OCDSB’s Proposed Executive Compensation Program
In 2014, the Government of Ontario began the process of developing public sector compensation frameworks to ensure a transparent and consistent approach to executive compensation. This applies to all Ontario public sector designated employers, such as universities, colleges, hospitals and school boards, including the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
All 72 Ontario Public School Boards worked together to develop an Executive Compensation Framework which would ensure compliance with this legislation for the K-12 education sector. The sector framework was approved by the Ministry of Education and Treasury Board Secretariat. Using the approved framework and in consultation with the Government of Ontario, the OCDSB has developed a proposed Executive Compensation Program.
In the education sector, a competitive, fair, and responsible Executive Compensation Program is vital for attracting and retaining the talented, innovative leadership required to ensure continued progress and success in advancing student achievement for all. The OCDSB Board of Trustees recognizes the importance of developing a fiscally responsible compensation program that is fair, consistent, reflective of the unique complexities of the school board market as well as the external market, and provides recognition for the professional competencies, complexity of work and workload demands of our senior management team. In reviewing executive compensation, the Board was guided by the following principles:
- Fair and market based compensation is essential to the recruitment and retention of a leadership team in a high functioning organization;
- The provincial framework is an important step towards equity in executive compensation for Ontario School districts;
- Implementation of the executive compensation framework must be undertaken in a reasonable timeframe that is within the life of the Crown approved framework, with recognition of the unique circumstances of local boards to achieve the intended outcome and ensure equity;
- The current compensation of the executive team at the OCDSB is out of alignment with the framework and with other Ontario school districts and creates an unacceptable business risk in terms of recruitment and retention of members of the senior leadership team.
As part of its due diligence, the Board engaged a 3rd party to conduct an independent review of OCDSB executive salaries relative to local Ottawa comparators and to validate the appropriateness of the proposed provincial framework salaries. The sample comparators included mid-size and large post-secondary education institutions, the federal public service, the municipal sector, major social services agencies and direct comparator school districts.
This information was instrumental in helping the Board to develop a compensation framework which is fair, competitive, responsible, and transparent.
Read the OCDSB's Approved Executive Compensation Program