Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB)
The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB) is massive. Spanning 75,000 square kilometres – an area bigger than Switzerland – the board serves communities that are often separated by more than an hour’s drive. That creates a unique set of challenges for educators. Maintaining relationships between educators and families requires many long hours on the road.
Beyond the physical distance, there is a growing systemic challenge: a perceived "human gap" in education. Following years of traditional, often formal school communications, a sense of disconnection can grow between families and the board’s central leadership.
Director of Education Christy Radbourne recognized that it needed to move beyond newsletters, one-way social media posts and formal school nights to truly serve its students. Her goal was to humanize the leadership and prove that the board is not a remote bureaucracy, but a partner in every child’s education.
"The system is often perceived as disconnected and lacking a human element,” said Radbourne. “Being willing to be vulnerable is essential for true dialogue.”
An old classic returns: the Fireside Chat initiative
Inspired by the "town hall" style of political engagement, Radbourne launched a series of informal "fireside chats" to connect directly with families. The initiative was designed to break down barriers and foster genuine, two-way dialogue.
To ensure these sessions were as inclusive as possible, the board made several strategic operational choices:
- Easy access: The board dropped all registration requirements, allowing parents to easily drop-in.
- Keep it informal: The name "fireside chat" was chosen specifically to foster a welcoming environment and invite discussion.
- Operational support: A dedicated team – including communications staff to spread the word and an executive assistant for logistics – managed the tours to ensure the Director could focus entirely on the dialogue.
- System-Wide Participation: To ensure a coherent message, the chats included local leaders, teachers, and trustees.
During these sessions, Radbourne speaks for approximately 10 minutes on critical topics like math education or attendance before opening the floor to the community. This format prioritizes listening over lecturing, allowing leadership to hear about both the barriers and the positive developments happening in local schools.
Responsive leadership builds trust
The fireside chats have resulted in more ‘full circle moments’ where the board listens to feedback, takes visible action, and communicates those results to parents.
This dialogue is having an immediate impact. Families have reported an increased level of comfort in reaching out to board leadership, noting that the opportunity to hear the Director’s own educational stories helped establish a personal connection. Being more accessible has transformed the board from a distant authority to a living, breathing, responsive partner.
The fireside chats are also having a tangible impact on policy, too. That’s what happened when KPDSB decided to completely revamp the athletics budget process.
At fireside chats in 2024, parents highlighted a significant equity issue: the previous practice of providing a set amount of funding to every school did not account for the massive travel costs and time required in such a large geographic region.
So Radbourne and her team developed a new, fair, and transparent funding formula that accounts for the geographic realities of the north.
The chats have also been instrumental in clarifying complex educational topics. For instance, discussions regarding mathematics instruction significantly reduced parental concerns. By explaining the methods behind the curriculum, the board saw an increase in positive feedback from parents whose children were now enjoying their math programs.
Through the fireside chats, KPDSB has demonstrated that even in a system the size of France, showing up is what truly closes the distance between school boards and the families they serve.