Summitview Public School School Council Constitution

April 2019

Article 1

The organization will be known as Summitview Public School, School Council, herein referred to as “The Council”. The members of The Council shall be responsible for upholding the constitution.

Summitview Public School

6551 Main Street, Stouffville ON

L4A 5Z4

(905) 640 - 1102

Article 2: Mission Statement

The Council seeks to develop strong partnerships between the school, families, and the community to provide a positive learning environment. The Council believes that strong school community partnerships are built around a common vision, and common goals. Nurtured through regular communication, meaningful consultation and extensive involvement of all members of the school community, it seeks to create a council that represents our school community in culture, language, heritage and identity.

Article 3: Purpose and Objectives

The Council will:

Provide advice to the school principal and, where appropriate to the school board, on any matters that the Council has identified as priorities.
To raise and distribute funds to support academic excellence and an enhanced school environment.
Summitview School Council believes in building a strong school community outside of the regular school day. By engaging our parent and student bodies through social events, learning workshops and by encouraging open dialogue on all matters related to the well-being of our community.
Identify issues of interest to parents and respond either through re-direction to school staff or the establishment of sub-committees.
Provide structure to volunteers and volunteer committees in support of academic excellence and an enhanced school environment.
Identify opportunities to enhance communication between the school and families through events, web-site, and other means.

Article 4: Procedures and Operating Guidelines

The operational procedures of this Council are outlined in the York Region District School Board (“YRDSB” or The Board) Policy and Procedure #262 available on the Board’s web site.

All recommendations and activities of the Council shall comply with all laws enacted by any government having jurisdiction, Ontario Ministry of Education Policies and Procedures, YRDSB Policies and Procedures, and Collective Agreements.

The Council shall act to achieve the Purpose and Objectives outlined above.

No member shall gain financially from the activities of the Council.

Article 5: Membership

5.01 Number of Parent Representatives

There shall be no more than 12 members of parent/guardian members of the Council with 6 representing council executive positions and 6 parent voting members.

5.02 Number of Community Representatives

There shall be no more than 1 community members of the Council. Community members must not be parents or guardians of students in the school.

5.03 Number of Student Representatives

A student representative may be invited to address specific topics.

5.04 Other members

Other members such as teacher representative, support staff representative, and community representative shall be elected/appointed in accordance with YRDSB Policy #262.

5.05 Non-Voting members

Non-voting members are those attendees who were not formally voted/acclaimed onto the Council and is unlimited. Non-voting members are welcome to contribute to discussion and be on sub-committees.

5.05 Loss of Eligibility

Any member who no longer satisfies the eligibility requirements for membership must immediately resign from the Council upon losing their eligibility status.

Article 6 Elections

6.01 Timelines

Elections of parent council members must be held during the first 30 calendar days of the school year. Public notice must be given fourteen days before the election specifying date, time, and location. Each parent of a student has one vote. Fluctuations in the number of days may occur due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts but it will not be extended past 45 days.

6.02 Acclamations

Elections of parent members shall be by acclamation when the number of candidates is equal to, or less than, the number of parent member positions on Council.

6.03 Election procedures for parent members

Each parent/guardian seeking nomination 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 in the Council.
Prior to the end of the school year, the Past-chair and two other Council members shall strike an elections committee to plan the elections process, gather nominations, and run the elections. No one standing for election, or the spouse or partner of anyone standing for election, or the other parent of the same child of anyone standing for election, shall be a member of the elections committee.

In the absence of an election committee, the Chair will ensure that a process is in place to make sure that nomination forms are issued early in the following September so that new council members can be elected as prescribed by the YRDSB policies and this constitution.

The election committee or Chair (Co-Chair) shall: provide nomination forms, ensure that all those eligible to vote are informed of election procedures and election date(s), location, and time, at least fourteen days in advance of the election; Request a profile of all candidates and make these available to the electorate; Conduct the elections by secret ballot where necessary; Count and record the ballots; Help the principal notify all candidates of the results; Keep all the results and related information confidential; Release only the names of successful candidates and not the votes cast or any other details. A list of candidates and the vote results will be kept on file for use in the event of vacancy on the Council and all candidates will be notified of the results before the results are released to the community.

6.04 Minimum number of parents/guardians

If fewer than 12 parents are elected to Council, in the first round of elections as provided for above, a notice will be printed in the first school newsletter following the date of the election, indicating that membership on Council remains open and providing submission and election dates for a second round of elections for parent members of Council. This second round of elections shall be conducted in the same manner as the first round. If the number of additional nominations would lead to a Council with more than 12 parents, then elections will be conducted amongst the new nominees. Those parents acclaimed in the first round will remain on Council.

6.05 Terms of Office

All terms of office expire on the date of the election for the school year identified in 6.01 above following that for which the new term of office began. Elected and appointed members may seek additional terms in office

6.06 Vacancies in membership

A vacancy in the membership of the Council does not prevent the Council from exercising its authority.
If positions remain vacant after the elections, Council may appoint members.
Positions that become vacant due to resignation or removal shall be filled as soon as possible by: offering the person with the next highest number of votes who was not elected in the most recent election held, 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 application by interested volunteers sought; If there are more applications than positions then an election will be called; When there are no more candidates available, Council may appoint parent members. Vacancies will be filled only until June of the current year, after which time any vacant positions will be filled through September elections.

6.07 Resignations

Anyone who is a council member, except the principal, may resign their position by delivering a letter of resignation to the Chair.

6.08 Removal

Council may remove any Council member who miss 3 meetings of the scheduled council meetings and/or does not participate on a sub-committee. This applies to executive members as well. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration.

Article 7: The Executive

The Executive shall consist of the Chair, Co- Chair, Communications Officer, and Treasurer, Fundraising Lead and Volunteer Coordinator

7.01 Description of Executive Positions

At the first meeting after calling for the elections for council membership, the Council will elect a chair and or Co-Chairs. An employee of the Board cannot be Chair.

The Chair (Co-Chairs)

Preside over all executive and general meetings
Prepare the meeting agenda
Conduct the meeting in an orderly way
Act as 1 of 2 approvals in the approval of disbursements of funds
Ensure Council and sub-committees adhere to the Constitution
Communicate with the Principal
Consult with senior staff and board trustees as required
Consult with sub-committee members for updates
Review meeting minutes and share to council for review and vote of approval within 2 weeks of the last meeting date.
Send the meeting minutes to the principal for posting to the school website.
Follow Up on outstanding items from the previous meetings.
Be available to the school community via email or in person to discuss ideas, feedback or concerns.
Encourage parents within the school community to participate in school council related activities and read meeting minutes.
Participate in at least 1 committee or sub-committee
Inform the council of an absence in advance to ensure meetings will have quorum COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Record minutes of all meetings
Share meeting minutes with the chair within the first week following the meeting for review.
Ensure the minutes reflect an accurate picture of the dialogue, ideas and concerns voiced at the meeting.
Distribute copies of the minutes as laid out in Section 12.02 below
Conduct all general correspondence as requested by the executive
Encourage parents within the school community to participate in school council related activities and read meeting minutes.
Participate in at least 1 committee or sub-committee
Inform the Chair/Co-Chair of an absence in advance to ensure meetings will have quorum

Treasurer

Keep an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements
Keep the financial accounts of the Council and render a written at each meeting
Present a reconciled financial statement to the chair attached to the Annual General Report at the end of the school year.
Act as 1 of 2 signatures in the approval of disbursements of funds
Encourage parents within the school community to participate in school council related activities and read meeting minutes.
Participate in at least 1 committee or sub-committee
Inform the Chair/Co-Chair of an absence in advance to ensure meetings will have quorum

Volunteer Lead

Source and maintain contact information of the ongoing volunteer pool.
Provide details on volunteer positions needed in a timely manner to those within the pool
Organize and manage volunteers in advance of events based on requests from sub committees or school staff
To be a contact for school staff who require additional supports for school activities.
Encourage parents within the school community to participate in school council related activities and read meeting minutes.
Participate in at least 1 committee or sub-committee
Inform the Chair/Co-Chair of an absence in advance to ensure meetings will have quorum

Fundraising Lead

Receive suggestions from the community and from council regarding fundraising opportunities up until a deadline date decided in the first council meeting of the new school year and in accordance to the Fundraising Plan as voted on by council.
Research suggested fundraising initiatives received by the deadline where information has not already been previously investigated.
Present the research for fundraising initiatives to Council for consideration.
Transfer research and information to the applicable volunteer or subcommittee to carry out approved initiatives.
Present to Council updates on ongoing Fundraising initiatives (funds raised, obstacles to success etc)
Be available to the school community via email or in person to discuss or hear ideas regarding fundraising
Encourage parents within the school community to participate in school council related activities and read meeting minutes.
Participate in at least 1 committee or sub-committee
Inform the Chair/Co-Chair of an absence in advance to ensure meetings will have quorum

Council Member (6 non executive voting members of council)

Maintain a school wide perspective on issues
Participate in discussion at School Council meetings
Participate in information & training programs
Act as a link between School Council & the Community.
Encourage parents within the school community to participate in school council related activities and read meeting minutes.
Participate in at least 1 committee or sub-committee
Inform the Chair/Co-Chair of an absence in advance to ensure meetings will have quorum.

Article 8: Sub-Committees

At the beginning of the school year, sub-committees will be formed to conduct more in-depth work, or to make recommendations to Council, or to organize volunteers and execute planned activities. An attached outline of yearly subcommittees will be added to the constitution within the first 60 days of the school year. This will reflect the active work by council for that school year. Council reserves the right to create and dissolve sub-committees based on the needs and circumstances of Council.

Sub-committees will:

Include at least one member of Council and may include parents not part of council
Choose a moderator for meetings and record minutes of the meeting (including votes, progress, next steps etc)
Submit these minutes to the Summitview School Council binder after each meeting.
Follow quorum for decision making
If the committee requires temporary money (meaning reimbursement will come back to the account) or money to spend to run an event (no reimbursement) this request needs to be presented for a vote of approval at least one meeting prior to the event. This timeline can be changed via electronic vote in extenuating circumstances.
Members of sub committees responsible for fundraising must declare any conflict of interest
Members of sub-committees must not gain personally from fundraising initiatives

Article 9: Fundraising Guidelines

Silent Auctions - Sub Committees are to assign 2 individuals to supervise and close the auction.
Raffle/Draw Prizes – Sub committees are to assign 2 individuals from the committee to count the money and to draw the prizes. Draws will occur before the end of the event in front of an audience.
Amendments to this based on extenuating circumstances will be discussed in the sub committee and brought to council
A list of winners of all draws/raffles/auctions etc are to be made available to our school community to ensure transparency. This can be done via the School Council binder located in the office. Winners who would like to be kept private will only have initials shown in the list of winners. There will be no public release of the winners bid or contribution towards winning the prize.
All events that offer prizes or monetary gains must follow Municipal, Provincial and Ministry Guidelines for fundraising.
Sponsorships may be received from community organizations or businesses to help facilitate events. Company messaging cannot be shared via school email, television display or banner display at the event. Subcommittee members or community members are welcome to thank these organizations or business’ through social media on their own accord.
Donations are welcome by all and donors will be thanked by Council.

Article 10: Meetings

10.01 Timetable

There will be a minimum of four general meetings of the Council in the school year. All general meetings are open to the public. 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. These dates, times, and locations will be included in communications to the families of the school, added to the school calendar, noted in the minutes of the first meeting, posted on the School Council Bulletin Board, advertised outside the school, and posted to the school’s web site.

10.02 Quorum

A meeting will have quorum if the majority (51%) of Council members are present and the majority (51%) of those present are parents. A meeting of Council can continue without quorum but all voting must be deferred.

10.03 Decision Making

The preferred method of decision-making is consensus. A consensus is a collective opinion or general agreement amongst all council members. When a motion is put forward and seconded, the motion will be considered passed if the majority of votes cast (51%) support the motion. No proxy voting will be allowed. If the chair (co-chair) believes that there is insufficient knowledge on which to make a decision, or that there are stakeholders who have not yet been able to voice their views, then the vote can be deferred to a subsequent meeting so that a decision can be made on the best available information.

Whether decisions are made through consensus or voting, the decision reached will be formally stated and recorded in the minutes. Where time is of the essence and a meeting cannot be convened, an electronic vote can be held. It must be recorded by the secretary in the next meeting minutes and rules with respect to quorum and decision making must be followed. The request to vote via electronic vote will allow for each member to share their perspective to the overall group, followed by their vote. A timeline will be applied to ensure deadlines are met. If the majority of responses request further information then is available, an emergency meeting can be called to provide further details. The Chair will set the emergency meeting date and time and share via electronic means. If there is quorum at the meeting a vote can occur.

Article 11: Conflict

11.01 If individual Council members perceive themselves to be in conflict of interest, they are required to declare their conflict of interest at the earliest opportunity and to recuse themselves from voting on the matter on which they are in conflict. Council members cannot receive any remuneration directly or indirectly for their work as a member of the Council.

Article 12: Financial Records

12.01 Signing authorities

The Chair (or Co-Chairs), and Treasurer are approval authorities.
All funds must be /approved before spending or reimbursement.
Any spending of funds must be approved by council as a whole.
Sub-committees may submit requests for funds to council as stated in Article 8
Reimbursements from funds approved by council go through the Treasurer who is the only contact with the schools Executive Office Administrator.

12.02 Disbursement and Allocation of money

All money must be collected by the end of the school year. Except for a carryover to be determined by the Council, funds will be allocated to specific purposes in keeping with the parents’ interests, prior to the end of the school year.

Article 13: Agendas and Minutes

13.01 Agendas

Community and Council members are welcome to submit agenda items that they wish to speak to, have addressed or ideas in writing 10 days before the next council meeting or when a call for agenda items and deadline is put forth by the Chair (or Co Chair)

Before the meeting the Chair (Co-Chairs) will meet with the principal to create an agenda. The final agenda will then be shared with council before the meeting. A second call for considerations will take place at the beginning of the meeting and the council can veto the request to the next meeting for sake of time and if they request further information on the topic or item.

13.02 Minutes

Minutes will be prepared and circulated to all members of council within 14 days of the meeting for vote of approval. A final version will be issued to all in attendance, a copy filed in the library, a copy posted on the School Council Bulletin Board, and also posted on the web-site within two weeks of the meeting.

Article 14: Constitutional Amendments

The Council will review the constitution once per school year. Proposed changes that were submitted in writing, so that they can appear on the agenda as a formal motion for a meeting of council, will be reviewed for consideration and vote by council. An amendment will be made if 2/3 of the council members vote in favour. Quorum rules apply.