Ontario Public School Boards’ Association elections will be held as part of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, June 12, 2021. The AGM will be held via Zoom videoconference.
Information about elected positions and the nomination process is summarized below. More details are available in the OPSBA Roles and Responsibilities Guide and the Candidates’ Election Guide. All trustees, candidates and voting delegates are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these documents prior to submitting nominations and/or voting at the AGM.
Nomination Deadline
Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
A list of nominees and their biographies will be published in the OPSBA Election Guide and distributed to member boards and voting delegates. It will also be posted on the OPSBA AGM page.
ELECTIONS FOR 2021-2022
Elections for the following positions for each of the five Regional Councils (Central East, Central West, East, West and North) will occur at each of the Regional Council Meetings at this year’s AGM.
- Regional Chair*
- Regional Vice-Chair
- Two regional members and one alternate of the Policy Development Work Group
- Two regional members and one alternate of the Education Program Work Group
* The five Regional Chairs are table officers (members of Executive Council and the Board of Directors) along with the President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Enrolment.
Selection of Board of Directors members to represent the group of school authorities and the Indigenous Trustees’ Council will occur separately, prior to Regional Council Meetings at the AGM.
There will be no elections for the position of President, First Vice-President or Second Vice-President at the 2021 AGM. The current incumbents were elected for a two-year term at the AGM in September 2020. The current term expires upon election of a successor at the AGM in 2022.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
Regional Chair Positions
- Any trustee currently serving on a member board is eligible to run for the position of Regional Chair.
- The nomination deadline is 30 days prior to the AGM. Nomination forms and biographies must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2021. See below for details about the nomination process.
- Nominations will ONLY be accepted from the floor at Regional Council meetings if no nominations have been received in advance. If only one nomination is received by the nomination deadline for the position of Regional Chair, that person shall be declared acclaimed and it will be noted in the AGM Election Guide.
- Candidates who are interested in standing for more than one position are encouraged to declare their interest in each position by the nomination deadline. This will help member boards and voting delegates in their deliberations in advance of the Regional Council meeting.
Regional Vice-Chair and Members of Core Issue Work Groups Positions
- To be eligible to run for the position of Regional Vice-Chair, candidates must be appointed to the OPSBA Board of Directors by their member board, group of school authorities or Indigenous Trustees’ Council and confirmed at the Regional Council meeting. See below for more information about the confirmation and nomination processes.
- Any trustee currently serving on a member board is eligible to be a member of a Core Issue Work Group.
- Advance nominations are encouraged; however, the nomination and election process, for the position of Regional Vice-Chair (alternate to the Regional Chair) and regional members of the Education Program and Policy Development Work Groups, permits nominations to be taken from the floor at the Regional Council meeting.
- During Regional Council meetings at the AGM, elections to select regional members and alternate members to serve on the Education Program and Policy Development Core Issues Work Groups will be held. Northern Sub-Region East and Northern Sub-Region West areas will each elect one representative and one alternate to the two work g
- Nominees are asked to submit their nomination form and a one-page biography by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
Nominations, Nomination Forms and Biographies
- Nominations can be made by any trustee from a member board, in good standing, once they have confirmed the nominee is eligible and willing to stand for the Self-nomination is permitted.
- Nomination forms and a brief biography (in an electronic format) for each candidate must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2021 by email to lreinhardt@opsba.org.
- Candidate biographies should be no longer than one page in length and include the candidate’s photograph. This information will be included in the AGM Elections Guide and communicated as outlined above.
Confirmation of Board of Directors Members for the 2021-2022 Term
- At Regional Council meetings held during the AGM, voting delegates from each member board will confirm their school boards appointed Board of Directors member(s) and alternate(s). This will happen prior to the election of Regional Vice-Chair.
- School authorities and the Indigenous Trustees’ Council will meet, prior to Regional Council Meetings at the AGM, and elect their representative on the Board of Directors. They will each provide written confirmation of their Board of Directors representative (and alternate) to the Director of Corporate Affairs prior to the AGM.
All election material will be available on the OPSBA AGM and Program page.
For more information: Lisa Reinhardt, Director of Corporate Affairs, telephone 416-340-2540, ext.108; or email the OPSBA webmaster
