December 8, 2011: At the Annual Organizational Meeting of the Halton District School Board, held on Wednesday, December 7, 2011, trustees cast their annual ballots for the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair for the upcoming year.

Kelly Amos (Oakville, Wards 5 & 6) was nominated for the position of Chair by Ann Harvey Hope (Oakville, Ward 3), and the nomination was seconded by Nancy MacNeill (Milton, Wards 1, 6, 7 & 8).

Kathryn Bateman-Olmstead (Oakville, Ward 4) was nominated for the position of Chair by Donna Danielli (Milton, Wards 2, 3, 4 & 5), with the nomination seconded by trustee Nancy MacNeill.

Don Vrooman, (Oakville Wards 1&2) was nominated for the position of Chair by trustee Jennifer Hlusko (Burlington, Ward 6), with the nomination seconded byAmy Collard (Burlington, Ward 5). 

All nominators and candidates spoke to their respective bids for Chair before ballots were cast. 

The first casting of ballots resulted in no clear majority, with two candidates tied receiving the fewest number of ballots.  When a tie occurs, the Director of Education draws a name from the tied candidates, with the name drawn being the candidate who will proceed to the second ballot.  Director of Education David Euale announced the names of Don Vrooman and Kathryn Bateman-Olmstead for the second ballot. Following the second casting of ballots, Don Vrooman was declared Chair of the Halton District School Board for 2012.

Amy Collard (Burlington, Ward 5) was nominated for the position of Vice-Chair by Nancy MacNeill, with the nomination seconded by trustee Kathryn Bateman Olmstead.

Kelly Amos was nominated for the position of Chair by Ann Harvey Hope, and the nomination was seconded by Nancy MacNeill.

Again, both the nominator and candidate spoke to their respective strengths in seeking the position. Following the casting of ballots, Amy Collard was declared Vice-Chair for the 2012 term.

Chair Don Vrooman expressed his appreciation to his colleagues, and spoke to the importance of leadership, collaboration and working toward the Board’s goals of student achievement and success.  This is Vrooman’s second term as Chair, having been initially elected to the role in December 2010.

Vice-Chair Amy Collard was newly elected to the role of trustee in the 2010 municipal elections. She has a wealth of leadership experience on a number of HDSB committees and with a variety of community organizations.  Amy also thanked her colleagues for the opportunity to serve as Vice-Chair, and is looking forward to applying her experience for the benefit of the Board and its students and staff.

The next regular meeting of the Halton District School Board will be on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.  The second Board meeting in January will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2012.  PLEASE NOTE: This is a change from the calendar document circulated at the beginning of the school year.

Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. at the JW Singleton Education Centre, Burlington. Agenda information is available on the Fridays prior to the meetings, on the Board’s website, www.hdsb.ca.

For additional information, contact:
     Don Vrooman, Chair, Halton District School Board  
     905-335-3663, 877-618-3456