Highlights from the October 9 Board of Trustees Meeting

Trustees with the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) met on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Key items discussed in the public session are as follows; staff and Climate Survey Report.

Superintendent of Human Resources Chad Brownlee and Research Officer Kathleen Moss updated Trustees on the findings of the 2024 Staff Climate Survey, which was administered to all staff in April 2024. The data is important to inform board policies and practices,

track goals and monitor progress outlined in the board’s strategic plan.

Some of the findings of the survey are:

98 per cent of respondents feel their workplace is welcoming;

89 per cent of respondents enjoy working for the UCDSB;

97 per cent of respondents feel they are accepted for who they are in the workplace, that the workplace is supportive of employees with different abilities, languages, cultures, genders and orientations, and feel safe at their workplace;

85 per cent of respondents are aware of how to access mental health supports and services through their employer;

71 per cent of respondents feel comfortable seeking support for their mental health through their employer; and

56 per cent feel the board has the staff and support it needs to achieve its objectives.

The full 50-page report was shared with staff and can be found on the UCDSB website. EQAO Update to Board

Executive Superintendent of Student Success Eric Hardie and Principal of Teaching and Learning Amanda Nieman updated Trustees on the 2023-2024 EQAO results.

Hardie was pleased to report that the UCDSB was the only school board in all of Ontario to see all EQAO scores increase from the previous year, and the only school board to see more than 5 per cent increases in all math results. Hardie also acknowledged that

the scores are currently lower than the provincial average, but this is a step in the right direction and the gap is closing.

Nieman discussed the intentional next steps to maintain this momentum. She reported that the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) had the smallest increase in the annual scores (+0.2), so focus is being put on those implementation strategies this

school year.