Angela Lloyd has been acclaimed and will continue to serve as the local Public School Board Trustee.
Angela Lloyd has served this community as our local Public School Board Trustee for thirty-two years now, and has just been acclaimed to stay on for another four years.
Many believe she was motivated to join the school board to advocate for special needs students as her daughter faced some health issues at the time, but Angela tells it differently. When she was a member of the School Council at South Monaghan Public School, she disagreed with some of the decisions made at the board level and decided that the only way to influence these decisions was to literally get on (the) board.
School trustees in Ontario are elected community advocates to local school boards who make operational decisions for schools in their districts. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) manages public schools in the municipalities of Cavan Monaghan, Otonabee South Monaghan, Asphodel Norwood, Douro-Dummer and First Nations territories Curve Lake, Hiawatha and Alderville. The board is comprised of ten elected Trustees, in addition to one First Nations Appointed Trustee, and two Student Trustees.
Trustees are charged with making decisions that focus on student achievement, safety, equity and inclusion; developing and implementing policies that govern the school board; providing budget oversight by approving the annual budget to ensure responsible use of resources; managing the Director of Education and evaluating the board’s effectiveness; and representing local constituents, bringing community concerns to the board and communicating board decisions to the public.
Education is a provincial responsibility, and provinces are increasingly consolidating decision-making, moves that are seen to reduce the role of elected trustees. Board funding is established by provincial formula, and much of it arrives already earmarked for specific expenditures. One of the biggest sources of budget pressure for KPRDSB is the transportation services. To mitigate this pressure, walking distances have been extended to reduce bussing costs.
Trustees are not allowed to intervene in operational matters concerning individual students. They have no authority as individuals; their authority stems from the board. They do not set curriculum, they are not involved in collective agreement negotiations, and they have no influence over the amount of funding they receive from the province. Angela explains that despite this constraint over the influence of trustees, their work behind the scenes is still rewarding because it results in better decisions when they reach the public.
Another topic we hear about from our local schoolboard is when school boundaries are up for discussion. These decisions force trustees to balance financial responsibility with community preferences and are often met with emotional community responses.
The most difficult decisions, according to Angela, are those addressing special education.
She explains that while special needs students are usually integrated into classrooms, the fact that they pass the grade does not mean they achieve the same credential as the more proficient students. Research indicates that students per-form better if they stay with students of their own age, but while special needs are in the same classroom, their curriculum is modified based on their abilities. Special education programming is designed to help students excel in learning at their own level. Individual student needs are assessed and used to design individual learning objectives that help students succeed in life. Most special education programming happens in regular classrooms, but there are some exceptions. The KPRDSB now operates three classrooms for students in Grades 1 to 3 with severe communication challenges. Called Primary Communication program they operate in small classes for students experiencing significant challenges with communication who despite intensive support in regular classrooms, spend class time with communication experts where they learn to socialize, communicate and self-regulate in a learning environment that is controlled which minimizes triggers that can result in unsafe behaviors in the classroom.
The power of the Minister of Education has been flexed in recent years as it has taken over eight school boards, ousting the elected board members. Most of these moves were triggered by allegations of financial mismanagement. Others were instigated in response to controversial decisions or disagreements between board members that resulted in a loss of public trust.
Trustees are the connection between the provincial government and the community, linking parents and community members and voicing their concerns within the large school systems. Board meetings are open to the public and trustees like Angela welcome comments and feedback so they can help boards respond to the needs of their communities.