About Us
Ontario Student Trustees’ Association Brochure
The Ontario Student Trustees’ Association is the largest student stakeholder in education and the voice for the student vision. As the representatives of over 2.1 million students, we are a dynamic, diverse voice. We act as consultants on policy for the Ministry of Education, collaborate with other stakeholders in the education community and work to unite all student trustees across the province.
We are advancing the student vision.
As student trustees, we are elected by our peers to bring the student voice to district school board tables. Through a non-binding vote, we present the student perspective to improve the quality of education in schools across the province.
Our organisation is divided into two divisions: the Executive Council and the Board Councils. The executive council is chosen through a series of elections at our annual general meeting and includes a President, an Executive Director and four directors for the areas of Communication, Policy, Professional Development and Operations. The board councils are divided by board type: English Public Board Council (EPBC) and English Catholic Board Council (ECBC). We also work collaboratively with our colleagues in French-language education, represented by le Regroupement des élèves conseillers et conseillères francophones de l'Ontario (RECFO).
Our association has taken formal positions through reports, advocating for a binding vote for student trustees, increased bilingual education and a variety of issues related to social justice, fair labour requirements for Catholic school uniforms, and, more recently, inequities in education through extracurricular fees and youth civic engagement.
Our Policy Committee continues drafting the student vision through position papers and research reports while our Promotions Committee works to articulate the student vision.
Whether it is at school boards across the province or at the province level, the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association and all of its members continue to play an integral role in crafting the future of public education in Ontario.