Waterloo Region District School Board

Last updated

Waterloo Region District School Board
WRDSB
Location
51 Ardelt Ave.
Kitchener, Ontario
N2C 2R5
Canada
District information
Director of educationjeewan chanicka
Schools
  • 105 elementary
  • 16 secondary
BudgetCA$675 million
District IDB66176 [1]
Students and staff
Students64,712 [2]
Staff6,808
Other information
Elected trustees
  • B. Cody
  • C. Johnson
  • K. Meissner
  • S. Piatkowski
  • M. Radlein
  • M. Ramsay
  • M. Waseem
  • C. Watson
  • J. Weston
  • K. Woodcock
Website www.wrdsb.ca

Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 24 prior to 1999 [3] ) is the public school board for the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It operates 105 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, and other facilities, serving more than 64,000 students [4] in the Region of Waterloo. It has approximately 6,800 staff and a budget of $675 million. It is the largest public sector employer in the Region and the second-largest employer overall. In 2024, the Director of Education is jeewan chanicka. [5]

Contents

The board serves Waterloo Region, which consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. Within the townships, WRDSB operates schools in the communities of Ayr, Baden, Breslau, Conestogo, Elmira, Floradale, Linwood, New Dundee, New Hamburg, St. Jacobs, and Wellesley.

Trustees are elected every four years by the public school ratepayers in their area. Four trustees are elected in Kitchener, three trustees are elected in each of Waterloo/Wilmot and Cambridge/North Dumfries and one trustee represents Elmira/Woolwich. Although trustees are elected in specific areas, once they are elected they must represent the entire region. Annually, two students are elected by their peers to represent the student voice on the school board. They have a voice at the table but no binding vote. Every year in December, the trustees elect a chair and vice-chair for the coming year. Board policy dictates that no one may serve in either role for more than two consecutive years. [6] In 2016, the trustees published a new Strategic Plan consisting of three priorities to provide "first-class public education to Waterloo Region". [4]

In January 2018, the Board announced that it was considering the building of up to 12 new schools and the expansion of 11 existing facilities over the subsequent years, due to an increasing population. An additional 7,100 new students were expected by 2027. [7] At the same time, the Board was considering a study of the feasibility and benefits that might be provided by year-round schooling, but did not agree to proceed with a pilot programme. [8] Their newest school, Oak Creek Public School, opened in September 2022.

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board operates the Catholic schools which educates approximately one of every three students in the Region. [9]

Safe and secure schools policy

The School Board was criticized for its role in maintaining a confidential file on Ronald Wayne Archer (Ron Archer), a teacher convicted in 2000 of four charges of sexual assault on his student. The file documented allegations that Archer sexually assaulted children beginning in the 1970s. In 2006, the Ontario College of Teachers revoked Archer's certificates of qualification and registration. [10] Members of the public believed that had the file been disclosed, subsequent abuse would have been prevented. In 2001, the Board created new policies to prevent abuse in future. [11]

A Safe and Secure Schools policy was developed including a Code of Conduct that outlines expected behaviour standards of all members of the school community: students, parents, guardians, volunteers, staff and visitors. [12]

In 2017 It's OK to be white posters were taped to the doors of two collegiate institutes. A spokesman for the school board said "Our schools are safe spaces. We want to see them be safe for all of our children, so to see this kind of thing emerge is a worry." [13]

List of Elementary Schools

NameCity/Town
Abraham Erb PS Waterloo
Alpine PS Kitchener
Avenue Road PS Cambridge
Ayr PS Ayr
Baden PS Baden
Blair Road PS Cambridge
Blue Heron PS Cambridge
Breslau PS Breslau
Bridgeport PS Kitchener
Brigadoon PS Kitchener
Cedar Creek PS Ayr
Cedarbrae PS Waterloo
Centennial PS Cambridge
Centennial PS Waterloo
Central PS Cambridge
Chalmers Street PS Cambridge
Chicopee Hills PS Kitchener
Clemens Mill PS Cambridge
Conestogo PS Conestogo
Coronation PS Cambridge
Country Hills PS Kitchener
Courtland Avenue PS Kitchener
Crestview PS Kitchener
Doon PS Kitchener
Driftwood Park PS Kitchener
Edna Staebler PS Waterloo
Elgin Street PS Cambridge
Elizabeth Ziegler PS Waterloo
Empire PS Waterloo
Floradale PS Elmira
Forest Glen PS New Hamburg
Forest Hill PS Kitchener
Franklin PS Kitchener
Glencairn PS Kitchener
Grand View PS Cambridge
Grandview PS New Hamburg
Groh PS Kitchener
Hespeler PS Cambridge
Highland PS Cambridge
Hillcrest PS Cambridge
Hillside PS Kitchener
Howard Robertson PS Kitchener
J F Carmichael PS Kitchener
J W Gerth PS Kitchener
Janet Metcalfe PS Kitchener
Jean Steckle PS Kitchener
John Darling PS Kitchener
John Mahood PS Elmira
Keatsway PS Waterloo
King Edward PS Kitchener
Lackner Woods PS Kitchener
Laurelwood PS Waterloo
Laurentian PS Kitchener
Lester B Pearson PS Waterloo
Lexington PS Waterloo
Lincoln Heights PS Waterloo
Linwood PS Linwood
MacGregor PS Waterloo
Mackenzie King PS Kitchener
Manchester PS Cambridge
Margaret Avenue PS Kitchener
Mary Johnston PS Waterloo
Meadowlane PS Kitchener
Millen Woods PS Waterloo
Moffat Creek PS Cambridge
N A MacEachern PS Waterloo
New Dundee PS New Dundee
Northlake Woods PS Waterloo
Oak Creek PS Kitchener
Park Manor PS Elmira
Parkway PS Cambridge
Pioneer Park PS Kitchener
Preston PS Cambridge
Prueter PS Kitchener
Queen Elizabeth PS Kitchener
Queensmount PS Kitchener
Riverside PS Elmira
Rockway PS Kitchener
Saginaw PS Cambridge
Sandhills PS Kitchener
Sandowne PS Waterloo
Sheppard PS Kitchener
Silverheights PS Cambridge
Sir Adam Beck PS Baden
Smithson PS Kitchener
Southridge PS Kitchener
St. Andrew's PS Cambridge
St. Jacobs PS St. Jacobs
Stanley Park PS Kitchener
Stewart Avenue PS Cambridge
Suddaby PS Kitchener
Sunnyside PS Kitchener
Tait Street PS Cambridge
Trillium PS Kitchener
Vista Hills PS Waterloo
W.T. Townshend PS Kitchener
Wellesley PS Wellesley
Westheights PS Kitchener
Westmount PS Kitchener
Westvale PS Waterloo
William G Davis PS Cambridge
Williamsburg PS Kitchener
Wilson Avenue PS Kitchener
Winston Churchill PS Waterloo
Woodland Park PS Cambridge

List of Secondary Schools

SchoolCity/TownYear FoundedEnrollment (as of 2021-2022) [14]
Bluevale Collegiate Institute Waterloo 19721220
Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute Kitchener 19691715
Eastwood Collegiate Institute Kitchener 19561235
Elmira District Secondary School Elmira 19391340
Forest Heights Collegiate Institute Kitchener 19641380
Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School Cambridge 1852955
Glenview Park Secondary School Cambridge 19571000
Grand River Collegiate Institute Kitchener 19661390
Huron Heights Secondary School Kitchener 20061500
Jacob Hespeler Secondary School Cambridge 1105
Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School Kitchener 18551645
Laurel Heights Secondary School Waterloo 20041740
Preston High School Cambridge 19341095
Southwood Secondary School Cambridge 1962655
Waterloo Collegiate Institute Waterloo 19601365
Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School Baden 19551380

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo, Ontario</span> City in Ontario, Canada

Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Waterloo is situated about 94 km (58 mi) west-southwest of Toronto, but it is not considered to be part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Due to the close proximity of the city of Kitchener to Waterloo, the two together are often referred to as "Kitchener–Waterloo", "K-W", or "The Twin Cities".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Municipality of Waterloo</span> Upper-tier regional municipality in Ontario, Canada

The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, and the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. Kitchener, the largest city, is the seat of government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmira, Ontario</span> Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Elmira is the largest community in the township of Woolwich, Ontario, Canada. It is 15 kilometres (9 mi) north of the city of Waterloo near the Regional Municipality of Waterloo's northern border with Wellington County. The community was listed in the 2016 Canadian census as having a population of 10,161.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolwich, Ontario</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

The Township of Woolwich is a rural township in Southwestern Ontario. The municipality is located in the northeastern part of Waterloo Region and is made up of 10 small communities, with Elmira, Ontario the largest and St. Jacobs, Ontario the second largest. The population at the time of the 2021 Census was 26,999, up from the 2016 population of 25,006. Waterloo Region is still home to the largest population of Old Order Mennonites in Canada, particularly in the areas around St Jacobs and Elmira. They are often seen on the local roads using their traditional horse and buggy transportation; many also use horses to pull the implements in their farm fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo County, Ontario</span> Former county in Ontario, Canada

Waterloo County was a county in Canada West in the United Province of Canada from 1853 until 1867, then in the Canadian province of Ontario from 1867 until 1973. It was the direct predecessor of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School</span> Secondary school in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School, commonly called Kitchener Collegiate Institute or KCI, is a public secondary school in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It is a member of the Waterloo Region District School Board. The school dates from 1855, making it one of the oldest high schools in Kitchener and Waterloo. Its sports teams are known as the Raiders.

Galt is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario on the Grand River. Prior to 1973, it was an independent city, incorporated in 1915, but amalgamation with the village of Hespeler, the town of Preston and the village of Blair formed the new municipality of Cambridge. Being the largest constituent community in the city, it is commonly seen as the downtown core of Cambridge. The first mayor of Cambridge was Claudette Millar.

Waterloo North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which entitled each of north and south ridings of the County of Waterloo to elect one Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo (federal electoral district)</span> Federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada

Waterloo is a federal electoral district in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada, that has been used in the House of Commons of Canada from since 1968. Between 1997 and 2015, the riding was known as Kitchener—Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr, Ontario</span> Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Ayr is a community in Ontario, Canada that is located within the Township of North Dumfries in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario. Ayr is located south of Kitchener and west of Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo Regional Police Service</span> Law enforcement agency

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) provides policing services for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, which encompasses the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge, as well as the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. The WRPS was established in 1973, to replace the individual police departments in the region. The cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Galt; the towns of Preston, Hespeler, Elmira and New Hamburg; the Village of Bridgeport and Waterloo Township had their own respective police department. The townships of Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot and North Dumfries were under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Provincial Police. In 1991 the Waterloo Regional Police Force was renamed to their current name.

Laurel Heights Secondary School is a high school in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). It opened in September 2004 and provides both academic and vocational programs. The school had 1,500 students as of the 2020–21 school year. Each year, around 450 new grade 9 students are enrolled from the following elementary schools: Centennial Public School, Edna Staebler Public School, Laurelwood Public School, and Vista Hills Public School The school is located on 650 Laurelwood Drive in northwest Waterloo. It was originally named after Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada; in 2022, it was renamed to Laurel Heights Secondary School (LHSS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo Catholic District School Board</span> Catholic school board in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) is a school board serving the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is headquartered in Kitchener, and is currently the eighth-largest Catholic school system in Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Region of Waterloo Paramedic Service</span>

Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services (ROWPS) is the emergency medical service provider for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. The service provides both advanced and primary care level paramedic services to the cities of Waterloo, Ontario, Cambridge, Ontario and Kitchener, Ontario and the townships of Wilmot, Woolwich, Wellesley and North Dumfries.

This is a list of media in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the surrounding area.

The 2014 Waterloo Region municipal elections were held on October 27, 2014 in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to elect Waterloo Regional Council, the mayors and city councils of Cambridge, Kitchener, North Dumfries, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich, the Waterloo Region District School Board (Public), the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and the regional members of Conseil Scolaire de District Catholiques Centre-Sud and Conseil Scolaire Viamonde (Public). The election was held in conjunction with the provincewide 2014 municipal elections.

The 2018 Waterloo Region municipal elections were held on October 22, 2018 in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to elect Waterloo Regional Council, the mayors and city councils of Cambridge, Kitchener, North Dumfries, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich, the Waterloo Region District School Board (Public), the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and the regional members of Conseil Scolaire de District Catholiques Centre-Sud and Conseil Scolaire Viamonde (Public). The election was held in conjunction with the province wide 2018 municipal elections.

The 2022 Waterloo Region municipal elections were held on October 24, 2022, in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to elect Waterloo Regional Council, the mayors and city councils of Cambridge, Kitchener, North Dumfries, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich, the Waterloo Region District School Board (Public), the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, and the regional members of Conseil Scolaire de District Catholiques Centre-Sud and Conseil Scolaire Viamonde (Public). The election will be held in conjunction with the province wide 2022 municipal elections.

Enova Energy Corporation, through its subsidiary Enova Power Corp., is an electric utility and distributor that serves most municipalities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario. It is a municipally-owned corporation with shares held by the municipalities to varying degrees.

References

  1. "Find a School Board". Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  2. "By The Numbers". Waterloo Region District School Board. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. "Ontario Regulation 107/08". e-Laws. Government of Ontario. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "About Us". Waterloo Region District School Board. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  5. "Corporate Services". Waterloo District School Board. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  6. "Roles and Responsibilities". Board Meetings. Waterloo District School Board. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  7. Outhit, Jeff (January 22, 2018). "Waterloo Region public board plans 12 more schools for 7,100 more students". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  8. Rutledge, Lisa (January 17, 2018). "Waterloo Region public board eyes year-round schools, just not yet". Cambridge Times. Metroland Media Group. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  9. Outhit, Jeff (January 3, 2018). "Catholic schools get their groove back as enrolment surges". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  10. "Governing Ourselves - Professionally Speaking - June 2006". professionallyspeaking.oct.ca. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  11. "Board staff working towards new policies". New Hamburg Independent. May 9, 2001. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012.
  12. "Safe and Secure Schools". Waterloo Region District School Board. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  13. "'It's okay to be white' signs posted outside schools". CTV News Kitchener. November 7, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  14. Ontario School Information Finder https://www.app.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/sift/secondary.asp . Retrieved September 19, 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)