attending and benefiting from these sessions.” The OCSTA distributes numerous briefs and memos, ensuring trustees have access to the materials they need. Daly believes in the importance of listening to the trustees and responding adequately to their needs by providing the necessary resources. “We provide additional documents or adjust priorities based on what we’re hearing from them.” INVESTMENT IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND ADDRESSING CHALLENGES To further support its members, the OCSTA makes direct investments in various priority areas, including sports, arts, and extracurricular activities, reflecting the broad spectrum of interests and needs within Catholic schools. These activities play a significant role in the holistic development of students, contributing to their intellectual, physical, and spiritual growth. “Publicly funded Catholic schools in Ontario take great pride in providing Christ-centered learning opportunities,” Daly states. He highlights the wide range of programs offered, from sports and arts to student councils and clubs, emphasizing the success of their teams and choirs at local, provincial, and national levels. “We can take great pride in the quality of programming, both during the school day and in co-curricular extracurricular activities.” Despite these successes, the OCSTA faces several challenges that require continuous effort and advocacy. Daly mentions issues such as the rising costs related to sick leave and staff absenteeism, which have significantly increased over the past few years. Additionally, the new transportation funding formula introduced last year presents some areas in need of improvement.“Special education funding has been a long-standing issue due to the complexity of student needs today,” Daly notes. He also points out the challenge of capital funding to keep up with costs. To assuage these challenges, the OCSTA maintains 5 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 08 ONTARIO CATHOLIC SCHOOL TRUSTEES’ ASSOCIATION
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