Michael Cranny Elementary School Council Constitution | York Region District School Board

Article 1: Name and Address

The organization will be known as Michael Cranny School Council (“School Council”). The members of the School Council shall be responsible for maintaining the Constitution.

155 Melville Drive

Maple, ON

L6A 1Y9

Article 2: Mission Statement

Our School Council strives to increase student achievement and well-being, and accountability of the education system to parents by building collaborative partnerships among the school, the family, and the community in an equitable and inclusive manner.

Article 3: Purpose and Objectives

Encourage effective parental involvement in the education of their children.
Provide a means for regular communication and dialogue between all partners in education.
Provide a forum for parent input into school educational matters and decisions made by school administration, the Board and Ministry; provide a vehicle for transmitting parent ideas, recommendations and concerns to the school and Board.
Make recommendations to the Principal and/ or the Board by consulting with parents on school related matters including as per O. Reg 612/00 Article 20.
The School Council acknowledges that the Principal is ultimately responsible for activities related to the school and therefore is also responsible for School Council activities.

Article 4: Procedures and Operating Guidelines

All recommendations, activities and operating guidelines of Council shall comply with: Education Act O. Reg 612/00, York Region District School Board (YRDSB) Policy and Procedures #262.0; all YRDSB Policies and Procedures (including the School Council Handbook) and Staff Collective Agreements.

Article 5: Membership

All members are partners and support School Council activities, representing the interest of the school community.

There shall be no more than one (1) voting member on the School Council from any one household.
The minimum number of parents shall be five (5), and the maximum number of parents shall be eleven (11).
1. Parents cannot be employed at the school with the exception of school (lay) assistants.
The number of Community Representatives elected by School Council shall be one (1) (which is optional).
The Principal may appoint one (1) Student Representative as a member of the School Council.
Other members such as Teacher Representative and/or Support Staff Representative shall be elected or appointed in accordance with YRDSB Policy #262. (both optional, maximum one (1) of each).

Article 6: Elections of Parent Members

Elections shall occur within the first thirty (30) calendar days of the start of each school year.
The Principal on behalf of the School Council shall, at least 14 days before the date of the election of parent/guardian members, give written notice of date, time and location of the election to every parent/guardian of a student in the school.
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 YRDSB.
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 School Council.
If there are only eleven (11) nominations or less then the Principal has the right to acclaim that these nominations will form the School Council for the current year.
School administration in partnership with the outgoing School Council shall form an election committee to:
1. Provide nomination forms
2. Request a profile from all candidates and make these available to the electorate;
3. Conduct the elections by secret ballot;
4. Count the ballots;
5. Help the principal notify all candidates of the results;
6. Keep all the results and related information confidential;
7. Only release the names of successful candidates. A list of candidates and the vote results will be kept on file for use in the event of vacancy on the School Council.
8. Shall notify all individuals standing for election of the results before the results are released to the school community.
School Council members shall be elected for one (1) school year term may seek additional terms of office for a maximum of three (3) years for the same Executive position.
Anyone who is a School Council member, except the Principal, may resign their position by writing a letter of resignation to the Chair:
1. A vacancy in the membership of a School Council does not prevent the School Council from exercising its' authority.
2. If parent member positions remain vacant on School Council, after the election, the School Council may appoint parent members.
3. Positions that become vacant due to resignation or removal shall be filled as soon as possible by:
  1. Offering the person with the next largest number of votes who was not elected, the opportunity to accept the position.
  2. Where there are not enough candidates to fill vacancies up to the minimum of five (5) parent members, notice will be sent to all parents informing them of the vacancies and application by interested volunteers sought.
  3. If there are more applications than positions, an election will be called.
  4. When no more candidates are available, School Council may appoint parent members.
4. Vacancies will only be filled until June of the current year, at which time the vacant positions will be filled through September elections.
The School Council may choose to remove from School Council any member who misses three (3) meetings and shall undertake to replace that person according to Article 6.8: Vacancies.

Article 7: Roles and Responsibilities

Executive.
1. At the first meeting, School Council will elect a Chair or two Co-Chairs, (an employee of the YRDSB cannot be Chair) and may elect a Secretary and/ or a Treasurer. In the event of a tie in voting for an Executive position, there will be a random selection for that specific position.
Responsibilities of the Chair
1. Call all School Council meetings,
2. Prepare and distribute an agenda for the School Council meetings, in consultation with the principal and School Council members, one (1) week prior to the School Council meetings,
3. Forward the agenda to the Secretary for distribution at the School Council meeting,
4. Chair School Council meetings and ensure they begin and end on time,
5. Ensure that the minutes of the School Council meetings are recorded,
6. Ensure regular communications about School Council matters with the school community,
7. Consult with School Board staff and trustee as required,
8. Oversee the development of an Action Plan regarding priorities of the School Council and Sub-Committees in consultation with the school community,
9. Ensure the Action Plan is executed with ongoing updates to the School Council and through the Annual Report to the Principal and Board
10. Support the Secretary and Treasurer in the discharge of their responsibilities
11. Ensure the review of the School Council Constitution on an as needed basis for compliance with applicable Regulations.
Responsibilities of the Secretary
1. Take minutes at each meeting, recording attendance, debate and action items,
2. Provide copies of the minutes to each School Council member within two (2) weeks of a meeting. They should be passed at the next regular meeting,
3. Arrange for minutes to be included on the school website and in the binder set up in the office.
4. Arrange for the agenda to be included on the school website.
Responsibilities of the Treasurer
1. Complete accurate records of financial transactions, funds raised and their distribution.
2. Prepare a monthly report for presentation at School Council meetings.

Article 8: Sub-Committees

The School Council will act as a whole unit when making decisions regarding issues and developments. No Sub-Committee may act independently of the School Council.

At the first meeting of the school year, Sub-Committees may be formed to:
1. Conduct more detailed or in-depth work than is possible during School Council meetings,
2. Make recommendations to the School Council,
3. Keep the School Council informed of issues and developments in its' particular area.
4. Additional Sub-Committees will be formed by School Council as the need arises.
Membership
1. Each Sub-Committee must contain at least one (1) Parent member of School Council.
2. Persons, who are not members of School Council, may be members of Sub-Committees.
Each Sub-Committee will appoint its own Chair.
Skype, Facetime, tele-conference or similar technology (“Electronic participation”) in meetings and decision making is allowed.

Note: Sub-committee will approve framework, project concept with the School Council, all the other details are up to sub-committee with the exception of the budget.

Article 9: 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.
1. A copy of these dates and times will be included in communication(s) to the families of the school.
2. The School Council shall hold a minimum of four (4) general meetings per school year and one (1) annual meeting where a final report including fundraising activities is presented to the Principal (for distribution to parents) and the YRDSB.
3. 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:
1. The majority of School Council members are present, and
2. The majority of those present are parents.

A meeting of School Council can be held if there is no quorum, but all voting must be deferred.

Electronic participation is allowed to form a quorum.

Decision Making

The preferred method to resolve issues on School Council is by consensus. Consensus is a collective opinion or general agreement by all School Council members. Electronic participation is allowed for decision making. 5 In the case where a decision cannot be reached through consensus, the Chair may decide on one of the following:
1. To have a vote by way of a show of hands or a silent vote by those present in which a 51% majority shall carry the vote where electronic participation is allowed and in the event of a tie the motion is defeated:
  1. In the event that a vote must be taken, one member must put forth a motion, the motion must be seconded by another member, and the Chair will ask for a vote by way of show of hands or secret ballot. The motion will pass when a majority of members present votes in favour of the motion.
  2. In the event that a member wishes to have a motion reconsidered, the member shall put forth a motion to have the Chair retake a vote on the motion in question. The Motion to Reconsider must be passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of members present. If the Motion to Reconsider is passed, the Chair will once again ask members to vote on the original motion.
2. To defer the issue to the next meeting
3. To defer the issue to a special meeting
4. To defer the issue to a Sub-Committee The Principal shall be a non voting-member of School Council.

Conflict of Interest

If individual School 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 the meeting, so the minutes may reflect this declaration.
School Council members shall recuse him/herself from discussions in which there is a conflict of interest.
School Council members shall not accept favours or economic benefits from any individuals, organizations or entities known to be seeking business contracts with the school.
School Council members cannot receive any remuneration for their work as a member of council.

Conflict Resolution

Every School Council member will be given an opportunity to express his or her concern or opinion about the issue at dispute and how the dispute has affected him or her,
Speakers to an issue will maintain a calm and respectful tone at all times,
Speakers will be allowed to speak without interruption,
The Chair’s/Co-Chair’s responsibility is to clarify the statements made by all speakers, to identify common ground among the points of view raised, and to set out the joint interest of all members,
If no common ground can be identified, the Chair will seek to clarify preferences among all members before proceeding further,
If all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success the Chair shall request the intervention of the Principal first to facilitate a resolution to the conflict,
If a School Council member or members, or any member(s) of the public in attendance at a meeting, become disruptive during the meeting, the Chair will ask for order, 6
If all reasonable efforts to restore order fail or the unbecoming behaviour continues, the Chair and/or Principal may direct the individual School Council member(s) or member(s) of the public to leave the meeting, citing the reasons for the request,
The removal of a member for one (1) meeting does not prevent the member from participating in future meetings of the School Council.

Code of Conduct

A School Council member shall consider the best interests of all students.
A School Council member shall be guided by the school and the Board’s mission, vision/purpose and objectives and values.
A School Council member shall act within the limits of the roles and responsibilities of a School Council, as identified in the Education Act, its regulations, and the applicable Constitution and/or by-law(s) and procedures.
A School Council member shall become familiar with the school’s policies and operating practices and act in accordance with them.
A School Council member shall maintain the highest standards of integrity.
A School Council member shall recognize and respect the personal integrity of each member of the school community.
A School Council member shall conduct themselves in accordance with the Board’s Equity and Inclusive Education policy and procedure.
A School Council member shall treat all other members with respect and allow for diverse opinions to be shared without interruption.
A School Council member shall encourage a positive environment in which individual contributions are encouraged and valued.
A School Council member shall acknowledge democratic principles and accept the consensus of the School Council.
A School Council member shall respect the confidential nature of some school business and respect limitations this may place on the operation of the School Council.
A School Council member shall not disclose confidential information.
A School Council member shall act in accordance with relevant laws, including Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), and relevant Board policies and procedures.
A School Council member shall advise the Principal immediately if the member believes that there may have been a privacy breach.
A School Council member shall abide by applicable laws and policies with respect to access, use or disclosure of Board data and information.
A School Council member shall limit discussions at School Council meetings to matters of concern to the school community as a whole.
A School Council member shall use established communication channels when questions or concerns arise.
A School Council member shall promote high standards of ethical practice within the school community.

Article 10: Financial Records

Signing Authorities
1. The Treasurer will request a detailed report of the school council financial records from the Elementary Office Administrative Assistant, prior to every council meeting, where the records will be shared.
2. All expenditures require a prior motion and vote of approval by the School Council.
Disbursement and Allocation of Money
1. All money must be collected by the end of the year. Funds should be dispersed or allocated to a specific purpose by the end of the year.
2. Unspent money, preferably a small amount, may be passed over to the following year School Council as seed money.
3. Financial Records shall be kept for seven years.

Article 11: Agendas and Minutes

Agendas
1. Agenda items should be sent to the Chair two (2) weeks prior to the School Council's next meeting.
2. The Chair will set the agenda with the Principal, at least one (1) week prior to the next School Council meeting. Consideration should be given to items submitted to the Chair by other members.
Minutes
1. Draft minutes will be distributed to members within two (2) weeks after the meeting. Final minutes shall be passed at the next meeting.
2. Minutes shall be posted in the school once passed at the next meeting.
3. The minutes shall include motions, decisions and actions to be taken. d) Members of the council must inform the chair if they are going to be absent from a council meeting.
Agendas and meeting minutes shall be kept for four years (as per O. Reg 612/00 Article 16) at the school office or online.

Article 12: Constitutional Amendments

The school council will review the Constitution every two years or as the need arises. A subcommittee can perform the review and bring proposed amendments to the school council for voting.
Amendments to the Constitution must be presented to the School Council, at a regularly scheduled meeting.
Constitutional amendments need a two-thirds (2/3) majority to be passed.