Guelph trustee elected as chair of Upper Grand District School Board

A trustee from Guelph is the new chair of the Upper Grand District School Board.

Ralf Mesenbrink was elected to the position by his peers at Tuesday’s inaugural school board meeting.

Mesenbrink represents Guelph wards 2, 3 and 4.

He said in a statement that the board has “some big tasks ahead of us, and the work starts right away.”

The board says it includes a governance review by the board of trustees, overseeing the development and implementation of the UGDSB’s multi-year plan, the construction of two new schools, the hiring of a human rights advisor to support the equity pillar of the plan, addressing learning gaps in students, listening to families and community members, and supporting the UGDSB staff.

This is the first time that Mesenbrink has been elected as chair of the board and he will serve for a one-year term.

He replaces Linda Busuttil, who successfully ran for council in Guelph in this year’s municipal election.