Consultation on this Plan began in March 2024. A Multi-Year Strategic Plan Steering Committee was formed and worked closely with a third-party consultant to engage the community and guide the Board through a priority-setting process that resulted in the adopted MYSP. The timeline for the project set the approval of the new MYSP at the November 5 Board meeting.
To create the final MYSP draft, input was gathered from Trustees through specialized meetings and full-day working sessions, as outlined below:
- April 11: A review of the fundamental elements of strategic planning, followed by discussions among Trustees and Senior Staff regarding their reflections on the current MYP and their aspirations for students.
- May 14: An analysis of strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in key areas, including student learning and workplace culture.
- August 15: A review of the consultation report to gain familiarity with its contents.
- August 19 & 20: Full-day sessions focused on utilizing data from consultations and environmental scans, and aligning with Ministry of Education directives to prioritize commitments for the MYSP. Key objectives and metrics were also defined.
- October 15: Committee of the Whole meeting where the draft MYSP was discussed by Trustees and feedback was collected to be considered for the final version of the MYSP.
As part of the MYSP development process, various versions of the MYSP have been produced and built upon. The first draft of the MYSP was circulated to Trustees on September 2, a second draft was circulated to Trustees on September 17, a third draft was circulated to Trustees on October 10, a fourth draft was circulated to Trustees on October 21, and the fifth draft was presented to the Board of Trustees for approval on Nov. 5, 2024.
After the circulation of each draft of the MYSP, valuable feedback from Trustees and the senior team has been received. The MYSPC took each opportunity to carefully review all feedback as well as consider what was heard from the community, Ministry of Education directives and relevant educational research. After robust discussions, the committee achieved consensus in its support for the final version presented to the Board of Trustees on Nov. 5.
Summary of Consultation
A
Community Engagement Report was developed by the third-party consultant and was provided to Trustees and Senior Staff prior to the Aug. 15 Data evening. During that session, Trustees were able to consider the data and how it would inform planning.
The report contains rich data collected between April and June, during which over 3,000 individuals were consulted through surveys, focus groups, town halls and more.
Key participants included:
- 1,800+ Parents/Guardians/Caregivers: Engaged via the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), school councils, town halls and surveys.
- 450+ Students (Kindergarten - Grade 12, apprenticeship, dual credit, university): Participated through in-school sessions (Craig Kielburger Secondary School, Aldershot High School, Captain R. Wilson Public School, Acton District School, Burlington Central High School), Student Senate, town halls, virtual focus groups and surveys.
- 650+ Teachers, Staff, Administrators, Trustees, Senior Leadership: Engaged in virtual and in-person focus groups, discussions and surveys.
- 40+ Community Members and Partners: Provided input, including advocacy groups, community organizations, post-secondary institutions and student service providers.
Due to the nature of the engagements, participant counts are approximate as some individuals (e.g., parents who also identify as staff) provided feedback from multiple perspectives, which has not been separated. Additionally, school councils and groups, which include students, staff and community members, submitted feedback as a collective.