| 26 May 2008, Belleville, Ontario—The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) has adopted new governance and operational policies, effective immediately. Board members approved a new policy handbook at a public meeting earlier this evening.
The process began in the spring of 2007 when the Executive Committee requested the director of education to invite a representative from Ontario Education Services Corporation (OESC) to meet with trustees to present a proposal, including costs, for Board consideration relating to policy review and board governance.
“Development of the new policy handbook was a major undertaking for the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board. Once the project started last spring, Board members were anxious to work through the process in an efficient and diligent manner in preparation for taking the draft policies to staff and constituent groups for public consultation,” remarks Carl Pitman, Chair of the Board.
The new Board Policy Handbook highlights and supports the very important governance function of HPEDSB. In addition to clearly defining the role of Board members, the role of the director of education and the delegation of authority from the Board to the director, it includes the following as policies:
- Foundational statements which provide guidance and direction for all activities within Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board.
- Directions for how the Board itself is to function, how individual trustees are to conduct themselves, and directions for the functioning of Board committees and representatives.
- Statements as to how appeals and hearings will be conducted.
- Non-delegable matters such as policy-making and selection of the director of education.
- Specific matters which the Board determined not to delegate to the director.
The Board Policy Handbook will be supplemented with an Administrative Procedures Manual, the primary written document by which the director of education directs staff. The development of two separate and distinct documents is meant to reinforce the distinction in HPEDSB between the Board’s responsibility to govern and the director’s executive or administrative duties.
The last time a major policy review took place was in 1999-2000 following the 1998 amalgamation of the Hastings County Board of Education and The Prince Edward County Board of Education.
The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board serves approximately 17,100 students each day at 46 elementary and 8 secondary schools. Supporting student achievement is the goal of approximately 1,800 teaching and support staff who, in addition to the contributions of caring volunteers and community partners, share their passion for teaching and learning. The district 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.
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For more information, contact:
• Kerry Donnell, Communications Officer, (613) 966-1170 or 1 800 267-4350, extension 2354
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