Committee Meetings

TDSB committees, composed of trustees, meet regularly to address Board-related subjects specific to the mandate of each respective committee; typically, a trustee will, during a regular board meeting, propose for committee consideration a subject of interest, which will then be discussed in greater detail at the assigned committee before, possibly, returning for consideration by the Board at a later date. A complete list, including official mandates, of permanent and irregular committees, as well as TDSB-adjacent government bodies on which trustees sit, can be found here.

This sub-section contains documents published by and for committee meetings related to Vaughan Road Academy, community hubs, and/or the use of board facilities for purposes other than public schooling. It is organized by committee, and within each committee heading, by date. A brief description of the committees included is also provided.

Community Use of Schools Advisory Committee

The Community Use of Schools Advisory Committee functions as a mediator between community groups looking to make better (and greater) use of school properties and the larger Toronto District School Board. Trustees sit alongside representatives from community organizations and not-for-profits on the Committee.

Finance, Budget, and Enrolment Committee

The Finance, Budget, and Enrolment Committee evaluates and makes policy recommendations based on the relationship between Board-wide enrolment levels and the TDSB's operating budget. With Provincial funding tied directly to enrolment, it also proposes ways by which the TDSB might increase its operating budget through the encouragement of greater student enrolment in secular, English-language public schools.

Governance and Policy Committee

The Governance and Policy Committee is tasked with considering issues relating to TDSB policy and bylaws; in effect, its function is to help develop the processes by which the TDSB actually operates.

Inner City Advisory Committee

The Inner City Advisory Committee, on which parents, teachers, and TDSB staff sit alongside trustees, reviews matters relating to "inner city" schools and those limiting socio-economic factors (race, class, gender, etc.) often associated with the nebulously-defined "inner city." Novel approaches to public education and uses for TDSB property are often proposed and discussed here.

14 May 2015 - Minutes

Planning and Priorities Committee

The Planning and Priorities Committee possesses a broad mandate, requiring that its members consider proposals for the overall "strategic plan" of the Board, the Board's relationships with other government bodies, the professional development of TDSB staff and trustees, and, most pertinent to this section, the use of TDSB property. It is at meetings of the Planning and Priorities Committee where school closure proposals, for example, are received and, at times, recommended to the Board. Indeed, many of the items in this sub-category relate to the process by which Vaughan Road Academy was first closed, and then declared a "core holding."

Program and School Services Committee

The Program and School Services Committee is most concerned with "educational" matters facing the Board. "Educational" often proves a broad category, though, and so it might better be said that the committee addresses issues relating to the actual uses of TDSB schools.