CANADA – The president of the Liberian Association of Canada Leo Nupolu Johnson has been appointed as one of four consultants to conduct a comprehensive governance review of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board’s (HWDSB) policies and governance practices to elevate equity, diversity and inclusion in an effort to confront systemic barriers through anti-racism, anti-oppression and anti-colonial lenses. The project team will update policy frameworks, revised the HWDSB Board of Trustees Bylaws and Handbook and provide training and related professional development opportunities for Trustees under the banner of a local consulting firm – Wentworth Strategy Group.
This review is unprecedented and will be the first of its kind in the Education sector in Canada. The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board is already engaged with the Ministry of Education regarding supporting other school boards through this innovative approach to governance reform resulting from recommendations from a code of conduct report released in February this year, which validated allegations of discrimination and racism against a former student trustee.
Other consultants include Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Development), Catherine Raso (Expert on Board Governance) and Troy Hill (Expert on Indigenous Cultural Competency).
The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board is the public-school board in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and operates 97 schools in 103 neighborhoods across the city. It has an annual budget of $726.7 million and enrolment of 50,000 students.