School Council Constitution | York Region District School Board

School Council Constitution -2023 Joseph A. Gibson Public School

1. Name

The name of the School Council will be Joseph A. Gibson School Council. (Hereinafter called “The Council”.)

2. Mission Statement

Our School Council is a collaborative and co-operative body whose mission is to facilitate a partnership between members of the school community to ensure a positive climate in which students work together toward their personal best in their academic, social/emotional and physical development in an inviting, stimulating and inclusive learning environment.

3. Definitions

“Administrator” means the Principal or Vice-Principal of Joseph A. Gibson Public School.
“Annual General Meeting” held typically in May or June by the School Council to review the preliminary Annual General Report as required by the York Region District School Board. This meeting is open to all parents.
“Budget Plan” means a general outline of anticipated income and expenditure for the school financial year.
“Co-Chairs(s)” means the Chair and/or Vice-Chair of the School Council.
“Constitution” means this document that guides the activities and priorities of the School Council.
“Council” means the Joseph A. Gibson Public School Council.
“Election Committee” means the group of Council members responsible for the Council election process.
“Parent” means the parent, guardian or any person who has actual custody of a student enrolled at Joseph A. Gibson Public School.
“Parent Council Member” means any parent elected to the Council. A member of Joseph A. Gibson Public School Staff may not be a parent member on the Council.
“Quorum” means the minimum number of persons required to attend a meeting before any business can be transacted.
“School” means Joseph A. Gibson Public School.
“School Board” means York Region District School Board.
“School Community” means the school staff, parents, and students of Joseph A. Gibson Public School.
“School Staff” means all teachers, permanent/casual, employed at Joseph A. Gibson Public School by York Region District School Board.
“Staff Council Member” means any School Staff elected to the Council.
“Student” means any student registered in Joseph A. Gibson Public School.
“Student Representative” means the students from Student Council who attend the School Council meetings and provide updates.
“Sub-Committee” means a group which is responsible to the School Council to focus on key areas of the School Improvement Plan, Council and Administrative Team priorities, and fundraising initiatives.

4. Purpose/Objectives

Encourage effective parental involvement in the education of their children.
Provide a means for regular communication and dialogue between all partners in education.
Participate in the school improvement planning process.
Provide meaningful consultation and extensive involvement of all members of the school community.
Foster parental and community involvement in education.
Encourage meaningful involvement of all members of the school community in support of student learning.
Provide input into decisions made by the school administration, the Board, and the Ministry.
Encourage effective parental involvement by focusing on the following areas: parenting skills, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community.
Help to coordinate the services for school, family, and community partnerships related to social, health, recreational, and nutrition programs that assist in the education of children.
Facilitate the building of a viable school community, which works together in the best interests of our students and their education.

5. Procedures and Operating Guidelines

The operational procedures of this Council are outlined in the School Board’s Policy #262. See the YRDSB website for more information: www.yrdsb.ca

6. Operating Norms

All meetings begin and end on time, and will not be longer than 2 hours.
Council decisions are aligned with the School Improvement Plan.
Consensus method is used for decision making. If consensus cannot be reached, then a vote is required.
All speakers and opinions are acknowledged and respected.
Council and meeting participants will stay on topic and stay focused. One conversation at a time, no side conversations.
All feedback and discussions are to be positive. Negative statements should come with solutions.
Individual students, parents, and teachers are not discussed. Individual parent or student issues will be referred to the Principal.
All activities and/or discussions should lead to the benefit of ALL Students and the greater School Community; ultimately they should support the Students’ experience, learning, and well-being.
Agenda is set and circulated for input in advance of meeting. There are some standard agenda items that will be included on each agenda:
- Approval of Minutes
- Treasurer’s Report
- Principal’s Report
- Teacher’s Report
- Fundraising
- New Business

7. Membership

There shall be no more than one member on the School Council from any one household. Parents shall always constitute the majority of members on Council.

Number of Parent Members
- The number of parents on the School Council will be between 5 and 15, not to exceed 15, with exact membership to be determined annually at the first meeting.
Number of Community Representatives
- The number of community representatives shall not exceed 2.
Student Representative
- The Principal will appoint the student representative(s), when appropriate.
Other Members (non-voting)
- Other members, such as teacher representatives and support staff representatives, shall be elected or appointed in accordance with YRDSB Policy #262.
- The number of Administrator members shall be 1-2.
- The number of teaching staff members shall not exceed 2.
- The number of non-teaching members shall be 1.

8. Elections

Elections will be held on the first scheduled Council meeting of the new school year. The administration office shall:
- Provide nomination forms.
- Ensure that the school community is notified of election procedures and election date(s), location, and time, at least fourteen days in advance of the election.
- If required, provide a profile from all candidates and make sure these are available to the electorate on the evening of the vote.
- Conduct the elections by secret ballot.
- Count the ballots.
- Principal will notify all candidates of the results.
- Keep all results and related information confidential.
- Only release names of successful candidates. A list of candidates and the vote results will be kept on file for use in the event of a vacancy on Council.
Acclamations:
- Parent elections shall be by acclamation when the number of candidates is equal to, or less than, the number of parent member positions on the Council.
Election Procedures for Parent Members:
- Each parent/guardian seeking election must be nominated or self-nominated in writing, must have a child registered at the school, and must declare if he or she is employed by the Board.
- Each parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the school shall be entitled to one vote for each vacant parent/guardian membership position on the Council.
Terms of Office:
1. An individual elected or appointed member of the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council holds office from the later of:
  - The date he/she is elected or appointed; and
  - The date of the first meeting of the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council after elections, held in the school year.
2. Terms of office continue until the date of the first meeting of the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council after elections in the next school year.
3. A member of Council may be re-elected or re-appointed in subsequent years.
Vacancies in Membership:
A vacancy in the membership of a School Council does not prevent the Council from exercising its authority.
If parent member positions remain vacant on Council after the election, the Council may appoint parent members.
Positions that become vacant due to resignation or removal shall be filled as soon as possible by:
- Offering the person with the next largest number of votes who was not elected the opportunity to accept the position.
- Where there are not enough candidates to fill the vacancies, notice will be sent to all parents informing them of the vacancies and requesting applications by interested volunteers.
- If there are more applications than positions, an election will be called.
- When no more candidates are available, Council may appoint parent members.
- Vacancies will only be filled until June of the current year, at which time the vacant positions will be filled through September elections.
Resignations:
- Anyone who is a Council member, except the Principal, may resign their position by writing a letter of resignation to the Chair(s).
- If someone resigns, the position vacated will be filled according to Article 6.4 Vacancies.
Removal:
- The Council may choose to remove from Council any member who misses three (3) meetings and shall undertake to replace that person according to Article 6.4 Vacancies.
- The Council reserves the right to request the resignation of any member whose conduct contravenes the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council Code of Ethics.

9. Officer

Executive Members
At the first meeting after the elections, Council will elect or appoint the following executive officers:
The Chairperson(s)

An employee of the Board cannot serve as Chair.
Be a parent or guardian of a student currently attending Joseph A. Gibson P.S.
Have some working knowledge of the school by way of attending Council meetings and being involved in sub-committees before seeking the Chair position.
Call General School Council meetings a minimum of 4 times per year in consultation with the Principal.
Preside over all Executive and General Council meetings.
Act as a spokesperson and represent Joseph A. Gibson P.S. as needed.
Prepare a written agenda in conjunction with the Principal and Executive for distribution to the school community approximately one week prior to the General meeting.
Ensure that parents are consulted about matters under consideration by the Council.
Ensure that all members of the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council fulfill their responsibilities.
Work directly with the school administration in carrying out duties of the Chair.
Ensure regular communications take place with the School Community.
Ensure the Constitution is reviewed annually.
Produce an annual report to the Director of Education and/or Ministry of Education as required.
Review Board email and bring relevant issues forward.

The Past Chairperson(s)

Act as a support to the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council upon request.
Sit on the Council Executive for at least one additional year after resigning from the Chair position, if circumstances permit.

The Treasurer

If required, oversee the deposit of all monies raised by School Council activities. Money that is collected is to be counted and verified at the school and kept in the school safe pending pick up from the bank.
Complete a deposit envelope for funds to be deposited in the bank. The completed deposits are then provided to the school secretary to enter into SchoolCash.NET (In the event the Treasurer is unable to oversee the counting or deposit of monies, another member of the Executive Council can carry out these duties).
Prepare an updated report for each Council meeting.
Ensure all records including invoices, receipts, bank statements, and bank reconciliations are kept at the school and retained for seven years.
Preside over Council meetings in the event that the Chair, Co-Chairs, are absent.
On termination of office, surrender all books, records, and other properties of the Council to the successor.

The Secretary

Be responsible for taking clear and accurate minutes of all meetings.
Ensure that minutes are stored in a labeled binder, in the School Office, and are easily accessible to all parents.
Ensure that minutes from previous meetings are distributed to Executive members prior to the next meeting.

Other Executive Members

Attend all regularly scheduled Council meetings.
Maintain a school-wide perspective on issues.
Act as a communication link between the Joseph A. Gibson P.S. School Council and the community.

10. Sub-Committees

Establishment
At the first meeting of the school year, sub-committees may be formed to:
- Conduct more detailed or in-depth work than is possible during Council meetings.
- Make recommendations to the Council.
- Keep the Council informed of issues and developments in its particular area.
- Sub-committees which may be formed at Joseph A. Gibson include: Fundraising, Policy and Procedure, Literacy, Parental Engagement.
- Additional sub-committees will be formed by Council as the need arises.
Sub-Committee Membership
- Each sub-committee must contain at least one parent member of Council.
- Persons who are not members of Council are encouraged to be members of sub-committees.
Chairs of Sub-Committees
- Council will appoint a Chair from the Executive for each sub-committee it forms.
- Chairs are responsible for reporting committee progress at each Council meeting.

11. Meeting

Timetable of Meetings
- At the first meeting of the new school year, a timetable will be created which states the meeting dates agreed to for that school year. A copy of these dates and times will be included in communication(s) to the families of the school.
- It is recognized that the timetable may change at any time.
- A copy of the list of dates and times of meetings will be sent to the local trustee.
Quorum

A meeting will have quorum if:
The majority of Council members are present
AND
The majority of those present are parents.

Decision-making
- The preferred method to resolve issues on Council is by consensus. Consensus is a collective opinion or general agreement by ALL Council members.
- In the case where a decision cannot be reached through consensus, the Chair may decide on one of the following:
  - To have a vote by way of a show of hands by those present in which a 51% majority shall carry the vote;
  - To defer the issue to the next meeting;
  - To defer the issue to a special meeting;
  - To defer the issue to a sub-committee.
Conflict of Interest
- If individual Council members perceive themselves to be in conflict of interest, they are honour bound to declare their conflict at the earliest possible opportunity, and at the time of a meeting, so that the minutes may reflect this declaration.
- Council members cannot receive any remuneration for their work as a member of Council.
Conflict Resolution
- The Council will undertake to resolve all internal conflicts within its mandate in a timely manner.
- The Council will abide by any conflict resolution policy issued by the Board.

12. Financial Management

The Ministry of Education in its document, School Councils A Guide for Members (2002), states “School Councils should be aware that, because the school board is a corporate entity and the school is not, any funds raised by the School Council (and any assets purchased with those funds) belong, legally, to the board.

The Ministry of Education in its document, School Councils A Guide for Members (2002), states “School Councils should be aware that, because the school board is a corporate entity and the school is not, any funds raised by the School Council (and any assets purchased with those funds) belong, legally, to the board.”
- Funds raised by the Council shall be used for school-related activities and equipment and for the general expenses of carrying out the business of the Council.
- The members of the Council and of the committees of the Council shall receive no remuneration for acting as such.
Allocation and Disbursement of Funds
Allocation (Budgeting)
- The annual budget should be prepared by the Council Executive. It should be presented, reviewed, and approved by Council, before the beginning of each school year in September or at the inaugural meeting for the respective school year.
- Any unforeseen changes to the annual budget should be presented for review and approval at the next scheduled Council meeting.
- Expenditures for events/activities wholly or partially funded by the Council are to be presented in budget form for approval by the Council in October for the current school year.
- All fundraising activities must be in accordance with YRDSB Policy 676 re: Fund Raising.
Disbursement (Expenses)
- All expenses should be school-related and at a reasonable cost. All non-budgeted items require Council approval.
- All expenses incurred should be supported with original receipts.
Receipts
- All cash receipts should be handled, collected, counted, and totaled in the presence of at least two (2) Council members or volunteers in the school office. Receipts should be deposited promptly by the treasurer or stored in the school safe and recorded accurately in the Council ledger.
- All cheques payable to Council should be stamped “For Deposit Only”, and where applicable, should state the Council initiative/event.
Annual Audit
The following financial records must be reviewed and approved by the Council:
Monthly Treasurer’s Report

- including but not limited to a financial update, which outlines the previous month’s income and expenses, actual cash balance, as well as variance from projected net income.
Annual Treasurer’s Report
- All records must be kept for a period of seven years in accordance with the Board’s retention of records policy.

13. Agendas and Minutes

Agenda items should be submitted to the Chair one week prior to the Council’s next meeting.
The Chair will set the agenda with the Principal prior to the meeting and it will be forwarded to Council prior to the meeting.
Minutes shall be posted in the school prior to the next meeting of the Council and shall include motions, decisions, and actions to be taken.
Members of the Council must inform the Chair if they are going to be absent from a Council meeting.

14. Constitutional Amendments

The Council will review the constitution every two years or as the need arises.
A sub-committee can perform the review and bring proposed amendments to the School Council for voting.
Amendments to the constitution must be presented to the Council at a regularly scheduled meeting.
Constitutional amendments need a 2/3 majority of Council members to be passed.

Document History Draft:

September, 2015
Revised: October 26, 2015 October 16., 2023
Approved: October 29, 2015 October 16, 2023