Presentations
Director’s recognition award
Extraordinary contributions to Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) by staff, students, school volunteers, or community members are recognized at each Public Meeting of the Board by the director of education, Wes Hahn. The following individual was nominated for their outstanding commitment and dedication to TLDSB.
Haliburton Highlands Secondary School principal, Jennifer Mills, was nominated by student trustees, Alex Goltz and Taliah McNelly, for her extraordinary commitment of supporting students. Mills went above and beyond to help TLDSB students attend the Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC). This national conference is a platform that actively empowers youth by connecting them with diverse peers from across the country. This leadership conference inspires students to become more effective and confident leaders, playing a direct role in fostering community impact.
As a strong advocate for student leadership, Mills fundraised with community organizations and facilitated relationships with local entrepreneurs to secure their expertise and enable student access to the conference. Her dedication was crucial to the conference’s success and provided students with the best possible learning experience, including valuable opportunities to apply their French language skills. Her care, compassion, energy, and dedication are invaluable in inspiring young people to make a difference.
Director’s update
Director of education, Wes Hahn, shared that professional learning for a variety of staff groups has been a big focus of the start of the school year, including a new opportunity that brought Grade 7, 8, and 9 teachers together to look at ways to support students in literacy and numeracy.
Hahn also shared highlights from school visits, recent committee meetings, and the work being done to introduce Artificial Intelligence in TLDSB.
With three years into the 2022-2027 TLDSB Strategic Plan, Hahn noted a larger shift in the areas of equity and inclusion taking place this year and continuing in years to come, and that data collection will continue to be an integral part of ensuring the system is meeting the needs of the students.
Lastly, Hahn identified a new initiative to further engage with the parent/guardian community. Hahn has invited school parent council chairs to meet with him and school principals to solicit feedback related to the direction of the system.
Equity outcomes in TLDSB from a Specialized Services lens
Superintendent of learning responsible for Specialized Services, Nikki Train, presented trustees with an overview of how the Specialized Services Department is looking at equitable outcomes for students. Train noted how the data shows that students receiving special education support continue to be among one of the marginalized groups of learners, with students overrepresented in lower achievement categories.
To address this, Train explained how the work extends across many departments to ensure alignment in planning, language, and practice. One area of focus this fall has been on strengthening core instruction – the foundation of effective and equitable teaching – and to plan intentionally, close opportunity gaps, and allocate resources equitably to ensure improved outcomes for every learner.
Train identified three key priorities:
- Improving independence and engagement for students with Special Education needs.
- Increasing integration and alignment across elementary and secondary system classes.
- Collaborating with multiple stakeholders to prioritize the TLDSB equity of outcomes framework of every student, every day, every way.
Train acknowledged that when core classroom instruction is explicit, well-structured, and responsive, it ensures that all students — including those with Special Education needs — can access learning and experience success without unnecessary barriers. Additionally, the Specialized Services team is working with school teams to create intentional integration opportunities that allow students in system classes to participate more meaningfully in the school community— academically, socially, and through extracurricular opportunities.
Train also shared a recent professional development opportunity for Educational Assistants that was focused on supporting neurodiverse students in fostering independence, addressing unconscious bias, and promoting equity and inclusion for each student across the system.
Through monthly professional learning for staff in roles across the board such as Special Education Resource Teachers (SERTs), instructional coaches, administrators, and teachers there is a shared focus on core practices, and cross-departmental collaboration, we are working to build a system that supports independence, belonging, and achievement — where all students truly means all students.
Summer construction updates
Kim Horrigan, Executive Officer of Facilities Services, Transportation Facilities, and Capital Innovation, shared the completion of 94 projects that were completed over the summer. Horrigan highlighted how these infrastructure projects are an important part of supporting the TLDSB 2022-2027 Strategic Plan by improving health and dignity for all members of the community. Horrigan concluded her presentation by sharing a video of the projects with trustees.
2025 Board meeting schedule
Board meetings are open to the public to attend at the host location in-person. For viewing, the meetings are live-streamed and the link is made available on the tldsb.ca website on the day of the meeting.
| Meeting | Date | Time | Location |
| Public Meeting of the Board | November 25, 2025 | 5:30 p.m. | Lindsay Education Centre |
| Organizational Meeting of the Board | December 2, 2025 | 5:30 p.m. | Muskoka Education Centre |