OSTA-AECO is active in Ontario’s education system as the largest student stakeholder group in Ontario. We represent approximately two million students across the province. Our general assembly comprises student trustees from Ontario’s public and Catholic school boards.

We work tirelessly throughout the year to advocate for student voice and collaborate with our partners and stakeholders to improve Ontario’s education system for students. More information about our work can be found throughout our website.

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Student trustees gain valuable experiences through the professional development opportunities offered by OSTA-AECO. Through this unique network of passionate and motivated student leaders, members of OSTA-AECO engage in meaningful discussions with partners in publicly funded education and the Ministry of Education. In doing so, student trustees continue to advocate on behalf of students in the province.

Through Advocacy Interest Groups (AIGs), student trustees have the opportunity to contribute to the development of initiatives across key policy areas as defined by our vision, including: curriculum and school community, equity, diversity, and inclusion, truth and reconciliation, and student well-being.

OSTA’s AIGs play an essential role within our organization’s collective advocacy.

We provide student trustees with unique opportunities to attend skills development workshops to set them up for success throughout their term. These sessions feature provincial leaders, industry professionals, and OSTA-AECO alumni. Student trustees also have an opportunity to network and work with their peers from across the province to identify areas of collaboration and advocate for students at the provincial level.

Each of our three conferences is thematically focused to ensure that student trustees receive development tailored to the current stage of their leadership and advocacy journey.

While every school board is able to register for our conferences and participate in professional development, member boards receive exclusive access to discounts and members-only materials and perks.

See our events calendar for the dates for our upcoming conferences.

We only allow our member boards to adjust registration information and invoice amounts up to one week in advance of a conference.

We invite member board staff to attend our conferences in order to observe student voice in action and learn more about how to support our organization.

Member boards receive quarterly organization updates from the leadership team and board of directors. We also offer early access to financial updates and ongoing initiatives, and member board recognition on many of our organization’s publications.

Only member boards receive discounted registration rates for our conferences. Member boards can save up to 15% per conference, per student trustee.

We offer all conference slide decks, resources, and handouts to our member boards only (via our internal intranet and social collaboration platform), as well as additional videos and resources created by our organization’s AIGs.

We share our member boards’ social media activity while offering occasional Member Spotlights that feature initiatives and projects at each school board. Contact us if you’re interested in being featured!

OSTA’s operating costs are approximately $110,000. While only 17% of Ontario’s school boards pay membership fees, all school boards benefit from the advocacy we champion.

For many school boards, OSTA’s membership fees represent approximately 3% of fees paid to comparable trustees’ associations.

For the 2024-2025 school year, OSTA’s membership fees are as follows:

A base rate of $950 for all school boards.

A variable rate of $0.085 per ADE student.