Student Trustees

Student Trustees take on a variety of responsibilities and fulfill various roles. Student Trustees speak on behalf of the District’s students when attending meetings at the Board table, and across the province. Some of the responsibilities of a Student Trustee include the following:

• Serving as Chair of the OCDSB Student Senate; 
• Serving as a non-voting advisory member of the OCDSB Presidents’ Council; 
• Serving as members of Committee of the Whole and the Board of Trustees, Student Trustees are not able to participate in binding votes, but work to represent the voices and perspectives of students in Board discussions; 
• Presenting Student Trustee reports to the Board of Trustees; 
• Attending conferences hosted by the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association; 
  • Sitting on standing committees of OSTA-AECO 
  • Attending provincial advocacy meetings on behalf of OSTA-AECO 
• Liaising with the superintendent responsible for student voice, staff advisor, and Governance Services staff. 

Student Trustees are elected for a one-year term, beginning on August 1st, and ending the following year, on July 31st. Additionally, Student Trustees are awarded a $2500 honorarium for a fully-completed term. 

Each student trustee is given a budget for professional development and communication expenses. Information about items that are eligible for reimbursement are outlined in Procedure PR.529.FIN, Expense Procedure and Procedure PR.503.GOV, Trustee Expenses for Professional Development, Constituency Communications and Support Services. 

The current student trustees are always available to address your concerns and/or answer your questions.

If you have questions about Board policies and/or procedures or student trustee participation in Board and/or Committee meetings, you can contact Darren Gatley at darren.gatley@ocdsb.ca.