Boardroom Briefs: June 17, 2026

Trustee Lloyd Stated “At the Private Session following the June 3, 2026, Education, Policy and Operations Committee meeting:

Acting Superintendent Richard provided a property update which resulted in a motion being passed and Vice-Chair Lloyd provided two personnel updates.

And earlier this evening during Private Session:

The private session minutes were approved from the following:

• May 20, 2026, Regular Board Meeting
• June 3, 2026, EPOC Meeting

Associate Superintendent McKenna provided a Safe Schools, and Trustee Lloyd provided a personnel update which resulted in two motions being passed.

There was no other business conducted, or motions passed in Private Session.

MOVED By Trustee Lloyd and seconded by Trustee Elliott that the Private Session Report be received. Carried.

Chair McGregor stated: “As we come to the close of another school year, I would like to take a moment to thank Limestone staff, students, and families for what has been a truly positive and successful year across the Limestone District School Board.

Earlier this evening, we had the opportunity to celebrate many of these contributions through the LDSB Staff Awards. The commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of every student, in every classroom, in every school was clearly felt across the district throughout the year. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who played a role in making this school year what it was. Your dedication, care, and ongoing efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we are very grateful.

I would also like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all Trustees and Senior Staff, to acknowledge the service of this year’s Student Trustees: Rachel Kolosov, Indigenous Student Trustee; Siham Ismail, Urban Student Trustee; and Mia Comeau, Rural Student Trustee.

You have each made a positive difference around this horseshoe and have represented the student voice at the Limestone District School Board with integrity, thoughtfulness, and passion. Your leadership and strong advocacy have contributed meaningfully to our discussions and decision-making, and have helped ensure that student perspectives remain central to our work.

All three of you are exceptional student leaders, as evidenced by your continued efforts to strengthen and elevate student voice across our district, and at the provincial level through your involvement with the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association.

Next year, Urban Student Trustee Siham Ismail will be returning to KSS for her Grade 12 year. A highlight of her time as an Urban Student Trustee was noticing that student leadership looks different for every school. She is grateful to have had the chance to make meaningful conversations with communities surrounding the LDSB and be a part of uplifting voices, discovering what we can do as changemakers, even in small ways, and honouring the responsibilities she has been trusted with for students by students.

Indigenous Student Trustee Rachel Kolosov will be attending Queen’s University to student Kinesiology for her undergrad with the hopes of working in the healthcare industry. A key highlight of her term in the role of Indigenous Student Trustee was facilitating a professional development session with Liv Rondeau, Vice-Principal of Indigenous Education, at an ISC meeting, where she shared her knowledge through a presentation on how to create personalized land acknowledgements. This was a very impactful session that taught students the importance of land recognition and diversity in acknowledgement. This became a routine for each ISC meeting, where schools volunteered to open with their own personalized land acknowledgement, directly implementing teachings they learned from Liv.

Rural Student Trustee Mia Comeau will be pursuing Engineering at Western, and she received Advanced Opportunity for a dual Ivey business degree at Western University. A highlight for her has been being able to meet so many amazing youth leaders in Limestone at Interschool Council, and in OSTA across Ontario. It has been a great motivator and really inspiring for her.

On behalf of your fellow Trustees and the Senior Staff of the Limestone District School Board, it is my honour to recognize your contributions this evening and to present honorariums to each of you in acknowledgment of your term of office and in support of your continued studies.

Thank you again for your dedication and service. We wish each of you all the very best in your future endeavours.”

Director Burra stated: “Good evening, Trustees and the viewing public.  I am pleased to provide you with my update tonight as we enter the last few days of the 2025-2026 school year. 

June is always a time of reflection as we complete one school year and continue preparations for the next school year. It is also a time of change as we see students graduate from secondary school, staff retire, and many staff and students prepare for transitions. It is also a time of celebration across the system as students graduate and enjoy end-of-year activities and celebrations. We were able to enjoy some celebrations this evening with the annual Limestone staff awards. This evening we heard, and saw, some great examples of people focused on doing the very best they can to support students and learning in LDSB.

In recent weeks and months, many graduating Limestone students have received significant scholarships and admissions to universities, colleges, and apprenticeships or have developed work plans for next year.  With secondary graduations just over a week away, I know trustees and senior staff can look forward to hearing the plans of LDSB grads at those celebrations and honouring the graduates of 2026.

I would also like to highlight for trustees the tremendous success Limestone athletes experienced in recent OFSAA events:    In the Para events, Claire Simmers from KSS won a gold medal in ambulatory shot put and a bronze in the 800 m.   Also in the Para events Harley Moon from NDSS won a bronze in the ambulatory shot put and Liam Cleary from BSS won bronze in the a separate para shot put event.  In other OFSAA events, Wyatt Lee from FSS won Gold in the senior boys 100 m for the second year in a row, and Silver in the 200 m. Athena Andrecyk from KSS repeated as a Gold winner in the senior girls 3000 m.  Vicky Malik from KSS won Gold in Junior Girls 1500 m and silver in the 800 m.  And Levi Patterson from KSS won Gold in the Novice girls 300 m hurdle.  Other Limestone students also won one silver medal and two bronze medals.  I should also note that the LSS senior boys rugby team won their second back-to-back provincial AA gold medal. Congratulations to these winners and all of the other LDSB athletes who participated in the provincial finals. 

In reflecting on the 2025-2026 school year, I am reminded that in education the stakes are always high for each learner, and there is always more we can do to serve each student. While there is always much to celebrate, there is also always room for improvement in realizing our LDSB intention of making a positive difference in the lives of every student, in every classroom, in every school.  The stakes are also incredibly high as we try to move forward with a compliant budget that requires very difficult decisions that directly impact students and staff.  With budget pressures we face, and underfunded areas, this is a significant challenge. This balancing act is delicate and certainly imperfect.  We have tried our best to mitigate the impact of the upcoming budget, but this is becoming increasingly more challenging as frontline needs only increase and our use of some reserves certainly helps.  Without additional funding, budget pressures will only increase moving into future years.

Given June is National Indigenous History Month, and Sunday is National Indigenous Peoples Day, trustees should be aware that there are a range of activities occurring in the community this weekend, and at Confederation Park.  As Trustees are aware, June is also Pride month, and like the last few years, Limestone formally participated in the fifth annual Napanee Pride parade at the end of May, which was a great success, and we also had a very strong presence this past weekend for the Kingston Pride parade. We must continue to take a strong stance in support of human rights, and against hate in the communities we serve.

In closing, I want to offer my congratulations to all students graduating from Limestone and to staff entering their last ten days of work with Limestone. There is much to be proud of in Limestone and I have a great deal of gratitude and humility in serving as its CEO/Director.

For trustees awareness, we will be sharing a staff and family update tomorrow that includes an updated version of the budget overview that was shared with trustees last week.  It will also include any potential outcomes from the notice of motion that will be discussed later this evening.                 

Thank you also to the Board of Trustees for your continued collaboration, strong support of public education, and advocacy. While all of us around this table may not always agree on everything, I think we can all be proud of the way we conduct ourselves and work together for the betterment of Limestone students. Thank you Trustees; that concludes my report for this evening.”

Chair McGregor reported on the recent regional meeting, noting that Shannon Binder was elected Chair and that Trustee McGregor was elected Vice-Chair. Trustee Lloyd and Trustee McGregor were also appointed to serve on the working groups. Trustee McGregor advised that the first annual planning meeting is scheduled for August 20, 2026, and indicated that additional updates and initiatives are expected to emerge from that meeting.

Chair McGregor invited Student Trustee Kolosov to give her report. She stated, “Good evening Trustees,

It is a bittersweet kind of feeling delivering my last board update, but I know myself and my co trustees are proud of this past term and are excited for our incoming students trustee, and the amazing things they will accomplish next term!

In regards to our last ISC meeting of the year on June 9, one of the main highlights was a report back from John Dipaolo from the United way, sharing that the funds raised this year though the United Way campaign and our ISC members was a great success. We also planned for next year’s ISC group to attend the Seeing is Believing tour that we had the privilege to go to this year as a group to see the impact of the fundraiser and initiative, firsthand, and the United Way campaign was confirmed to continue into next year with ISC.

Our ISC members had the chance to connect and get to know one another at this meeting over many snacks and goodies brought by each member, potluck style. This way, the incoming students members were able to meet other incoming students, and also ask for advice from the outgoing students to get a sense of good strategies for things like event planning, school communication, and personal goal setting, to set them up for next year.

Another highlight of our meeting was that we had Anne Marie (a retired principal) come in as a guest to promote the Unnamed Youth Project in schools and the Youth Advisory Circle to find new members for next year.

Additionally, the Indigenous Leadership Circle has an amazing year with key highlights consisting of exploring career paths at the St Lawrence career fair, enjoying time in nature at the Little Catatraqui creek reservation, prepping for and attending Camp Muskoka last month, which was just as great of a time as last year’s camping trip! The Camp’s ziplining and tree trekking course remained a student favourite, as it was a clear highlight from last year. We are sad to see some of our group members continue off on their postsecondary journey, but will always carry the many dear memories we made as a team.

We wish a happy summer to you all, and acknowledge what a great pleasure it was to have been a part of each board meeting to meet all you lovely folks and learn what incredible work you all do for this school board

That concludes my report. Thank you!

Superintendent Blackburn and members of the Educational Services team, Principal Deborah Thompson and Vice-Principal Allison Todd, presented an update regarding the restructuring of elementary special education supports and services and the associated monitoring and evaluation plan implemented following those changes. Trustees were reminded that, during the 2023–2024 school year, Educational Services conducted a comprehensive review of special education programming, resulting in a transition toward a more inclusive, needs-based service delivery model. Key elements of the restructuring included shifting supports from identification or diagnosis-based services to needs-based services, increasing school-based resources to support students within their home schools, expanding the multi-tiered systems of support framework, strengthening in-school team capacity, assigning a Special Education Coordinator to each family of schools, creating the Intensive Support Teacher (IST) role, and increasing school-based staffing through additional Educational Assistant (EA) and Student Support Teacher (SST) positions.

Principal Thompson outlined the monitoring and evaluation process undertaken during the 2024–2025 school year. Information was gathered through service delivery data, special education teacher meeting data, and three interest holder surveys conducted with special education teachers and administrators, Educational Services staff, and classroom educators, including Educational Assistants and Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). Labour partners received the report, and a summary will be shared across the system. Principal Thompson noted several limitations to the data, including the absence of pre-restructuring comparison data, varying survey response rates, and the inability to isolate site-specific information. It was further noted that some service delivery models remain under development and that the survey sample was weighted heavily toward educator responses.

The presentation highlighted strong participation in the survey process, particularly among Educational Assistants and Early Childhood Educators, whose perspectives are critical to understanding the day-to-day implementation of special education supports. Survey feedback reflected a high degree of appreciation for the work of special education teachers and Educational Assistants, with respondents recognizing the complexity and importance of their roles in supporting students. The data also indicated that broader system pressures beyond the restructuring itself continue to affect experiences within schools and should be considered when interpreting the findings.

Vice Principal Todd reported that, while challenges remain across all school settings, the data identified several encouraging trends associated with the Intensive Support Teacher model. Schools with ISTs reported increased capacity to respond to complex student needs, and schools with multiple SSTs and an IST demonstrated lower rates of reported concerns. Data also suggested that the needs-based model enhanced schools’ ability to respond flexibly to student needs, with approximately 32% of students supported by ISTs during the 2024–2025 school year not formally identified through an exceptionality designation.

The monitoring process also identified several areas requiring further attention. Survey results indicated that educators continue to require additional training and professional learning opportunities to support increasingly diverse and complex student needs. While most educators reported feeling knowledgeable and capable in supporting students with special education needs, they identified competing demands, classroom complexities, and staffing limitations as barriers to effectively applying their skills. Trustees heard that professional learning during 2024–2025 focused primarily on special education teachers, with ongoing opportunities needed to build capacity more broadly across school teams.

The presentation further highlighted the importance of in-school teams as a highly valued resource for collaboration, decision-making, and implementation of multi-tiered systems of support. While respondents reported strong levels of collaboration with in-school teams, concerns were raised regarding limited time available for collaborative planning and problem-solving. Educational Services indicated that strengthening the structures and processes that support in-school teams will remain a priority.

Survey findings also suggested that, during the initial year of implementation, available resources were frequently directed toward addressing urgent behavioural and safety-related needs. Although efforts during the 2025–2026 school year have expanded to support students across all tiers of need, survey data revealed differing perceptions regarding whether available supports adequately meet student needs. Classroom educators were more likely than administrators and special education teachers to report that needs exceed available supports, highlighting an area for continued investigation and system attention.

Dr. Thompson also noted concerns related to the experiences of Early Childhood Educators. Survey data showed that ECEs reported lower levels of confidence in supporting diverse learners, less access to training and planning time, and lower levels of collaboration with in-school teams compared to other educator groups. In addition, approximately one-quarter of responding ECEs indicated that they regularly take on responsibilities beyond their formal role to support student needs. Trustees were advised that targeted professional learning for ECEs has already begun, including a dedicated day of training during the current school year.

The presentation included qualitative feedback from respondents, including comments supporting the move toward inclusive education while emphasizing the need for sufficient resources, training, and therapeutic supports to ensure meaningful inclusion for students with exceptionalities.

Looking ahead, Principal Thompson outlined several next steps. Planned actions include continuing to clarify and refine the roles of Intensive Support Teachers and Student Support Teachers, expanding Tier 1 professional learning opportunities for classroom educators, ECEs, and Educational Assistants, and further strengthening in-school teams through the implementation of best practices, system-wide guidance, and ongoing professional learning. Staff indicated that work is already underway to refine service delivery models and develop strategies informed by the findings of the monitoring and evaluation process. Following the presentation, staff responded to questions from Trustees.

Chair McGregor thanked Associate Superintendent Blackburn., Principal Thompson and Vice-Principal Todd for their presentation and called upon Trustees for questions.

Associate Superintendent Hedderson presented an update on the Board’s Math Achievement Action Plan, highlighting its alignment with the LDSB Strategic Plan priorities of supporting student achievement, building educator capacity, and strengthening the use of data to inform school improvement efforts. He reviewed the Ministry of Education’s provincial priorities for mathematics achievement, including curriculum implementation, educator professional learning, and responsive supports for students, as well as the key indicators used to monitor progress.

Preliminary year-end data from the Board’s 26 priority schools indicates that student achievement continues to be concentrated within Levels 2 and 3, with encouraging movement from Level 2 to Level 3 in several schools. While achievement gains vary across schools, Associate Superintendent Hedderson noted that targeted supports continue to be responsive to local needs. He also reported that implementation of curriculum-aligned diagnostic assessments remains an area for improvement, although final data collection is still underway.

Trustees received an overview of system-wide efforts to support mathematics learning, including the increasing use of curriculum-aligned resources, ongoing professional learning for educators, job-embedded support provided by mathematics facilitators and learning partners, and the use of mathematics tutors in schools. He noted that recent Ministry visits to schools confirmed increased consistency in instructional practices across classrooms and schools.

Associate Superintendent Hedderson also highlighted positive engagement with digital mathematics tools. Data from Knowledgehook showed significant student and family participation outside of school hours, reflecting growing support for mathematics learning at home and continued progress toward Board goals.

Trustees were advised of several collaborative initiatives, including the successful completion of the first Additional Qualification course delivered in partnership with Queen’s University, continued efforts to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into mathematics instruction, and the ongoing development of mathematics leadership among educators and administrators. He acknowledged the contributions of mathematics consultants and program staff who continue to support system-wide implementation.

The report also included an update on the newly rebranded LDSB Summer Literacy and Math Program, which will support approximately 240 students entering Grades 1 to 4 across four sites this summer. Associate Superintendent Hedderson emphasized the importance of both literacy and mathematics as foundational skills that support future student success.

In closing, Associate Superintendent Hedderson highlighted LDSB’s continued leadership in provincial and regional mathematics initiatives, including collaboration with the Ministry of Education, EQAO, Queen’s University, and regional school boards. He noted that Limestone educators recently shared their work at a provincial mathematics conference and that LDSB hosted a regional gathering of Eastern Ontario school boards to reflect on progress and strengthen partnerships aimed at improving mathematics outcomes for students across the region.

Chair McGregor thanked Associate Superintendent Hedderson for his report and called upon Trustees for questions.