WINDSOR-ESSEX CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Chair and Vice-Chair Acclaimed - Soulliere and Lazarus to remain at board's helm

Lisa Soulliere will remain as the Chair of the WECDSB for the next year, while Jason Lazarus will stay in the position of Vice-Chair. Both trustees were acclaimed to their respective positions at last night's annual organizational meeting of the Board.

Soulliere, who was elected to the position of Chair last year, said she is honoured to continue to serve in that capacity and asked her fellow trustees to "rise to the challenges we will surely face."

"We appear to start this final year as endangered stewards of publicly funded education in the Province of Ontario," she said. "As the province appears poised to move education forward without us, we must continue to focus on our students and their success. We must be focused on the whole of our system and its success. At this juncture, we are governing one of the strongest school boards in the province of Ontario, and an overarching factor in achieving this is our focus on building strong listening communities that support every student who comes to us for the best possible Catholic education. I look forward to working collaboratively with everyone at our table to ensure the best possible outcomes for all of our students."

Elections for the position of chair and vice-chair are held on an annual basis, and trustees cast their votes for these positions at the board's yearly organizational meeting. Given that no other trustees ran for the positions, Soulliere and Lazarus were both acclaimed.

Soulliere, who represents schools in the Area 3-Lakeshore ward, has served as a trustee with the board since 2000, including a previous stint as vice-chair from 2018 to 2022. She has served on the Indigenous Education Advisory Committee, the Special Education Advisory Committee, the Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, and the Child Care Committee.

A first-term trustee elected in 2022, Lazarus represents Windsor Wards 5 and 8 and serves on the Parent Involvement Committee.

"Trustees play a critical role in shaping the way education is delivered to our community, and I'm thankful to be involved in this essential service," he said. "I'm certainly looking forward to another year of working alongside Chair Soulliere and the rest of our board in serving our students and their families."