VIDEO: Highlights from the May 14th UCDSB Board of Trustees Meeting

Brockville – Trustees with the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) met on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Key items discussed in the public session are as follows.

New Trustee Named

The Board of Trustees interviewed three trustee candidates to replace Curtis Jordan, who stepped down from his role as trustee in March.

After each candidate was interviewed, the Trustees held a private vote. Elizabeth Steinberg was the successful candidate and was sworn in during the meeting, immediately joining the Trustees at the board table.

Steinberg is a former teacher with the UCDSB and a former professor at Algonquin College. She has a Master’s of Education, Administration, and is heavily involved in her community. She sits on various volunteer boards and is involved with community groups.

UCDSB Surpasses $ 2 Million in Fundraising for Terry Fox Foundation

The Ted Kennedy Legacy Award is presented annually to the elementary school and secondary school that raises the most money per capita for the Terry Fox Foundation through their school run day, which takes place in September.

Executive Superintendent Chris Boulay shared that for the 2024-25 school year, Aklan Community Public School is the elementary school winner, raising a total of $11,754. Char-Lan District High School is the secondary school winner, raising a total of $12,031.65.

For the September 2024 campaign, UCDSB schools raised a total of $139,120.61. To date, schools across the UCDSB have raised a total of $2,060,594.73.

Boulay also presented the Chair with a plaque from the Terry Fox Foundation, celebrating the UCDSB’s $2 million milestone.

Learn more about these schools and their efforts in this media release.

Video of May 14th Board Meeting:

Red Apple Award Winners

The Red Apple Award is given by the Director of Education, Ron Ferguson, to individuals who stand out for their deeply-rooted dedication to our school board’s top priority – our students. Their day-to-day impact on those around them branches far & wide, planting seeds of inspiration for us all.

This year’s winners are as follows:

David Clark, David Love, Ryan Metcalfe and Chris Waite from the Information Technology Team: On Christmas Day 2024, it was noticed that something seemed off with our systems and while the cause wasn’t known the time, they went to the board office and took immediate measures that played a significant part in limiting the damage caused by the cyber attack. They are each being awarded a Red Apple for their quick thinking and dedication to the board and our students.

Robert Matheson: Robert is a long-time teacher with the UCDSB who has always been dedicated to physical education. Now in the role of Learning Partner and intensely focused on the All-In Sports initiative, Robert has taken his efforts to new heights to keep students active and get more students involved in physical activity. Robert is being awarded a Red Apple for always pushing for students and making their physical and mental health a top priority.

Lissa Greenwood – Lissa is a Special Services Counsellor and will be retiring this year. Throughout her career, she has continually put in extraordinary efforts to help our most vulnerable students. She’s been an unofficial coach and mentor to many people, including principals and superintendents, throughout our district. Lissa is being awarded a Red Apple to honour her consistent compassion and dedication to students and ensuring they get what they need.

These winners will be celebrated at the board-wide recognition night in early June.

Artificial Intelligence Usage in the UCDSB

Executive Superintendent Eric Hardie and Principal of Technology and Curriculum Support Brian Reid presented trustees with the Artificial Intelligence Guide for Staff and Students, which provides guidance on how AI can be used and what needs to be considered when using it in the classroom.

The UCDSB embraces the practical and ethical use of AI by staff and students. Next steps are to engage educators in topic-specific working groups to create additional resources to support the use of AI tools in the classroom and professional development for staff.

Parent Education Sessions on Vaping & Healthy Tech Use

Superintendent Casey Nelson updated trustees on the recent awareness and knowledge-building campaign for parents and guardians about vaping and technology use.

Nelson explained that staff and the UCDSB Parent Involvement Committee organized two in-person sessions and one virtual session for parents/guardians across the UCDSB, which saw health experts share knowledge and practical tips for parents and guardians to support their children.

Those who attended reported a high level of satisfaction with the events and found the sessions to be helpful in providing proactive strategies.

This initiative aligns with the UCDSB’s commitment to encouraging parent engagement and to supporting safe schools.

Student Climate Survey Findings

Executive Superintendent Eric Hardie and Executive Superintendent Shelley Riddell updated trustees on the latest findings from the twice-yearly school climate survey and progress with the overall Amplify: Student Voice in Action initiative.

Key survey findings are:

• 65.6% of students know where to get mental health support at school (up 6.5%)
• 65.7% of students say they participate in extra-curricular activities at school (up 1%)
• 55.2% of students report doing real-world learning in their class (up 7.1%)
• Overall, 68.8% of students said they felt a sense of belonging at school (down 2.5%); however, some individual schools saw significant increases in this area.

Schools receive the overall results from their school surveys and review the potential areas of concern. Their school Amplify teams, made up of staff and students, develop action plans that are worked on throughout the year to address concerns.

The teams from each school get to meet with teams from other schools twice a year to share their ideas and collaborate on solutions.

The UCDSB has seen significant positive changes by engaging students in this work and in using student feedback to help shape the survey.

Update on Math and Reading

Executive Superintendent Eric Hardie and Principal of Teaching and Learning Amanda Nieman presented an update on reading, writing and math. Hardie confirmed that all initiatives in the Director’s Work Plan are well underway, and the data is showing that students are making gains in both math and literacy.

High-impact practices in both math and literacy, intentional roll-out of resources to schools, followed by modelling of those tools, as well as “How do I” sessions for staff, are all helping to build teacher capacity. These efforts have had an immediate impact on student and classroom success as teachers are able to take what they learn and immediately implement it.

Nieman shared the details of the work that has been done to promote the home-school connection – literacy nights, family math competition over the March break, info sessions and digital resources to access at home were among the examples.

Hardie also announced that the UCDSB will invest $1.5 million into purchasing new books for schools to promote reading among students. Learn more about this investment here.

Full details on presentations, reports, and discussions can be found in the agenda or reviewed in the recorded broadcast.