Upper Grand District School Board Business Operations Committee Minutes February 11, 2014 The Business Operations Committee of Upper Grand District School Board met on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, in the Board Room at 500 Victoria Road North, Guelph, Ontario commencing at 7:00 p.m. The Chairperson, Trustee Cooper presided, and the following Trustees were present: Borden, Busuttil, Fairbairn, Gohn, Moziar, Schieck, Topping, and Waterston along with Student Trustees Brown and Dong. Trustee Bailey attended via teleconference. Present from the Administration were Dr. M. C. Rogers, Director of Education, together with Superintendents Benallick, Lindsay, McDonald, Slater, Talbot, and Wright, Communications Officer McFadzen, Administrative Officer Communications Weidmark, Executive Officer of Human Resources Rose, Student Success Lead Zen, Operations Officer Scinocca, Manager of Facilities and Contracts Takacs, and Manager of Operations Veit. Approval of Agenda Trustee Schieck moved that the agenda be approved as printed. The motion carried. Approval of Minutes Trustee Waterston moved that the minutes of the meeting of January 14, 2104 be approved as printed. The motion carried. Declarations of Conflict of Interest There were no declarations of conflict of interest. Final Report of the Environmental Management Committee Student Success Lead Zen, together with Superintendent Lindsay, presented the Final Report of the Environmental Education Management Committee, dated January 22, 2014. This report contains 8 recommendations, the first of which was passed at the Business Operations Meeting February 11, 2014 Page 2 of 4 January 28th, 2014 Board meeting, and the remainder of the recommendations as contained in the report (numbers 2 – 8) were discussed in detail. Rationale was provided for each proposed recommendation. Trustee Schieck took the Chair to enable Trustee Cooper to speak to this item. A discussion ensued including financial implications, cost savings, requirements of the Ontario Energy Act, the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator position and respective cost implications, current energy reduction projects, culture changes required, and future trends and changes required to sustain the direction and goals for the Board as outlined in the report. Trustees thanked staff for the very thorough and positive report and for the involvement of all stakeholders including students, staff, Trustees, community, and administration. Recommendation # 1 Trustee Cooper moved that: 1. The staged environmental sustainability action plan 2014-2019 be approved. 2. An aligned priority regarding environmental stewardship and sustainability be established within the UGDSB's overall strategic plan. 3. The creation of an Environmental Sustainability Coordinator position for a three-year renewable term, be approved in principle, subject to budget prioritization. 4. The UGDSB use the approved environmental sustainability vision, where possible, as one of the lenses for Board decisions and on-going review of Board policies. 5. The Environmental Education and Management Committee continue in the role to monitor, guide and amend the Board action plan as required. 6. The Environmental Education and Management Committee submit an annual report of progress to the UGDSB. 7. The environmental sustainability action plan 2014-2019 be updated and revised as necessary. The motion carried. Trustee Cooper took the Chair for the remainder of the meeting. Business Operations Meeting February 11, 2014 Page 3 of 4 Interim Report of Board Strategic Planning Committee In compliance with the Ministry of Education requirement that a current strategic plan be in place in each school Board, a committee was developed and commenced work in the fall of 2013. The committee consisted of Co-Chairs Trustee Busuttil and David Walpole, three other Trustees, the Director, Superintendents, Principals, parent representatives, and Board staff. Mr. Walpole presented the Interim Report of the Board Strategic Planning Committee for information, as well as for approval to move forward to the next phase to obtain input from the boarder community. Recommendation # 2 Trustee Moziar moved that: 1. The report entitled "Interim Report of the Board Strategic Planning Committee” dated February 6, 2014 be received. 2. The materials presented as the draft strategic directions be approved for consultation in the school and the broader community. The motion carried. Health and Safety Report Executive Officer of Human Resources Rose provided an update on the Health and Safety initiatives currently underway including training with custodians on advancement to head caretakers, fuel hood checks and inspections, emergency procedures and technological safety. She also reported that the Board recently received a report from School Boards Cooperative which reviewed WSIB claims which indicated that this Board has an effective return to work program, and the cost of claims, over the past five years, has continued to be below boards of similar size. Recommendation # 3 Trustee Gohn moved that the verbal report on Health and Safety be received, with thanks. The motion carried. Resignations and Retirements Executive Officer of Human Resources presented the report Resignations and Retirements dated February 11, 2014. Business Operations Meeting February 11, 2014 Page 4 of 4 Recommendation # 4 Trustee Schieck moved that the report “Resignations and Retirements” dated January 14, 2014 be received. The motion carried. Other Business Alternate Student Learning Programming Director Rogers advised that there are several parents who have expressed an interest in the development of a program to address alternative education programming for elementary students. She noted that if such a program were developed, it would need to follow all legislative requirements, as well as policies and practices of the Board. Accommodation would need to fit into existing spaces in our school system. It was suggested that this issue be referred to the Learning Choices Committee. Trustees supported the principle of developing alternative learning options for elementary students. Recommendation # 5 Trustee Busuttil moved that the Board direct the Learning Choices Committee to develop and communicate the process for the establishment of alternative regional learning choices programs. The motion carried.