Ontario Student Trustees' Association

Ontario Student Trustees' Association
l'Association des élèves conseillers et conseillères de l'Ontario
Industry Education
Founded 2000
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Area served
 Ontario, Canada
Key people
Number of employees
 Steady 50+
Website www.osta-aeco.org

The Ontario Student Trustees’ Association (French: l'Association des élèves conseillers et conseillères de l’Ontario), officially branded as OSTA-AECO, is an organization of student trustees in Ontario and a student stakeholder group in the province's public education system.

This organization has three distinct divisions: the Executive Council and the Board Councils. The Executive Council is chosen through a series of elections at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and includes a president, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and six officers for the areas of communication, policy, professional development, operations, administration, and French language relations. Also elected are cabinets of the Board Councils, each of whom has a respective president and vice-president. The two Board Councils are the Public Board Council (PBC) and Catholic Board Council (CBC). Within the Executive Council, the voting power lies with the Senior Executive Council, which consists of five members: the president of OSTA-AECO, and the presidents and vice-presidents of the respective Board Councils. The organization is governed by a seven-person board of directors, all of whom serve a two-year term.[1]

History

In the early 1990s, the Royal Commission of Learning, which was set up during the leadership of former Premier of Ontario Bob Rae, published a report titled "For the Love of Learning" which recommended "that all (school) boards have at least one student member, entitled to vote on all board matters, subject to the usual conflict-of-interest and legal requirements".[2] By the late 1990s, student representatives existed in most of the 70+ school boards in Ontario.[3]

Wanting to collaborate and work as a unified voice, OSTA-AECO was formed in 2000 by a group of student trustees in Ontario. In order to promote the student’s voice on a provincial scale, they have published a number of reports discussing the student’s opinions in education.[4] These include student survey reports, press releases, position papers, and consultation with Ontario’s Ministry of Education.[5][6]

Student Trustee Role

A student trustee is a legislated position mandated by Ontario’s Ministry of Education for all district school boards in Ontario.[7] Elected by a process determined by each school board, Grade 11 or 12 students holding this position serve as representatives for all students within their school board, and are responsible for conveying these students' opinions at school board meetings, committees, and among the school board's senior administration. Given much of the same rights and responsibilities as the adult school trustees in terms of professional development activities, speaking rights during meetings, access to funding, and access to restricted information,[8] they play an active role in the school boards’ decision-making processes, which impacts the education system. However, instead of representing taxpayers (as is the case with municipally-elected trustees) the student trustees synthesize the opinions and concerns of students to bring a different perspective to the discussions.[9] Student trustees work alongside their municipally-elected counterparts to enact changes in policy and budget to further the education of students across their district and across the province.

Membership

The general assembly of OSTA-AECO meets three times per year: first, at the Fall General Meeting; second, at the Board Council Conferences; and finally, at the Annual General Meeting. Each school board is entitled to one vote in the association's affairs. At each AGM, the general assembly elects the executive council for the term starting 1 August of that year.

The board councils are divided by two board types: Public Board Council (PBC) and Catholic Board Council (CBC), each of which are chaired by a president, who sits as a voting member of the executive.

Over the years, the structure of the Executive Council has changed to best benefit the needs of the organization. Currently, the executive consists of 14 members: 5 elected voting presidents and vice-presidents, 6 elected officers and 3 appointed offcers.

The elected, voting members of the executive council are the president of OSTA-AECO and the presidents and vice-presidents of the respective Board Councils. The elected, non-voting members of the executive council are: professional development officer, policy officer, communications officer, operations officer, administration officer, and French relations officer. The webmaster, chief executive officer, and chief financial officer also serve as a non-voting members.

References

  1. ↑ OSTA-AECO, "Ontario Student Trustees' Association," Online. Available: osta-aeco.org.
  2. ↑ Royal Commission of Learning, "For the Love of Learning," Queen's Printer for Ontario, Toronto, 1994.
  3. ↑ Ontario Student Trustees' Association, "History," Online. Available: http://www.osta-aeco.org/history.php. Accessed 5 November 2012.
  4. ↑ People For Education, "Ontario Student Trustees’ Association — l’Association des élèves conseillères et conseillers de l’Ontario – (OSTA-AECO)," 2012. Online. Available: http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/profile/ontario-student-trustees-association-lassociation-des-eleves-conseilleres-et-conseillers-de-lontario-osta-aeco/. Accessed 5 November 2012.
  5. ↑ K. Hammer, "Sexual diversity belongs in classroom, cellphones don't: Student survey," The Globe and Mail, 2012.
  6. ↑ OSTA-AECO, "Press Releases & Declarations," OSTA-AECO, Online. Available: http://osta-aeco.org/media/press.php. Accessed 5 November 2012.
  7. ↑ N. O'Connor, "Student Trustees may attend Vancouver School Meetings," 28 May 2012. Online. Available: http://www.vancourier.com/news/Student+trustees+attend+Vancouver+school+meetings/6691656/story.html. Accessed 2012.
  8. ↑ Ministry of Education, "http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90e02_e.htm#BK71," 2012. Online. Accessed 5 November 2012.
  9. ↑ Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, "Student's Corner: Student Trustees," Online. Available: http://www.ocdsb.ca/stu/st/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed 11 November 2012.

Further reading

External links

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