CORVETTE SCHOOL COUNCIL

1.  STATUS

 

1. This document represents the Bylaws governing the operation of the School Council established under the authority of the Ontario Education Act for the Corvette Junior Public School of the Toronto District School Board.

 

 

2.  NAME

 

1.  The name of this group shall be the Corvette Junior School Council (hereafter referred to as the “Council”).

 

 

3.  MEMBERSHIP

 

1.  The Council is composed of the following members:

a.  All parents or legal guardians of students enrolled in the school.

b.  The school principal.

c.  One teacher who is employed at the school, other than the principal, elected by teachers who are employed at the school within the first 30 days of school. 

 

2.  The Executive officers of Council will be elected at the first meeting held within the first 30 days of the school year and documented in the minutes.

 

3.  An individual will be added as an Executive officer with voting rights after they have attended a minimum of two consecutive meetings; all with be noted in the minutes.

 

 

4.  EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

1.  The officers of the Council shall be elected by the members attending the first council meeting held within the first 30 days of the school year and will include the following: One chair person or 2 co-chairs, Secretary, and Treasurer.

 

2.  The officers must be parent members.

 

3.  The co-chairs must not be employed by TDSB.

 

4.  The Treasurer, Chairpersons, Principal and Office Administrator can have co-signatory status on the Council bank account.

 

5.  Officer members who miss 3 or more meetings without just cause may be asked to resign.

 

 

5.  COMMITTEES

 

1.  Ad hoc committees may be established by Council as required to further its purposes.

 

2.  Every committee of Council shall have at least one parent member.

 

3.  A committee of Council may include people who are not members of Council.

 

4.  It is not necessary to be a member of Council to chair a committee.

 

5.  The chair of a committee may either be elected by the members of the committee or appointed by the Executive Council, at the discretion of the Executive.

 

6.  Committee members will report and/or make recommendations to the Executive Council, who have final say.

 

 

6.  ELECTION PROCEDURES

 

1.  At least one parent member shall be appointed by the Executive Council in May of each year to work with the principal to ensure that parents are informed of the election process and Council roles for the following year.

 

2.  Elections shall occur within the first 30 days of the start of the school year. 

 

3.  An election must be conducted if the number of parent member candidates is greater than the number of available positions being sought.  Otherwise, parent members will be acclaimed.

 

4.  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 TDSB.

 

5.  Voting must be done in person unless, in extraordinary circumstances, a proxy vote is approved by council.

 

6.  A parent who is (self) nominated must be present at the elections except in extraordinatory circumstances.  In the latter case, the candidate must provide an explanation prior to voting, and the explanation must be read aloud at the election prior to the vote.

 

7. Terms of office will be for one school year.  Incumbents can serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.

 

8.  The principal must advertise the dates of elections at least 14 days before the elections.

If any officer position becomes vacant for any cause, Council will appoint/choose a replacement by consensus vote.

 

 

7.  MEETINGS

 

1.  There must be a minimum of 4 meetings during the school year with a recommendation of 7.

 

2.  The co-chairs (or one, if the other is absent) will lead the meeting.

 

 

3.  Agenda items must be submitted one week prior to the meeting.  Items can be submitted to either co-chairperson or by email to:  corvettejuniorcouncil@gmail.com.

 

4.  The Executive will ensure that the minutes are publicly available on the school website or by hardcopy at request within ten days of the meeting.

 

5.  Decisions will be made by consensus.  If consensus cannot be reached, the Council will move to a vote.  A 2/3’s vote is required for a motion to carry.  The results will be documented in the minutes.

 

6.  Items raised at meetings can be deferred to the next meeting at the discretion of the Executive.

 

7.  If time allotted for an item is exceeded during meeting, the Chair can recommend moving the item to the next meeting or suggest forming a sub-committee to discuss further.

 

8.  If any person in the room (Council member or not) is deemed unruly by Council vote, that person shall be asked to leave.  This action will be recorded in the minutes.

 

9.  At the final meeting of the school year, the Executive will store all documents for new Council members in the Continuity Binder to be kept in a secure location at school.

 

10.  A survey will be sent to parents asking for feedback relating to fundraising, monetary spending, and communication.  The timing of the survey will be at the discretion of the Executive in consultation with the Principal.

 

 

8.  CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

1.  When a Council member may be in a conflict of interest (whether actual, perceived, or potential), that conflict will be declared at the point in the meeting where any relevant item is discussed.

 

2.  Where a member has declared a conflict of interest, she or he will refrain from voting on that item.

 

3.  If identified or deemed necessary by self or Council majority, the member in conflict will withdraw from the room during discussion of the item.

 

 

9.  CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCESS

 

1.  In the event of a dispute between Council members:

 

a.  All members of Council will be given the opportunity to voice their concerns and/or opinions about the dispute in question.

 

b.  All members have the right to uninterrupted speech – provided they speak in a tone of reason and show respect for others and for time.

 

c.  If a dispute arises, and a reasonable attempt at resolving the dispute is exhausted without success, the council shall seek the advice of an arbitrator.

 

d.  The arbitrator shall be any individual mutually agreed upon by the Officers of the Council.

 

e.  All parties involved will be informed of every step of the resolution process.

 

f.  Any resolution reached to resolve the conflict shall be signed and kept on record with the minutes.

 

 

10.   ACCOUNTABILITY

 

1. The Executive will make a reasonable effort (within privacy constraints) to inform parents/guardians of all matters concerning the council’s activities.

 

2.  Formal recommendations of the Executive council shall be communicated to the school principal, superintendent, trustee, and anyone else the Executive deems appropriate.

 

3.  A written fundraising plan must be approved by Executive by the end of November in each school year.

 

4.  Minutes and a record of all financial transactions shall be kept in hard copy format at the school for at least four years.

 

5.  Each cheque made from the Council bank account shall be issued by the Treasurer upon approval of the Executive.

 

 

11.  FUNDRAISING

 

1.  Must be for a purpose approved by the board.

 

2.  Must conform to board policies and guidelines.

 

3.  Must conform to the Ministry’s Ontario School Food and Beverage Policy.