Annual Report on the Provision of Special Education Programs and Services
Superintendent of School Effectiveness, Heather Gerber, reviewed the details of the Annual Report on the Provisions of Special Education Programs and Services, which was presented at the June 6 Committee of the Whole meeting.
The Special Education Plan for 2023-2024, as outlined in the Standards for School Boards’ Special Education Plans, has been compiled through consultation with stakeholders and key participants, including the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). The report includes recommendations to be implemented, including staffing allocations for schools and the Special Education Department.
The Board approved the report as presented. The recommendations will be included in the Report to the Ministry of Education on the Provisions of Special Education Programs and Services.
Draft Proposed Enrolment & Grant Projections for the 2023-2024 Budget
The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario’s Board of Trustees has approved the budget for the 2023-2024 school year, which includes total operating expenditure of $214.5 million, and capital expenditures of $10.7 million. On the operating side, salaries and benefits make up 74 per cent of the budget. The Board has estimated a compliant in-year deficit of $351,000 due to the planned implementation of a new Human Resource/Finance/Payroll software. The in-year deficit will be offset by internally appropriated accumulated surplus that was set aside in prior years to support this implementation.
All expenditure areas were carefully reviewed for efficiencies and to ensure excellence in Catholic program delivery for students across Eastern Ontario.
“The Board is required to present a compliant budget to the Ministry of Education. This budget meets all requirements for compliance as required by the Ministry, as well as with all class size requirements,” explained Superintendent of Business Ashely Hutchinson.
“Many thanks to you and your team for all of the hard work that was done to bring this budget forward. I know a lot of hours have gone into this process,” concluded Chair Wilson.
Certificates of Appreciation
At the June 20 Board Meeting, the CDSBEO honoured a number of deserving individuals through the presentation of Certificates of Appreciation to acknowledge and celebrate their outstanding achievements and notable talents. The following are this year’s award recipients:
Hudson Gibbs (Iona Academy), Dolev Klein Harari (Holy Trinity CSS), and Alyssa Morena (Virtual Learning School): These three students qualified to attend the Canada-wide Science Fair held in Edmonton, in May. Hudson received the Chemistry and Innovation Award as well as a University of Alberta bursary for his project which investigated the ability of common household juices to be used as natural asphalt de-icers. Dolev received the Actuarial Foundation of Canada Award, the Statistical Society of Canada Award, and a University of Alberta bursary for his project which studied earthquake related data, algorithms, and simulation models to identify areas in Israel that are at a greater risk of significant earthquake damage. Alyssa received the Excellence Award Silver Medal, the Energy Challenge Award, and a University of Alberta bursary for her project which studied how hydrogen fuel could help the world reach net zero emissions.
Helainie Gates and Jackson Tierney (St. Andrew’s Catholic School): This past March, the Educational Computing Network of Ontario (ECNO) held it’s Cyber Champion Challenge, a digital awareness student media contest for Ontario students from kindergarten to grade 12. Students were challenged to get creative and help ECNO and Fair Chance Learning promote the importance of making safe, smart choices online. Helainie and Jackson created a video submission for the contest, with the assistance of student Nora Laforest and Principal Maylon. The submission won the best in the primary division!
