The Canadian School Boards Association was founded in 1923 by school trustees from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia in recognition of the need for a national forum on education. It was incorporated under federal statute as a non-profit organization in 1965.
The CSBA Constitution contains the guiding principles and procedures for the operation of the organization, outlining the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors and staff. The latest version of the CSBA Constitution was revised and approved in November, 2020 and is available to download HERE.
Today, the CSBA represents elected governing school board members from provincial school boards associations across Canada. The CSBA advocates for advances in public education for millions of students in the public education system, and promotes the value of locally elected school boards. As a professional association, the CSBA provides professional development, research, partnerships and opportunities for collaboration for governing school board members. The CSBA also works with education partners across the country to support students, schools and communities with a democratically elected voice of community members.
Strong school board leadership plays a meaningful and vital role in our school boards across the country, and has a direct impact on student achievement and school success for all Canadian students. When it comes to improvements in student achievement research shows that how school boards govern really matters.
Vision
Excellence in public education achieved through school boards.
Mission
- To support school board associations and their members in their mandates.
- To advocate on national, collective interests of Canadian children on behalf of the provincial/territorial public school boards that serve them.
- To promote the role democratically elected school boards play in ensuring quality and equitable education in Canada.
Territorial Acknowledgement
The CSBA acknowledges that its school boards and trustees are located on the ancestral and unceded territory of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada.
We purposefully recognize past and present Aboriginal Peoples. The CSBA is committed to improving relationships among nations and promoting respect for the histories and cultures of Indigenous peoples.
Please reflect on the consequences of past actions and consider how each of us, in the full spirit of reconciliation and collaboration, can learn about our neighbours and the treaties of the territories.