Trustees vote to preserve and strengthen Alternative program
In a marathon board meeting that stretched from 6:00 P.M. until after 10:00, the trustees of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board have voted to preserve and strengthen the Alternative program and work to make its practices more widely available. This was the fourth board meeting on this since early January and again was overflowing with alternative families, friends and supporters.
Now that this decision is behind us, the alternative staff, students and parents can get on with strengthening the program and making its tenets and philosophy more widely known and understood. Most importantly, parents in Ottawa can enroll their children in the program with confidence that this program choice will remain for years to come.
Here was the motion that was passed annd the trustees voting record on it:
Moved by Trustee Shea, seconded by trustee Scott
| Description | Yay | Nay | Abstain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | In future accomodation reviews alternative schools be looked at on the same basis as other schools involved in the review with regard to attendance area boundaries, recognizing that school boundaries may overlap with other school boundaries and ensuring that students who have access to a program continue to have access to that program. | All | ||
| B | THAT the OCDSB recognize the strengths of the Alternative program and increase the focus of parental involvement in all schools in the OCDSB through the Board Improvement Plans and school improvement plans; | All | ||
| C | THAT the OCDSB increase the focus on cooperation and teamwork in all schools in the OCDSB through the Board Improvement Plans and school improvement plans; | All | ||
| D | THAT the OCDSB promote the advantages of and provide support for the increased use of multiage groupings and team teaching in all elementary schools in the OCDSB through the Board Improvement Plans and school improvement plans; | Moen, McKenzie, Campbell, Curry, Scott, Fisher, FitzGerald, Funicello | Shea, Lloyd, Morse | Brockington |
| E | THAT staff be directed to develop a program consolidation plan for Manor Park Public School for implementation in September 2011; | Shea, Moen, Curry, Scott, Fisher, Lloyd, Morse, Brockington | McKenzie, FitzGerald, Funicello | Campbell |
| F | THAT staff be directed to clearly market in school profiles and registration packages the use of alternative practices within the OCDSB where applicable and that staff be directed to develop a fact sheet on how school administrator, school councils, parents and students can work together to incorporate these practices in their community schools in a manner consistent with the School Effectiveness Framework should it be their desire to do so. | Moen, McKenzie, Shea, Lloyd, Morse, Curry, Scott, Fisher, FitzGerald, Funicello, Brockington | Campbell | |
| G | THAT staff work with the Alternative Schools Advisory Committee to identify what opportunities there are for alternative schools to showcase "current best alternative practices" for the other elementary schools in the board. | Moen, McKenzie, Shea, Lloyd, Morse, Curry, Fisher, FitzGerald, Funicello, Brockington, Campbell | Scott | |
| H | THAT the Alternative Schools Advisory Committee be asked to contribute to an investigation through a detailed review of the School Effectiveness Framework of, the scope of the alternative practices that could be recommended for implementation/trial/piloting in any elementary school in the district and for improving the quality of alternative practices in designated alternative schools. | Moen, McKenzie, Shea, Lloyd, Curry, Fisher, FitzGerald, Funicello, Brockington, Campbell | Morse | Scott |
| I | THAT staff work with the Alternative Schools Advisory Committee to determine what other process, in addition to the creation and review of the existing "Principal Profile", might be used in choosing principals who truly embrace the 7 tenets of the current alternative philosophy for appointment to alternative schools. | Moen, McKenzie, Lloyd, Curry, Fisher, FitzGerald, Funicello, Brockington, Campbell | Shea, Morse, Scott |