I am honoured to have been elected as Chair of the York Region District School Board at the November 21 Inaugural Board meeting. I look forward to working with my newly-elected and re-elected trustee colleagues and thank them for putting their name forward to serve the students and families of York Region.
I would like to congratulate the Board’s new Vice-Chair, Pamela McCarthy, and look forward to working with Vice-Chair McCarthy to provide strong leadership to the Board of Trustees. I also congratulate our three new standing Chairs, Cindy Liang, Finance and Property Standing Committee Chair; Michael Chen, Learning, Equity and Well-Being Standing Committee Chair and Lauri Hoeg, Policy and By-Law Standing Committee Chair, on their new roles. Representing the Board at the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association Board of Directors, will be Nadeem Mahmood and Elizabeth Sinclair, with alternates Carolyn Butterworth and Michael Chen.
I also want to thank past Chairs Corrie McBain, Juanita Nathan, Cynthia Cordova and Allan Tam for their leadership and support in the past four years from the previous term.
As we emerge from the pandemic and transition back to a more ‘normal’ school experience for students, it is important that we, as an organization, remain focused on prioritizing student achievement and well-being.
Fortunately, my trustee colleagues and I have the privilege of working with a strong senior leadership team at York Region District School Board, led by Interim Director Scott Yake, that shares our focus on the achievement and well-being of all of our students, in particular those who are underserved and underperforming. We have much to celebrate and be thankful for, but also know that there may be challenges ahead that we will navigate together. We trust the senior leadership team to manage these challenges and continue to act in the best interest of all YRDSB students and families. As we continue through the rest of the 2022 and into 2023, I also look forward to leading the Board in its search for a new Director of Education.
I would like to thank all YRDSB families for your partnership in the education of your children, and for your engagement in our schools and communities. I look forward to serving you in my first term as Board Chair and building deeper, collaborative relationships within the York Region community.
Ron Lynn
Chair of the Board