Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board

Board Meeting Summary, February 24, 2025

Posted on 02/24/2025

This is a summary of the public meeting of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board held February 24, 2025.

Acknowledgement of Traditional Lands

Kandis Hambly, Trustee, Trenton and CFB Trenton, offered a Land Acknowledgement. 

Presentation: Cooperative Education and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship (OYAP) programs 

This presentation highlighted the ways in which students are finding their pathway to success through co-operative education and apprenticeship programs. Data from the past five years was shown for context, then two students, Regan and Jaxson, who are in the OYAP and co-op programs shared their experiences. Following that, parent Elizabeth McLennan explained the journeys of her two sons who are pursuing careers in the skilled trades.

 

Pictured L to R: Katherine MacIver, Director of Education; Erin Spry, Experiential Learning Coordinator; Regan Norton, Student, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute; Jaxson Wannamaker, Student, Trenton High School; Elizabeth McLennan, Parent; Tina Jones, Superintendent, Innovation and Inclusion Services; Ruth Ellen Cummings, System Lead, Innovation and Inclusion Services; Stacey Lewis, Trustee, South Prince Edward County; and Matt Ronan, Dual Credits Coordinator.

Recommendation: Board member leave of absence

Board members approved a motion to allow an unpaid  leave of absence for Amanda Robertson, Belleville/Thurlow, from January 29 to February 28, 2025, while she participates in the Ontario Election. Find out more on page 3 of the agenda.

External committee reports

Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA)

Highlights from this report included the following:

• participation at a recent Board of Director's meeting;
• $58,000 in legal fees paid by OPSBA on behalf of member boards for Code of Conduct topics; and
• training modules are available for trustees on various topics.

Food for Learning Committee, January 23, 2025

Highlights from this report included the following:

• discussed funding for the national school nutrition program.

Standing committee reports

Governance and Policy Committee, February 18, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 23 of the agenda. At the same link, find out more about revisions to various policies and a governance directive approved by Board members. 

Student Learning, Well-being and Equity Committee, February 3, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 44 of the agenda. 

Physical Planning, Finance and Building Committee, February 10, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 45 of the agenda. 

Statutory committee reports

Parent Involvement Committee, February 12, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 46 of the agenda. 

Special Education Advisory Committee, January 23, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 47 of the agenda. 

Supervised Alternative Learning Committee, February 12, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 48 of the agenda. 

Advisory committee reports

Equity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee, February 12, 2025

Highlights from this report are listed on page 49 of the agenda. 

Student Voice updates

Highlights from this report included the following:

• visits to each secondary school by the director and Student Voice coordinator with student trustees to seek input on various topics, including artificial intelligence. Common themes came up, as well: online learning and classroom engagement;  students would like more in-person course choices; and more financial literacy course offerings.
• students wanted to hear from one another about how AI is being used for learning, such as for study aids and practice tests. 
• the three students will be meeting with representatives from each secondary school next week as a regular update; a topic for discussion will be generative AI and how it can be used in positive ways.

Multi-year Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee

Highlights from this report are listed on page 50 of the agenda. 

• New mission statement: We educate and empower students with skills for success.  
• New vision statement: Inspiring and innovating for a bright future.  

These statements will come forward as a part of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan for Board approval. 

Invitation for trustee sharing

Highlights from this report included the following:

• welcome back to Trustee Prinzen;
• North Hastings HS students participated in the Skills Competition at Loyalist College today; the school also received a $6,500 grant to support women in the trades; a Dual Credit opportunity for students in Grades 11 and 12 for students interested in Indigenous Studies at college.

Director's report

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Visit to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Chief and Council on January 28 to share student progress and program highlights for students who attend HPEDSB schools. Ideas were shared for further collaboration and support, including a visit and tour of Eastside Secondary School.

•  Student Voice visits to high schools, with seven visits over two weeks. Thank you to the student trustees and school administrators for facilitating the visits. We heard about priorities for education for the next five years, and student use of and thoughts about artificial intelligence in schools and classrooms. I appreciated the flexibility as we dealt with a snow day in the midst of the schedule!

•  Acknowledgement from the Canadian Cancer Society regarding Centennial Secondary School which raised $53,616 for the Relay for Life Youth Event in 2024.

•  Access to Belleville Transit for secondary school students at Centennial and Eastside secondary schools. This initiative from the city encourages students to use public transportation.

•  Reminder to trustees that we have an in-person consultation and workshop for the multi-year strategic plan development this Wednesday, February 26. A cross-section of staff, families and community partners have been invited to assist in further refining the themes coming out of the two ThoughtExchange consultations. We’re looking forward to the session!

Staff reports

School year calendar recommendation

Board members approved the dates of the calendar for the 2025-2026 school year. Find out more starting on page 51 of the agenda. Now that Board approval has been received, the calendar will be submitted to the Ministry of Education for final approval.

Mid-year Student Achievement and Strategic Plan updates

A few highlights from this report included the following:

• active engagement in various in-person and online career fairs to enhance recruitment efforts;
• systematic professional learning for staff through integrated data literacy, commitment to action on all PA days and educator training;
• early reading screening implementation SK-Grade 2;
• expanded strategies to better know and respond to students for math achievement; 44% of Grade 9 students achieved Level 3 or 4, which is 15 percentage points higher than Semester 1 from the 2023-2024 school year;
• introduced an after-school Indigenous Education Dual Credit course at North Hastings High School through experiential learning opportunities; and 
• professional development for education assistants on PA days featuring topics including occupational therapy and FASD.

Preparing students for future success: Co-op and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program

The demand and interest for Cooperative Education in HPEDSB continues to grow. Currently we have over 600 students registered in Co-op, through partnerships with over 1,200 employers in our local communities. Find out more starting on page 55 of the agenda.

Calendar of events

Committee and Board meetings are scheduled for the remainder of February and March, along with various school activities. Find out more starting on page 57 of the agenda.

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