On April 1, 2023, we celebrated our 25-year anniversary. This milestone was marked with several events and initiatives that acknowledged and built on 25 years of quality leadership in public education. The milestone video can be viewed here.
We want to thank all of you for helping us to build the organization we have today, representing close to 5,400 principals and vice-principals in every English public school board in Ontario. Our mandate and mission have always been to offer advocacy, professional learning and legal support to school leaders, so you can support students, build successful school communities, mentor staff and create safe, successful environments where every student can learn to their full potential. Thank you for your ongoing commitment and dedication to this most important goal!
About the OPC
The Ontario Principals' Council is the voluntary, professional association representing practising principals and vice-principals in Ontario's publicly funded schools. Our goal is to provide you with the professional services and supports you need to provide exemplary leadership in public education. Our 5,400 Members represent elementary and secondary school leaders from across Ontario and operate within the ethical guidelines of the Ontario College of Teachers.
The OPC History
In 1997, then Minister of Education John Snobelen introduced Bill 160. The bill contained many changes to education finance, program delivery, school board management and the collective bargaining rights of teachers. It also removed principals and vice-principals from membership in the teacher federations, prohibiting their right to unionize or be included in a bargaining unit.
School leaders throughout Ontario were unnerved. What would this mean for us? How would we function without a federation? What protections would we now have? A group of those leaders began to meet, planning how to create an organization that would protect, advocate and include principals and vice-principals from both panels.
The decision was made to establish a professional association. The planning group, along with lawyers from Lerners law firm, organized a road show throughout the province. They met with principals and vice-principals from all 31 public district school boards, discussing the implications of their removal from the federation, debating the best way to move forward and offering their vision for an all-inclusive professional organization.
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