The Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) shares a sense of community among families, educators and parishes and is committed to integrating the teachings of the Gospel with quality educational programs that guide students in their journeys to meeting the Catholic Graduate Expectations. In the 2022-2023 school year, the board served approximately 21,838 elementary and secondary students in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, and the townships of Uxbridge, Scugog and Brock, in addition to thousands of adult and continuing education learners.
The spiritual theme for 2022-2023 was inspired by Pope Francis and his call to engage the Catholic Church throughout the world in a Synod on Synodality – which means “journeying together as the people of God”. This theme was an invitation to all members of the DCDSB community to focus on the importance of deep listening and compassion as we emerged from the worst days of the pandemic and began to re-engage with one another. In his letter for the 56th World Day of Social Communications, Pope Francis reminded us that “it is only by paying attention to whom we listen, to what we listen, and to how we listen that we can grow in the art of communicating, the heart of which is not a theory or a technique, but the ‘openness of heart that makes closeness possible’.” In 2022-2023 the DCDSB embraced these words and strove to live them out in practice on a daily basis.
During the 2022-2023 school year, we were guided by the Durham Catholic District School Board's Multi-Year Plan, Discovery 2023: Renewing the Vision. We were guided by the principles of Excellence, Equity and Engagement, and the five identified strategic priorities:
In June 2022, the DCDSB approved a balanced operating budget of $320.6 million for the 2022-2023 school year. The annual budget is developed by senior staff, under the direction of the Board’s Chief Financial Officer and the Board Finance Committee, chaired by Trustee Monique Forster. The process involves stakeholder consultation and requires adherence to Ministry of Education priorities and the commitments of the DCDSB’s established multi-year plan. The Board continues to demonstrate fiscal responsibility while ensuring financial support for the mission, vision and strategic priorities of the DCDSB community.
To learn more about our financials, please visit the report below.