X Appendices
Board Policy and Regulations Governing SPCs (draft)
(Portions which have been struck through or are italicized have been revised based on preliminary feedback from Trustees, District Management Committee or Policy Council.)
1002.5 (Draft Policy)
SCHOOL PLANNING COUNCILS
The Board of School Trustees of School District 38 (Richmond) recognizes that the purpose of School Planning Councils is to involve parents fully and meaningfully in planning for improved student learning.
The School Planning Council is an advisory body. The major responsibility of School Planning Councils is to consult with the school community in developing, monitoring and reviewing school plans for improving student achievement. It is important that the School Planning Council be proactive in reaching out to all members of the school community. The school community consists of all parents, students, teachers, support staff and administrators connected to that school. School plans should reflect the characteristics, values and needs of the school community.
School District 38 (Richmond) has a highly regarded and expected tradition of inclusion in all decision making matters by the employee partner groups, parent associations, student representatives and other community groups. It is fully expected that School Planning Councils in Richmond will be established and will operate within that tradition.
Pursuant to the School Act, the Board of School Trustees of School District 38 (Richmond) supports the establishment of a School Planning Council at each elementary and secondary school for the purpose of representing the school community in the process of the development of the annual School Improvement Plan for the continuous improvement of student achievement.
1002.5-R (Draft Regulation)
SCHOOL PLANNING COUNCILS
1. Purpose and Role of School Planning Councils
The role of the School Planning Council is: preparation of an annual School Performance Plan to support continuous improvement of student learning responding to consultation regarding matters referred to it by the Board, Superintendent or Superintendent’s designate in respect to allocation of staff and resources in the schools, matters contained in the Board’s accountability contract relating to the school, and educational services and education programs in the school, responding to matters referred to it by the Principal, the Parents’ Advisory Council or Board employees in respect to improving student achievement, the School Performance Plan or the District Accountability Contract, and supporting, assessing and reviewing the School Performance Plan throughout the school year
The School Board must consult with the School Planning Council in respect to allocation of staff and resources to the school, matters contained in the District Performance Plan relating to the school, and educational services and education programs assigned to the school.
Consultation here is defined as the process through which the School Board seeks advice from the School Planning Councils. The Board considers the advice it receives along with the best information available and may accept, modify or reject specific recommendations.
The following are not within the mandate of the School Planning Council:
• personal or confidential information on students, parents, teachers or other board employees
• performance or conduct of individual board employees, students or parents
• terms and conditions of employment contracts
• activities beyond the advisory and consultative roles set out in the School Act and this policy
2. Support for School Planning Councils
The Superintendent or designate shall act as a district liaison officer for School Planning Councils and may attend any meeting of a School Planning Council or School Planning Council subcommittee, and may designate another employee to attend in his or her place.
The SPC may contact the liaison officer to ask for advice and assistance on any matter relating to its role.
3. Membership of School Planning Councils
Membership of the School Planning Council as defined by legislation includes:
• the Principal of the school
• one (1) of the teachers of the school, elected annually by secret ballot
• three (3) members of the Parents’ Advisory Council, one of whom must be an elected officer of the PAC elected annually by secret ballot in accordance with PAC bylaws.
Additional members of the school community are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate in meetings of the School Planing Council.
By September 30 of each year the principal of each school shall advise the Parents’ Advisory Council and the teachers of the school of the need to elect representatives and the required process.
If the Parents’ Advisory Council in the school elects an insufficient number of parent representatives, the principal shall consult with the PAC and shall inform the School Board when representatives have been named.
If no teacher representative is elected the principal shall notify teachers in the school and consider whether he or she is prepared to make recommendations to the Board for appointments to the School Planning Council.
Any representative body to the council may elect alternate members.
The term of office for an elected representative is not more than 12 months from the date SPC members first take office. Representatives may be reelected.
School Planning Councils shall be established annually. Staff and Parent Council members will be elected to the School Planning Council annually.
If no School Planning Council is established operative at a school by December 1, the principal shall proceed as outlined under “Membership” above to obtain representatives and shall inform the School Board when all representatives have been named.
4. Meetings of the School Planning Council
When the representatives have been named, the principal shall call the inaugural meeting of the School Planning Council. The inaugural meeting shall decide a chairperson, a schedule of future meetings and may outline future agendas. School Planning Councils shall meet at least three (3) times per school year. Additional meetings may be convened as necessary.
A quorum shall be the principal (or designated alternate) and two (2) other members or their alternates.
School Planning Councils are encouraged to invite others to attend and/or participate in their meetings and discussions. Others who attend SPC meetings are attending as part of the consultation process to offer their opinions and ideas. SPC decisions are to be made by the elected members and should reflect generally held positions of the school community and decisions should only be made after such consultation.
The chair shall ensure that minutes of each meeting are taken and made available to interested members of the school community.
5. Decision-Making by the School Planning Council
A vote shall be held to approve the proposed School Performance Plan before submission to the School Board as required by the School Act. Each member or alternate shall have one (1) vote.
In all other matters, School Planning Councils shall operate by consensus.
The School Planning Council may create subcommittees to investigate matters within its jurisdiction and may invite additional members to join the subcommittees.
6. Financial Activities of the School Planning Council
Meeting expenses of the School Planning Council are the responsibility of the school.
No member of the School Planning Council shall receive any remuneration for acting as a member of the Council
The School Planning Council has no authority to raise or expend funds.
7. School Performance Plan
The School Planning Council is responsible for the coordination of all processes leading to preparation of the proposed annual School Performance Plan.
The School Planning Council must consult collaborate with the Parents’ Advisory Council during preparation of the School Performance Plan. The School Planning Council shall provide the Parents’ Advisory Council with a reasonable opportunity for input to the School Performance Plan and consider such input when deciding on the School Performance Plan.
The School Planning Council shall also consult collaborate with staff and may consult with students and other members of the school community regarding preparation of the School Performance Plan. The principal shall provide employees with reasonable opportunities for input into the School Performance Plan and forward that input to the School Planning Council. The School Planning Council will consider what other groups and individuals are important to the life of the school and should be included in the consultation and how to communicate with them.
8. Conduct
Members are expected to be collaborative and respectful in the conduct of Council business and to abide by the rulings of the chair.
The School Planning Council may request the district liaison officer appointed under this policy to assist the School Planning Council in resolving a disputed matter or improving its processes.
Any complaint about the functioning of the School Planning Council should be made to the Council through its chair. If the complaint is not resolved, then the complainant may address the complaint to the district liaison officer.
If it appears to the School Board, following investigation, that a member of the School Planning Council has been guilty of misconduct, the School Board may either discharge the member and request that an alternate serve or a new member be elected. Before making such a decision, the School Board shall ensure that the member has had the opportunity to respond to the allegations.
9. Acceptance, Rejection, Modification of School Performance Plans
In order for the proposed School Performance Plan to be adopted by the School Board, it must be consistent with the sound educational practice, strategic directions and policies of the School Board, meet legal requirements, be supportable from available resources and be reasonably likely to achieve its goals.
If the School Board rejects or modifies a proposed School Performance Plan, it shall provide reasons to the and invite response from the School Planning Council.
Related School Act Sections (as amended by Bill 34)
Division 2 — Parents
Parents' entitlements and responsibilities
7 (1) A parent of a student of school age attending a school is entitled
(a) to be informed, in accordance with the orders of the minister, of the student's attendance, behavior and progress in school,
(b) on request, to the school plan for the school and the accountability contract for the school district, and
(c) to belong to a parents' advisory council established under section 8.
(2) A parent of a student of school age attending a school may, and at the request of a teacher, principal, vice principal or director of instruction must, consult with the teacher, principal, vice principal or director of instruction with respect to the student's educational program.
Parent volunteers
7.1 Subject to this Act, the regulations and any rules of a board, a parent of a student may provide volunteer services at or for a school.
Parents' advisory council
8 (1) Parents of students of school age attending a school or a Provincial school may apply to the board or to the minister, as the case may be, to establish a parents' advisory council for that school.
(2) On receipt of an application under subsection (1), the board or minister must establish a parents' advisory council for the school or the Provincial school.
(3) There must be only one parents' advisory council for each school or Provincial school.
(4) A parents' advisory council, through its elected officers, may
(a) advise the board and the principal and staff of the school or the Provincial school respecting any matter relating to the school or the Provincial school, other than matters assigned to the school planning council, and
(b) at the request of the school planning council, assist the school planning council in carrying out its functions under this Act.
(5) A parents' advisory council, in consultation with the principal, must make bylaws governing its meetings and the business and conduct of its affairs, including bylaws governing
(a) the dissolution of the parents' advisory council,
(b) the election of members to represent the parents' advisory council on the school planning council, and
(c) the election of a member to represent the parents' advisory council on the district parents' advisory council.
(6) Voting at an election referred to in subsection (5) (b) and (c) must be by secret ballot.
School planning council
8.1 (1) A board must establish a school planning council for each school, except a Provincial resource program, in its school district.
(2) At the request of 3 parents of students attending a Provincial resource program, a board may establish a school planning council for the Provincial resource program.
(3) A school planning council for a school consists of the following persons:
(a) the principal of the school;
(b) one of the teachers at the school, elected annually by secret ballot by the teachers who teach at the school;
(c) 3 representatives of the parents' advisory council who are
(i) parents of students enrolled in the school, and
(ii) elected annually by the parents' advisory council.
(d) if the school enrolls students in grade 10, 11, or 12, one student of school age enrolled in one of those grades at the school, appointed annually by the principal of the school after consulting with the students enrolled in those grades at the school.
(4) One of the representatives elected under subsection (3) (c) must be an elected officer of the parents' advisory council.
(5) A board may appoint a person to fill a vacancy on a school planning council if
(a) there is no parents' advisory council for the school,
(b) the parents' advisory council for the school does not elect 3 representatives under subsection (3) (c), or
(c) the teachers at the school do not elect a representative under subsection (3) (b).
(6) The term of office of a person appointed or elected under this section to the school planning council must not be more than one year.
(7) An employee of any board is not eligible for election under subsection (3) (c) or an appointment in the circumstances referred to in subsection (5) (a) or (b).
Role of a school planning council
8.2 A board must consult with a school planning council in respect of the following:
(a) the allocation of staff and resources in the school;
(b) matters contained in the board's accountability contract relating to the school;
(c) educational services and educational programs in the school.
School plan
8.3 (1) In each school year, a board must approve a school plan for every school in the school district.
(2) By a date set by the board, a school planning council must prepare and submit to the board a school plan for the school in respect of improving student achievement and other matters contained in the board's accountability contract relating to that school.
(3) A school planning council must consult with the parents' advisory council during the preparation of the school plan.
(4) The board may approve, approve with modifications or reject a school plan submitted under subsection (2) or (6).
(5) Before approving a school plan, the board may
(a) consult with the school planning council about modifications to the school plan, or
(b) direct the school planning council to modify all or part of the school plan by a specified date.
(6) The board may direct the principal of a school to prepare and submit to the board a school plan for the school by a specified date if
(a) the school planning council does not submit a school plan under subsection (2),
(b) the school planning council does not comply with a direction of the board under subsection (5) (b), or
(c) the board rejects the school plan submitted under subsection (2).
(7) A board must make a school plan approved under subsection (4) available to the parents of students attending that school.
District parents' advisory council
8.4 (1) A parents' advisory council, through its elected officers, may apply to the board for the establishment of a district parents' advisory council.
(2) On receipt of an application under subsection (1), the board must establish a district parents' advisory council for the school district consisting of representatives elected to the council under subsection (3).
(3) Each parents' advisory council in a school district may elect annually one of its members to be its representative on the district parents' advisory council for a term of not more than one year.
(4) There must be only one district parents' advisory council for each school district.
Purpose and operation of district parents' advisory council
8.5 (1) Subject to section 67 (5.1), the district parents' advisory council may advise the board on any matter relating to education in the school district.
(2) A district parents' advisory council must make bylaws governing its meetings and the business and conduct of its affairs, including bylaws governing the dissolution of the council.
(3) A superintendent of schools for the school district, a designate of the superintendent or a trustee of the school district may attend any meeting of the district parents' advisory council.
Accountability contracts
79.2 (1) A board must prepare an accountability contract with respect to improving student achievement in the school district and any other matters ordered by the minister.
(2) On or before October 31 of each year, a board must submit its accountability contract for the school year to the minister and must make its accountability contract available to residents of the school district and to parents of students attending schools in the district.
Trustees
Chairperson: Annie McKitrick
Vice-Chairperson: Chak Kwong Au
Sandra Bourque
Andy Hobb
Linda McPhail
Debbie Tablotney
Patricia Whittaker
District Administration
Superintendent
Chris Kelly
Associate Superintendent
Bruce Beairsto
Assistant Superintendents
Jim Martens
Monica Pamer
| 
