A Guide for Members - edu.gov.on.ca

1 School Councils Ministry of Education A Guide for Members 2001. Revised 2002. W. elcome to your school council! A s a school council member, you can help your council discover new and exciting ways to contribute to the education of students in your school. Education is a partnership involving parents, students, teachers, principals, school boards, government, and the community. Your involvement in the council gives you the opportunity to strengthen that partnership, and to be part of a dedicated team working to ensure a high quality of education and an accountable education system for the children of Ontario.

2 Your participation can make a difference! Contents 1 School Councils: Making a Difference .. Getting Involved .. Using This Guide .. 2 A Short History of School Councils in Ontario .. Recognizing the Need for School Councils .. First Steps in Establishing School Councils .. Strengthening the Role of School Councils .. Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities .. 3 The Regulations Governing School Councils .. What Do the Regulations Mean for School Councils? .. Consultation With Parents .. School Council Membership .. Membership Requirements .. Parent Members ~ Board employees and trustees ~ Community representative(s) ~.

3 Student representative(s) ~ School staff representatives Elections and Term of Office .. Remuneration .. Incorporation .. Fund-raising .. School Councils and the Ministry of Education .. Collection of data on school council Members What Do the Regulations Mean for Principals? .. Supporting and Promoting School Councils .. Amendments to the Duties of Principals .. Some Important Roles Played by the Principal .. Acting as an important source of information ~ Receiving and responding to school council recommendations ~ Attending school council meetings ~.

4 Delegating authority ~ Ensuring that the school council is in place ~ Notifying the community and posting materials for parents ~ Providing information ~. Developing a school profile Cette publication est galement offerte en fran ais sous le titre suivant : Conseils d' cole : Un Guide l'intention des membres. This publication is available on the Ministry of Education website at What Do the Regulations Mean for School Boards? .. Setting the Stage for Success .. Developing Important Partnerships .. Consultation ~ Reporting back ~ Improvement planning ~ Selecting a new principal or vice-principal 4 Consultation.

5 Consultation With School Councils by Boards and Principals .. Consultation With Parents by School Councils .. 5 Effective School Councils .. Characteristics of Effective School Councils .. Preparing and Training School Council Members .. Orientation for New Members .. Ongoing Training .. Participation Through Committees .. Recruiting Community Representatives .. Team Building .. School Council Code of Ethics .. Roles and Responsibilities of School Council Members .. The Chair/Co-Chairs .. Parent Representatives .. School Principal .. Student Representative(s).

6 School Staff Representatives .. Community Representative(s) .. Representative of the Ontario Federation of Home and School Associations, the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education, or Parents Partenaires en ducation .. Involving Parents and the Community .. Staying Focused on the Mandate .. Questions of Legal Liability and Insurance .. Assessing Your Council's Effectiveness .. 6 Setting Goals and Priorities .. 7 Establishing Bylaws .. Election Procedures .. Filling Vacancies .. Conflict of Interest .. Avoiding or Dealing With Conflict.

7 Resolving Conflict .. 8 Preparing for and Running Meetings .. Establishing Meeting Dates and Publicizing School Council Meetings .. The Meeting Space .. Creating an Agenda .. Keeping Minutes of School Council Meetings .. ii SCHOOL COUNCILS: A Guide FOR Members . Making Decisions .. Consensus .. Decisions by consensus that are null and void Voting .. Making a motion ~ Amending a motion ~ Withdrawing a motion ~ Tabling a motion ~ Motions that are null and void Effective Meeting Strategies .. Methods for Stimulating Discussion .. Methods for Generating Ideas.

8 Methods for Facilitating Decision Making and Priority Setting .. The Role of the Chair .. 9 Communication .. Establishing Channels of Communication .. Communication Is the Key .. Chair/Co-Chairs and School Council Members .. Chair/Co-Chairs and the Principal .. Your Council and the School Community .. Your Council and Other School Councils in Your Area .. Your Council and the Board .. Developing a Communication Plan .. Communication Strategies for Community Outreach .. Communication Tips for Elementary Schools .. Communication Tips for Secondary Schools.

9 Sharing Information Across the Province .. The Ministry of Education .. The Ontario Parent Council Website .. 10 Accountability .. Annual Reports .. Financial Statements .. 11 About Ontario's Education System .. The Minister of Education .. The Education Quality and Accountability Office .. The Ontario College of Teachers .. The Ontario Parent Council .. School Boards .. Principals .. Teachers .. Students .. Parents .. School Councils .. SCHOOL COUNCILS: A Guide FOR Members iii 12 Appendices Appendix 1: The Regulations .. Ontario Regulation 612/00.

10 Excerpts from Regulation 298 .. Appendix 2: Glossary .. Appendix 3: List of Related Websites .. iv SCHOOL COUNCILS: A Guide FOR Members . List of Samples Principal Profiles .. Code of Ethics .. Questionnaire: Assessing Your Council's Effectiveness .. Goal-Setting and Planning Exercises .. Schedule of Events in Planning for the School Council Election of Parent Representatives .. School Council Parent Self-Nomination Form .. School Council Parent Candidate Nomination Form .. Nomination Form Receipt .. School Council Election Ballot .. Election Procedure Bylaws.