THE CONFERENCE OF
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS OF
ONTARIO
WHO ARE WE?
BETTER KNOWN AS…
CIS ONTARIO
• CIS Ontario is a collegial group of 47 member
schools working together to advance educational
excellence in Ontario Independent schools
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Of the 47 Schools…
3 are associate schools out-of-province
8 are single-gendered girls’ schools
6 are single-gendered boys’ schools
The remainder are co-educational
16 have a boarding complement
PRIVATE SCHOOL OR INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL?
• In Ontario, any school not receiving public funding are
all grouped under the one umbrella of “private schools”.
There are currently 941 schools that fit that definition!
• CIS Ontario prefers to use the term “Independent
Schools” to distinguish themselves from the larger group.
The key differentiator is the requirement that all CIS
Ontario Schools have gone through a vigorous
membership criteria process that includes a mandatory
governance structure with a Board of Governors that
operates at arms-length from the administration of the
school.
OUR STUDENTS ARE…
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OR PRIVATE
SCHOOLS - WHAT ARE THE
DIFFERENCES?
Public Schools
 Accountable to ‘central board
office’
 Operational policies set by
central office
 Budget set centrally
 Staffing limited by central office
 Management of staff impacted
by labor contracts
 Parents’ role – Parent Advisory
Council
 Alumnae role minimal
Private Schools
 Accountable to independent
board of governors
 Operational policies set by
management team
 ‘School-based’ budgeting
 Staffing limited by approved
budget
 Management of staff requires
finely honed HR skill set
 Parents as ‘clients’. Parents’
Guilds
 Alumnae as a significant
stakeholder group
OUR SCHOOLS HAVE EXCELLENT COMPENSATION PACKAGES THAT MATCH
OR EXCEED THAT OF THE LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD. ALMOST ALL
SCHOOLS ARE MEMBERS OF THE ONTARIO TEACHERS’ PENSION PLAN.
CIS ONTARIO
MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA
Vigorous Membership Criteria for Schools
• Academic Standards – programming must qualify
students for university
• Governance – arms-length Governance structure
must be in place
• Financial Considerations – proven long-term
financial stability
• Reputation – reputation of excellence must be
achieved by the school over a period of years and
recognized by CIS Ontario and the public at large
OUR TEACHERS ARE OFFERED EXTENSIVE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT
ENSURES….
CIS ONTARIO BENEFITS OF
MEMBERSHIP
• Professional Network Groups - Heads of School,
Business Officers, Human Resources, Health Services,
Librarians, IT Directors, Facilities Managers, Curriculum
Leaders
• Marketing - Teacher Recruitment, Faculty of Education
Presentations, Career Opportunity Day
• Professional Development - Cohort 21, New
Teacher Day, subject-specific/division specific programs
• Student Programs – CISAA, CIS Ontario Music Festival,
CIS Ontario Drama Festival, CIS Ontario Dance Festival,
Techno Cup
OUR SCHOOLS ARE ….
COME VISIT US AND LEARN MORE!
www.cisontario.ca