UCDSB approves $473M budget, decreases number of trustee board meetings

With a projected surplus of $400,000, Upper Canada District School Board trustees approved their 2026-27 budget June 10. 

The budget will see an increase of 0.6 per cent, or $2.7 million over the previous year. 

The budget includes $67.6M for special education, $3.4M for indigenous education, $3.1M for literacy and numeracy support, and $2.4M to support student safety and well-being.

The capital budget for 2026-27 is nearly $93M and includes over $31 million in work for the new Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School and the addition to Cambridge Public School. Another $61M is being spent on upgrades to existing UCDSB buildings.

Of the capital work, $31.5M is for school condition improvements, while another $4.2M is for accessibility improvements. The board is budgeting $16.3M for removing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete from some of the schools built between the 1950s and 1990s. 

Also included in the capital side are $16.4M for air conditioning to be installed in five elementary schools including Nationview, Oxford on Rideau, and Longue Sault Public Schools, and two high schools: Almonte District High School and Char-Lan District High School. 

While transportation finances have eased with changes to bus distances starting this fall, the board identified a funding shortfall from the province for Special Education, which is currently using deferred revenue to balance expenses. Unless there are changes from the province, the board will have to cut Special Education spending by $3M by 2029. 

Trustee board meetings reduced

After reducing the number of trustee board meetings in March 2025, the Upper Canada District School Board will meet even fewer times beginning the 2026-27 school year. The board approved a bylaw amendment cutting the number of meetings in half to five per school year.

Approved at the board’s June 13 meeting, trustees will now meet in October, December, February, April, and June each school year. Additional meetings may be called if needed.

UCDSB Chair Jamie Schoular said the changes reflected recent changes by the Ministry of Education. The chances were passed without discussion by the trustees of the Board.

Further changes proposed moved the time of meetings from 6:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Trustee David McDonald (Ward 9) spoke against the changes saying that the time would limit people considering serving as trustee in the future.

“I think in fairness of people looking to run as trustee and in fairness and transparency, 1 p.m. is not a good time to hold board business when it is considered to be public,” he said.

Trustee John McAllister (Ward 4) supported McDonald’s amendment to hold meetings at 6:30 p.m.

Trustee Corina Parisien echoed McDonald saying that the board should be accessible, and that a 1 p.m. meeting is not accessible.

Trustees supported the evening meeting time. The changes go into effect immediately meaning the next time UCDSB trustees will meet will be in October.

At the end of the meeting, trustees also appointed a replacement trustee to serve out the balance of the 2022-26 term of Todd Robertson. Robertson resigned his position as trustee for Perth area. He himself was a replacement trustee for Carole Dufort in Fall 2025.

Dr. Tara Barton-Maclaren was the sole applicant for the position and previously served as a member of the board’s Parent Involvement Committee.

This is the fourth trustee replacement that has taken place during this term.