The Charter of the Castlefrank School Council . . .

ARTICLE I – NAME1. The organization shall be called the Castlefrank Elementary School Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council.ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

1. The objectives of the council are

  • to develop a strong relationship amongst home, school and the wider community, by engaging in regular communication;
  • to raise funds, as governed by Ottawa-Carleton District School Board policies, for the purchase of items for the classroom, library, gymnasium and school grounds;
  • to seek the views and opinions of the school’s community on the operation of the school and the programs and services provided;
  • to provide advice to the principal and, as appropriate, to the Board of Education and/or its senior staff, on the development and implementation of policies, programs and services affecting the school;
  • to be an effective voice for promoting the interests of the school and students, and to actively support the school in meeting the educational, social and recreational needs of students;
  • to promote and support quality education and a healthy and enthusiastic learning environment.

2. Council discussions shall maintain a school-wide focus on all issues. Council meetings are not a forum for discussion about individual parents, students, staff or other council members. Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (1989), councils cannot access information on individual students and staff. Individual members of the school community shall deal directly with the staff members and/or the principal to resolve specific concerns.

ARTICLE III – AFFILIATIONS

1. The Council may seek affiliation with the Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) or other organizations that have similar purposes.

2. Affiliations with such organizations, or any subsequent changes in such affiliation, shall require a formal motion approved by a majority vote and be recorded in the minutes.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership in the Council is automatically granted to all parents/guardians with children in the school, all faculty and staff and one appointed community representative.

2. There is no fee for membership in the Council.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

1. The Council will be administered by an Executive which will include, but not be limited to, the following positions:

  • Chair (this position may be split and shared by two co-chairs)
  • Principal
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Fund Raising Coordinator
  • OCASC Representative
  • Volunteer Coordinator
  • Communications Coordinator
  • Community Representative

2. The Executive shall have no fewer than nine members and parents/guardians shall hold the majority of seats. The Executive shall have a maximum of fifteen members.

3. The Chair of Executive must be a parent or guardian. All other positions may be held by any other member of the Executive.

4. The Executive will assign duties as listed above in Section 1. It shall be assumed that all members of the Executive will support and facilitate the activities of all other Executive members.

5. The appointment of officers shall take place at the first meeting of the Executive following the elections, and officers shall remain in office until their successors are elected or appointed.

6. All Executive members shall comply with the provisions of this Charter and adhere to Board and Provincial policies and procedures for School Councils. Any conflict amongst member(s) of the Executive will be addressed following guidelines set out in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board School Council Operations Manual, Section H.4 (Conflict Resolution).

7. A member who does not adhere to the principles contained herein or who cannot comply with their assigned responsibilities may resign or be removed from the Executive. In order to remove a member from Council Executive, written notice of intent from the Principal and/or Chair must be given to all Executive members and a special Executive meeting be convened. Two weeks notice must be given for such a meeting and voting by secret ballot must take place. A two-thirds majority will be required for the removal of the Executive member.

ARTICLE VI – ELECTIONS

1. The Council will elect parent members to the Council Executive (hereinafter called the Executive) according to the Ministry of Education guidelines for School Councils and Ottawa-Carleton District Board of Education policies and procedures.

2. Parent members will be elected for a term of one year.

3. Staff will elect Teacher and Administrative Staff members of Executive.

4. Vacancies in Executive positions that occur during the year may be left vacant or filled by electing a new representative.

ARTICLE VII – MEETINGS

1. The Council will hold regular meetings at the school approximately once per month, but no fewer than four times during the school year. A calendar of meeting dates will be determined at the first meeting of a school year and the dates communicated to the School population. All meetings are open to the general public.

2. Election of members shall be conducted according to Ontario Regulation 612/00 paragraphs 4&5, and shall be held within the first 30 days of the school year.

3. Changes to scheduled meetings will have a minimum of two weeks notice.

4. Council meetings will include review of minutes of previous meeting, presentation of financial statements and other business as required.

5. There shall be one Annual General Meeting held for the purpose of reviewing the activities of the Council during the past year. The AGM will be the last School Council meeting of the school year.

6. Special meetings of the Executive may be held at the call of the Chair or on the written request of one half of the Executive members given to the Secretary.

7. Meetings will not begin until quorum has been established.

ARTICLE VIII – QUORUM

1. A quorum for Council meetings is established when the Chair, Principal (or Principal’s designate), three other Executive members and four members at large are present.

2. A quorum for Executive meetings is established when the Chair, Principal (or Principal’s designate) and a total of fifty percent plus one of the Executive members are present.

ARTICLE IX – VOTING

The Castlefrank Elementary School Council shall maintain a flexible approach to decision making and shall, whenever possible, reach decisions by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, the Council may hold a vote.

1. All Council members have equal privileges and voting rights, including the Chair, who may vote with the other members.

2. A formal motion regarding policy or disbursement of Council generated funds will be announced at least two weeks before it is presented at a meeting. A vote will be taken and be recorded in the minutes. Any member of Council may propose a formal motion by submitting it in writing to any Executive member.

3. A successful vote of any Council business will be fifty percent plus one vote of all votes cast.

4. On occasion it is in the best interest of the School Community that a decision be made in a timeframe that prohibits calling a full meeting. At such times, authority may be assigned by Council to the Executive to act on behalf of Council. A report of the activity will be made to Council at the earliest opportunity.

5. Business that is the responsibility of the Executive will be identified by the Chair at the earliest opportunity and may be voted on by Executive representatives only.

6. Proxy voting is not permitted.

ARTICLE X – COMMITTEES

1. From time to time the Council may establish permanent standing committees, ad hoc or special purpose committees. The Executive shall approve the Chair of any such committee.

ARTICLE XI – FINANCIAL CONTROL

1. The financial statements of the Council will be presented at the monthly meetings. A full accounting will be presented for approval at the Annual General Meeting. The year end financial statement shall be reviewed by two Council members.

2. The Treasurer shall make the accounting books and bank statements available for review upon request of any Council member.

3. Standing Committees responsible for generating Council funds will work with the Treasurer to maintain consistency in reporting.

4. Fundraising proceeds shall be counted in the presence of at least two people and delivered to the Treasurer (or designate) promptly for deposit or held in the school safe until the deposit can be carried out. All Council funds will be deposited and dispersed through the established Council bank account.

5. All cheques must be signed by the Treasurer and either the Chair or another designated Executive member.

ARTICLE XII – FUNDRAISING

1. Council shall make every effort to receive proceeds from fundraising initiatives in the form of cheques.

2. Fundraising organizers shall submit to Council a detailed reconciliation of each fundraising initiative upon its conclusion.

ARTICLE XIII – CONFLICT OF INTEREST

1. Members of the Council shall declare a conflict of interest in matters that they, members of their families, or business entities in which they may have an interest, stand to benefit either directly or indirectly by decisions of the council.

2. A member shall exclude him or herself from discussions in which:

  • a. A conflict of interest is likely to result; or
  • b. The member’s ability to carry out his or her duties and responsibilities as a member of the School Council may be jeopardized;

3. A member shall not accept favours or economic benefits from any individuals, organizations, or entities known to be seeking business contracts with the school.

ARTICLE XIII – CONFLICT RESOLUTION

1. 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.

2. Speakers to an issue will maintain a calm and respectful tone at all times.

3. Speakers will be allowed to speak without interruption for a reasonable period of time identified by the Chair.

4. The 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 interests of all members.

5. If no common ground can be identified, the Chair will seek to clarify preferences among all members before proceeding further.

6. If all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success, the Chair shall request the intervention of a superintendent or other senior administrator to facilitate a resolution to the conflict.

ARTICLE XV – AMENDMENTS

1. This Charter may be amended by two-thirds majority approval of a motion by Council members present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose. At least two weeks notice must be given for such a motion and details of the proposed amendment(s) must be circulated to all members with that notice.

ARTICLE XVI – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

1. The rules contained in: Call to Order, Meeting Rules and Procedures for Non-Profit Organizations, by Herb Perry, W.D. Keeling Printers Ltd., 1984, ISBN 0-6961683-0-6, shall govern all procedural matters not contained in this Charter.

Approved by the School Council at a meeting held on:

January 15th, 2003