FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Re-elected chair and vice-chair emphasize student success and teamwork as goals for the Board
7 December 2005, Belleville, Ontario—Congratulations to Judy Edgar and Carl Pitman who were acclaimed as chair and vice-chair, respectively, at the December 5th annual meeting of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB).

Judy Edgar, Trustee for North Hastings, put her name forth for the top position, one she has held for the past four years. As an active parent volunteer in schools before becoming a trustee in 1997 with the first Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, Edgar has also served as vice-chair and has been an active member of the Program & Human Resources, Expulsion, and Executive committees. Edgar will also be the Board’s representative to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

“I sincerely thank my fellow trustees for continuing to have faith in me as Chair of the Board. We have done so much over the past year. I am confident that we will continue to make decisions that enhance our students’ learning experiences,” remarked Judy Edgar upon being re-elected as Chair of the Board.

Centre Hastings Trustee Carl Pitman was re-elected to the position of vice-chair. Pitman has been a trustee with HPEDSB for eight years and has served on the Program & Human Resources, Suspension Appeals, and Executive committees. He has also served as the board’s representative to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association as a director.

Elections for chair and vice-chair take place each year at the annual meeting of the board of trustees. At the same meeting, trustee membership on various committees for 2006 is approved. The committees are: Operations & Finance, Program & Human Resources, Executive, Special Education Advisory, Suspension Appeals, Expulsion, Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils, and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board has 46 elementary and eight secondary schools serving 18,400 students, employing 1,070 teachers and 705 support staff. The Board covers a wide geographical area of 7,221 square kilometres bordered by Maynooth to the north, Deseronto to the east, Prince Edward County to the south, and Quinte West to the west.

For more information, contact:
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, (613) 966-1170 or 1 800 267-4350, extension 2354