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 The Role of a Trustee is certainly a complex one. Below is a bit of an overview of what is involved in the life of a Halton District School Board (HDSB) Trustee as well as a general overview of Trustee roles and responsibilities:

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The HDSB Board of Trustees is responsible for governing the school system in the best interests of all the students in their jurisdiction and on behalf of all the communities  they serve (Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville).

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The Board of Trustees, as a corporate body, is the legislative source of all decisions and responsible for the success of the organization in terms of its purpose. It does this by providing oversight, direction setting and decision making through a governance process which includes defining roles, relationships, structures and processes. Individual Trustees are granted no authority through the Education Act.

Both the Board as a whole and individual Trustees have roles and responsibilities:

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The HDSB typically has regular meetings of the Board on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month and Committee of the Whole meetings on the 2nd and occasionally the 4th Wednesdays of the month. These meeting usually start at 6:00 pm  and are scheduled to end at 10:00 pm. A Trustee must be present for at least 3 regular meetings of the Board in each 12 month period beginning with the start of their term and cannot miss 3 consecutive meetings unless approval is granted by the Board. Trustees may also participate in other Board committees which can take place during the day. As you can see, the work week isn't 9-5, Monday to Friday.  Our agendas usually have a number of action and information items covering a wide range of topics.

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Trustees also sit on various committees  such as the Special Education Advisory Committee,  The Discipline Committee, The Accessibility Co-ordinating Committee and The Parent Involvement Committee, (to name but a few). They also have the opportunity to fulfill other important roles such as reviewing Policies, By-Laws, and Governance Procedures, participating in a Trustee-led initiative such as Re-Imagine Forward ensuring effective governance the Board. 

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One must remember that a Trustee is a member of the Board. They are not a member of parliament and each Trustee holds no individual authority. Trustees must familiarize themselves with the Board’s By-Laws, Rules of Parliamentary Procedure (Robert’s Rules of Order), the duties and responsibilities of the Board and individual Trustees under the Education Act, the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, and the Trustee Code of Conduct.

Some of the key responsibilities as required under the Education Act are for the individual Trustees to;

• Carry out their responsibilities in a manner that assists the Board in fulfilling its duties under the Act, the regulations and the guidelines issues under the Act, including but not limited to the Board’s duties under 169.1

• Attend and participate in meetings of the Board, including meetings of Board committees of which they are a member.  There are some Committee obligations which are statutory. These include appointment of a Trustee to various committees; Special Education Advisory Committee, Discipline Committee, Audit Committee, Supervised Alternative Learning Committee and the Parent Involvement Committee.  There are also other non-statutory committees that have Trustee participation.

• Consult with parents, students and community of the Board on the Multi-year plan

• Bring concerns of parents, students and community of the Board to the attention of the Board. (Trustees are required to listen to the concerns and needs of their communities, and bring those to the attention of the whole Board while ensuring that programs and decisions of the Board help all students.)

• Uphold the implementation of any Board resolution after it is passed by the Board. (Once the Board of Trustees have voted, individual Trustees are legally bound by the majority decision, regardless of whether they supported it during debate or voted against it.  All Trustees are required to uphold the implementation of resolutions passed by the Board.  Although they may not agree with the decision, Trustees should be able to explain the rationale for the policy and ensure that it is understood, implemented and monitored.)

• Entrust day to day management of the Board to its staff through the Board’s Director of Education

• Maintain focus on student achievement and well-being

• Comply with the Board’s Code of Conduct

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Individual Trustees interpret the role of representing their community in different ways.  Some community members expect a Trustee to be very active, others do not.   Trustees may be asked to attend meetings such as school council meetings, community groups, municipal council, meeting with MPP’s and MP’s, as an example.  Some Trustees hold Family of School / Super Council meetings to regularly interact with their school communities.  Trustees may attend school events and community functions as another way of interacting with their community. For me, it is so important to ensure that there are open lines of communication between myself and the community and I endeavour to always answer my phone and return calls and emails as quickly as I am able.

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While the job of school Trustees varies widely across Ontario, what all have in common is serving the community as elected representatives while focusing on the primary task of acting as members of a Board that makes policy decisions, oversees curriculum and program delivery and fulfills its responsibilities as an employer.

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Trustee wages are determined by a provincial formula which includes a base amount plus an enrolment amount. In the HDSB, Trustees earn $16,419.41 per year. In addition Trustees have access to up to $5,000 per year to cover their expenses and participation in professional development opportunities.

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OPSBA (Ontario Public School Board Association) has published this document which outlines the importance of having locally-elected Trustees representing their communities. https://www.opsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Making-A-Difference-2022-Guidebook-Spread.pdf