Our Story
The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association supports and enhances English public education in Ontario.
Since 1988, we’ve advocated for policies and practices that have led to Ontario’s public education system becoming a world-renowned leader in well-being and student achievement.
Student Success, Equity and Well-Being
Truth and Reconciliation
Local School Board Governance
Effective Relationships and Sustainable Resourcing
Advocating for Your Children’s Future
Recognizing and Awarding Excellence
In our relentless efforts to support and enhance Ontario’s outstanding education system, OPSBA is continuously seeking out and awarding excellence.
Elevating Public Education Discourse
As the expert voice on public education in Ontario, OPSBA spokespeople frequently appear in the media to provide a well-researched perspective that encompasses the views of education system leaders, educators, parents, and school communities on public education policy discussions.
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The 2025 Public Education Symposium
November 13, 2024Registration and Program Now Available!
Registration for the 2025 Public Education Symposium (PES), taking place January 24 and 25 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, is now open. We recommend booking early to secure your spot.
PES is OPSBA’s premier professional development experience. This year’s theme is The Time is Now! Today’s education world is incredibly complex – strong and skillful leadership is more important than ever. Join us at PES 2025 for the tools, insights, and professional learning you need now to lead with confidence and govern effectively.
Program highlights:
- An intimate discussion about the essential role of strong governance in Ontario’s education system with Giselle Basanta, Assistant Deputy Minister, Education Equity and Governance Secretariat, and Chief Equity Officer
- Remarks and Q&A with Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop
- A keynote address on Nationhood by Indigenous Leader Ovide Mercredi
- Learn about the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Action Plan to tackle anti-Black racism in Ontario’s education system presented by Chief Commissioner Patricia DeGuire
Hear from Ontario’s Education Critics as they share their priorities and their party’s approach to education. Then join us for a follow-up discussion where political strategists and pollsters will dig into what the critics and Minister Dunlop had to say, while discussing education priorities as we look towards the next provincial election.
There will be 15 professional development workshops to choose from focusing on topics such as Core Education Funding, Trustee Code of Conduct, Parent and Community Engagement, Advocacy, Director’s Performance Appraisal, Jordan’s Principle, Understanding Unconscious Bias, Healthy Democracy, and more.
Finally, PES includes unparalled trustee networking opportunities at regional meetings, networking breaks, receptions, and the annual gala dinner and awards ceremony.
View the full program and register
For more information, please contact the PD Events Team
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OPSBA statement on the Fall Economic Statement
October 31, 2024“Ontario’s 2024 fall economic statement, released yesterday, is projecting stronger revenue and economic growth than was expected in the 2024 Budget.
The investment of $750,000 over three years for the Scientists in School Program is encouraging. This money will help expand expert-led science, engineering, and technology workshops in elementary school classrooms, giving students more training and support as they prepare for the dynamic and evolving STEM fields that will shape Ontario’s future.
We were expecting an update on the implementation of the National School Food Program in Ontario after advocating for this much-needed investment since it was initially mentioned in the 2019 federal budget.
OPSBA remains hopeful, especially considering Premier Ford’s recent supportive remarks, that Ontario will collaborate effectively with the federal government to establish this essential program. Such a program promises to reduce barriers to learning by ensuring every student has access to nutritious meals, enabling them to better focus, engage, and achieve their full potential.
Analysis from the Coalition for Healthy School Food shows that the Ontario government’s funding of student nutrition is lagging many other Canadian jurisdictions. That’s why we continue to urge the Ontario government to build on a school food agreement with the Government of Canada by providing additional provincial funding to ensure every student has a full stomach at school.
A universal, responsive, and sustainable school food program will have lasting benefits for Ontario’s students and communities, and we urge swift action to bring it to life.”
– Kathleen Woodcock, President
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Local Government Week 2024 – October 21 to 25
October 2, 2024Local Government Week (LGW) aims to increase youth and public awareness about the important role local government plays in our communities. Please join OPSBA, our member trustees and our education partners in raising civic awareness and promoting the role of trustees among Ontario students.
OPSBA has created new resources for 2024 to facilitate in-person and virtual sessions with students in Grade 5 or 10 classrooms, including PowerPoint presentations, a backgrounder and a video. The slide deck allows trustees to modify them to add local board information. We encourage you to be inspired about what you do locally and how it impacts your students and community. Please see the resources below:
- PowerPoint presentation
- One-page backgrounder
- Ontario’s Public Education System – Something We Can All Be Proud Of (“Sizzle reel” video on YouTube)
OPSBA will be promoting LGW centrally using the social media hashtag #LocalGovWeek and asking stakeholders and education partners to use this as well.
Other useful resources include:
- Making a Difference for Kids: Running for Election as a School Board Trustee
- 2022-2026 Good Governance Guide
- 2022 Ontario Municipal and School Board Elections website
Please also visit the webpages of other stakeholder and partners for municipal elections and LGW information:
- AMO: Local Government Week resources, How Local Government Works | AMO and Healthy Democracy Project | AMO
- AMCTO | Resources
- CIVIX Canada and Student Vote Ontario Municipal Elections
- Equal Voice – A multi-partisan organization dedicated to electing and supporting women at all levels of political office
- Ministry of Education: School board leadership and governance | ontario.ca
- Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Municipal elections | ontario.ca
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OPSBA Approves Agreement with Principals and Vice-Principals
October 1, 2024Toronto, October 1, 2024 – The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) is pleased to announce that it has approved the tentative agreement representing principals and vice-principals on the employment terms and conditions for principals and vice-principals in publicly funded schools.
“This agreement will help ensure a stable and productive learning environment for our students in the years to come,” said OPSBA President Kathleen Woodcock. “Principals and Vice-Principals are important leaders in our schools, and this agreement is a recognition that we value the contribution they make to the educational experience of our students every day.”
The memorandum of settlement is between the Ontario government, the associations representing principals and vice-principals (Ontario Principals’ Council, Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario and Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes) and the four associations representing school boards (Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires catholiques and Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l’Ontario). The term of the agreement is four years, applying from 2023 to 2027.
For more information, please contact:
Shane Gonsalves
Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs
sgonsalves@opsba.orgT.J. Goertz
Manager of Strategic Communications
tgoertz@opsba.orgShare
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Truth and Reconciliation Week: A Time to Recognize the Vital Role of Indigenous Trustees
September 24, 2024Toronto, September 24, 2024 – It’s Truth and Reconciliation Week. Next Monday, September 30, is the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. It is a day for reflection and acknowledgement of harmful colonial policies and actions that continue to have impacts on Indigenous communities today.
Elaine Johnston is Chair of the Indigenous Trustees’ Council (ITC) of OPSBA. She brings the important voice of Indigenous Trustees from across Ontario to OPSBA’s Executive Council and Board of Directors. “Indigenous Trustees play a vital role in Ontario’s education system, bringing unique perspectives and ensuring Indigenous voices are heard in decision-making. Their leadership helps create a more inclusive, culturally responsive environment for all students, while fostering meaningful reconciliation between schools and Indigenous communities,” said Johnston.
Under the Education Act, and as outlined in Ontario Regulation 462/97 (First Nations Representation on Boards), students attending a board’s schools may be entitled to representation by a First Nation trustee. The number of Indigenous trustees depends on the number of Indigenous students attending a school of a board through the Reciprocal Education Approach or under an existing Education Services Agreement. Indigenous trustees are selected by the First Nations and are full members of the board with all the rights and obligations that come with the role of trustee.
At a time in which Canadians come together to discuss the ongoing harms and legacy of residential schools, it is important to also recognize that public education and Indigenous students have a challenging and deeply complicated history. Addressing the harms of colonial policies is a task that continues to confront trustees, and particularly Indigenous trustees, today.
Indigenous trustees bring a wealth of knowledge and lived experience to the table. Often, they are managing multiple roles and responsibilities that contribute to Indigenous community development and well-being. They are in schools and are closely connected to the frontlines where policies affecting Indigenous education are felt. Indigenous trustees come together out of a shared responsibility and deep commitment to students, for the benefit of future generations. They work relentlessly to ensure that the harms of the past, which this day urges us to reflect on, are not repeated.
OPSBA recognizes Indigenous education as a key priority and continues to advance reconciliation as one of its strategic priorities. While there is still work to be done, we are proud of the steps we have taken in recent years with the guidance of the Indigenous Trustees’ Council (ITC), our primary advisory body on Indigenous Education. Examples of recent actions and advocacy include:
- The Chair of the ITC is a member of OPSBA’s Executive Council, giving voice to Indigenous Trustees from across the province.
- OPSBA has a dedicated staff position to support its work on Indigenous Education.
- OPSBA has established a strategic priority of Advancing Reconciliation. Indigenous Education priorities are included in all OPSBA education funding and policy advocacy, including for the annual Core Education Funding consultations.
- Advocacy to the Minister of Education regarding the critical priorities that Indigenous trustees are advancing through the Indigenous Trustees’ Council.
“At OPSBA, we are committed to supporting truth, reconciliation, and healing through public education,” said OPSBA President Kathleen Woodcock. “We believe that every student in Ontario must learn about the history and legacy of residential schools and understand the importance of respecting Indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of knowing.”
The Association has compiled a helpful list of resources for educators, students, and the community, including:
- OPSBA member board activities
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Education Resources
- Resources from Scholastic Canada
- Education resources from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
- The Canadian Government’s Resources for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Turtle Concepts – Residential School workshops and professional development programs
- Every Child Matters – Book Resources & More (PDF)
- Four Seasons of Reconciliation Education
- ETFO Truth and Reconciliation Resources
- Goodminds.com – First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Books (Truth and Reconciliation)
For more information, please contact:
Shane Gonsalves
Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs
sgonsalves@opsba.orgT.J. Goertz
Manager of Strategic Communications
tgoertz@opsba.orgShare
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Empowering Trustees Across Ontario
OPSBA, through the Ontario Education Services Corporation, delivers leading professional development programs so that trustees can go above and beyond for your children.
