Chair's Message
Board of Trustees
It is my pleasure to receive the DDSB’s 2025 Annual Report on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
As you will no doubt see throughout this report, 2025 has been an incredible year of growth and implementation. Guided by our co-created Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP)— we continue to strengthen our schools, deepen our commitment to equity, and expand opportunities for learning and well-being across the district, making significant progress in literacy and mathematics. You will find these stories in our Meaningful Learning section, including details about our Math Strategy implementation, Acadience early reading screening, and our Empowering Excellence priority schools.
We are also continuing to move forward as a Board. In July, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation appointed Chad Cowie to serve as the First Nations Trustee for the remainder of the 2022–2026 term. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank past First Nations Trustee Jill Thompson for her service, and warmly welcome Trustee Cowie, who has embraced the role and placed a continued emphasis on partnership and collaboration. DDSB students, families, staff, and community members who identify as First Nation, Métis or Inuit benefit from having a Board member who understands their unique and distinct perspectives, lived experiences, strengths, and needs.
As we complete the 2022-26 term of the Board of Trustees, I want to express our collective appreciation to the communities we serve and our community partners, who provide feedback that support decision making, and collaborate with trustees and staff to bring our shared vision of building a system where every learner can thrive to life.
With Gratitude,
Tracy Brown
Chair, Board of Trustees, 2024-26
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees serves a critical function in the governance of school boards. It sets the vision and goals, develops and monitors policies, and allocates resources.
The Board of Trustees at the Durham District School Board (DDSB) is made up of 12 trustees: 1 appointed First Nations Representative and 11 trustees who are elected for a four-year term in the Municipal Election. The DDSB also has three student trustees who serve a one-year term and are elected by their peers. While trustees are elected by municipality (2 from Ajax, 1 from Brock/Scugog/Uxbridge, 3 from Oshawa, 2 from Pickering, 3 from Whitby), they work together in their shared commitment to student achievement and well-being. They do this by:
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Attending and participating in meetings of the Board and its Committees
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Bringing concerns of parents, students, and the local community to the attention of the Board
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Entrusting the day-to-day operational management of the Board to its staff through the Director of education
2025-2026 Student Trustees
Student Trustees are elected students who represent all students in the Durham District School Board (DDSB). They participate in Board of Trustees meetings and guide the Student Senate. They are also members of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, where they work with student trustees from across Ontario to advocate for students. They are elected by students to a one-year term, beginning August 1 of each year.
