plan (MYSP), board learning and equity plan (BLEP), annual Special Education Framework etc.,
- Informing local parents of decisions once they are made at board?
- Sharing the results of the annual Safe Schools report which informs parents of the current school climate - how safe students feel in their school, bullying, suspensions and expulsions?
- Bringing the concerns and issues of parents, students and schools to the Board table - with proposed solutions?
- Proposing change to support student achievement and well being for ALL students?
- Proposing change to increase equity of opportunities for ALL students?
- Approving board budgets which support student achievement and well being for ALL students?
- Strengthening publicly-funded - and publicly-accountable - Catholic education?
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOUR TRUSTEE ISN'T DOING THEIR JOB?
1. Write or call your trustee (link below to contact information) and cc your parent council Chair and local School Superintendent. Keep records of any evidence related to the issue/concern.
2. Invite them to a parent council or student leadership meeting and ask them your questions in a publicly accountable forum.
3. Delegate at a board or committee meeting and bring your matter to the attention of the board. The trustee Code of Conduct makes clear that " Trustees shall serve the public and their constituents in a conscientious and diligent manner" and "Trustees shall be committed to performing their functions with integrity, impartiality and transparency " So, if they aren't carrying out the duties above, then they are not acting in accordance to the Code of Conduct.
4. If you're not satisfied with the response by the trustee, then the TCDSB has an independent Integrity Commissioner to look at matters related to the conduct of trustees. As the Director of Education is an employee of the Board of Trustees, this is your best option for getting help if the matter involves a trustee.
Students and parents may contact the Integrity Commissioner directly to raise an issue related to the Trustee Code of Conduct, which includes carrying out of duties.
From the Ministry website & Education Act
"Trustees provide an important link between local communities and the school board, bringing the issues and concerns of their constituents to board discussions and decision making. Trustees are elected every four years during municipal elections. Under the law, only the elected board has the power to make decisions. Trustees do not have individual authority, but do have an important role to play as members of the board, including:
- working in partnership with school councils
- explaining the policies and decisions of the board to community residents
- supporting and encouraging public education."
In the case of Catholic trustees, the role also includes supporting publicly-funded Catholic education and promoting the ability of students to meet Catholic graduate expectations.
Every Board shall:
- promote student achievement and well-being
- promote a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all pupils, including pupils of any race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability;
- promote the prevention of bullying;
- ensure effective stewardship of the board’s resources;
- approve annual balanced board budgets
- deliver effective and appropriate education programs to its pupils;
- develop and maintain policies and organizational structures that promote student achievement and well-being, a positive school climate etc.,
- monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of policies and the efficiency of the implementation of those policies;
- develop a multi-year plan aimed at achieving the above goals and annually review the plan with the board’s director of education
- monitor and evaluate the performance of the board’s director of education
- School climate surveys - every board shall use surveys to collect information from its pupils and staff, and parents and guardians of its pupils at least once every two years
- Communication with parents, school councils and Catholic school supporters
Contacting Your Trustee
Municipal (Trustee) elections
The current 4-year term ends in October, 2026 - elections will take place at that time.