III What about Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) and District Parent Advisory Councils (DPACs)?
PACs continue to exist and serve in an advisory capacity “… to the board and the principal and staff of the school … respecting any matter relating to the school … other than matters assigned to the school planning council.” (School Act 8.4)
In addition, the PAC has the responsibility to elect, by secret ballot, the three parent representatives of the SPC, one of whom must be an elected officer of the PAC. The SPC is also required to consult with the PAC during the preparation of the school plan.
The DPAC also continues to have a role in the life of the District, and according to the School Act “… may advise the board on any matter relating to education in the School District.” (8.5 (1))
Adapting Parent Advisory Council Bylaws relating to SPCs
The by-laws of Parent Advisory Councils should provide for representation on a school planning council. The BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) has provided the following sample constitution and bylaws:
Under VOTING, add:
The election of representatives to the School Planning Council must be by secret ballot. (School Act, s. 8(6))
Under ELECTIONS, add:
Three parent representatives to the School Planning Council shall be elected annually from parents of students enrolled in the school, who are not employees of any school district. One of the representatives must be an elected officer of the Parent Advisory Council. (School Act, s. 8.1(3)(c), 8.1(4), and 8.1(7))
Under TERMS OF OFFICE, add:
The term of office for School Planning Council representatives shall be one year. (School Act, s. 8.1(6))
Under DUTIES OF OFFICERS, add:
The School Planning Council (SPC) representative shall:
a) be one of three elected SPC representatives
b) represent and speak on behalf of the PAC at SPC meetings
c) take direction from the general PAC membership
d) report back to the PAC at general meetings
Conducting Elections
A variety of approaches may be used to announce the need for SPC and DPAC representatives and to encourage parents to volunteer to be candidates for election. This might include a take-home newsletter, notices in the school or mention on the school’s web site. At least two weeks notice should be given of the election. The election of the SPC and the DPAC representatives should be carried out separately.
Preparing for a ballot vote
While a ballot vote on any motion may be requested, elections must be conducted by secret ballot, so appropriate supplies should always be on hand. This should include slips of paper, neatly trimmed and of reasonable size.
If a ballot vote is to be conducted, two members (called “tellers”) should be appointed to distribute, collect and count the ballots.
Requesting nominations
The position or positions to be filled should be stated, and nominations requested from the members present. Nominations do not need to be seconded. It may be useful to review the expected duties of each position before receiving nominations.
When no further nominations are forthcoming, nominations are declared closed.
One of the three PAC representatives to the SPC must be a PAC executive member.
If more than one SPC candidate is a PAC executive member, then conduct the SPC election in two parts. First conduct the election for the PAC executive representative. Then conduct the election for the other two representatives. This may include the unsuccessful candidates from the first round.
Appointing scrutineers
Each candidate may appoint a scrutineer to observe the conduct of the election and the counting of ballots. This is not common in PACs, but it may be useful to offer.
Taking the vote
The tellers will distribute one blank ballot to each voting member present, including the chairperson.
Remind members how many candidates they may choose (three* for the SPC, one for the DPAC). Members may choose one, two or three* candidates for the SPC; they do not have to choose all three. All choices for the SPC should be written on the same ballot. (*If the PAC executive representative has already been elected, as above, then members may choose one or two candidates for the SPC.)
Members will write the names of the candidates they wish to vote for, and deposit their ballots into a box overseen by the tellers. Tellers, if voting members, will also vote and deposit their ballots into the voting box.
The tellers will count the ballots. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, blank ballots are considered abstentions and are not counted. If a name is incorrectly written, it should be counted if the voter’s intention is clear. The tellers will report the result to the chairperson who will announce it to the meeting. A candidate must receive at least 50% plus 1 of the votes cast (excluding blank ballots) to be elected. Any candidate who does not receive the required number of votes is not elected, even if this results in a position not being filled. A motion is usually called for to destroy the ballots after the election.
What if there are not enough candidates to warrant an election?
A ballot vote must be conducted even if the number of candidates does not exceed the number of positions to be filled. Under the School Act, a secret ballot vote for PAC representatives to the SPC and DPAC is mandatory. The purpose of the ballot vote is to ensure fairness and to allow members to exercise their choice privately, without influence from others. The result of a ballot vote may be that, even though there were enough candidates, one or more candidates are not elected and a position remains vacant. This is the will of the membership, expressed secretly and without influence. If a position is vacant after an election, consult your bylaws on filling vacancies and discuss with the membership how the PAC wishes to proceed. Keep in mind at all times that these elections, including the filling of vacancies, must be
done by secret ballot.
References
BCCPAC Leadership Manual 2001, Appendix B, Constitution and Bylaws
Robert’s Rules of Order, 10th edition, 2000
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