A Few Thoughts on Week 58

A new season of Council Conversations starts tonight at 7pm with the prologue. You can get it here or where you download your podcasts!
Greater Essex County District School Board debated the meaning of “session” as a notice of motion on Tuesday night, a meeting that ran 3 hours.
- the full motion reads as follows: THAT THE GECDSB DETERMINE BY BOARD DISCUSSION OR REFERRAL TO A COMMITTEE FOR THEIR RECOMMENDATION WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WORD “SESSION” AS PER OUR CURRENT ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER (12TH EDITION, CHAPTER IV, 8:4 AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT SECTIONS) AS WELL AS DETERMINE IF ANY SPECIAL RULES NEED ADOPTION REGARDING RENEWAL OF MOTIONS.
  - Why they have to yell their motion in the agenda is beyond me.
  - An attempt to defer the motion for the third time was defeated at the agenda approval stage taking 10 minutes.
  - The motion then came up for discussion was amended to a committee and passed 6-4 taking almost 40 minutes of discussion, debate and clarification.
- Despite the budget consultations being underway for the Public Board only two delegates signed up from my review meeting.
  - One delegate spoke to supports and budget for black students supports which was enlightening for me. (10 minute presentation)
  - The second delegate was a representative of OSSTF advocating for additional support and funding for educational support workers. (5 minute presentation)
  - May 4th is the final budget consultation if you are interested.
- I put these items in contrast to one another to ask the question where should trustees time be spent? Debating the meaning of a word or strategically and transparently shaping the budget of a half a billion dollar organization and taking proactive measures to engage the community?
Landscaping duty: