School Council

Mission Statement:

We will develop a strong relationship between home, school and the wider community served by Irma Coulson Public School to enhance educational opportunities for all students.

 Article I

1.0 Name of Organization

 1.1 The name of this organization will be Irma Coulson Public School Council (“Council”).

 Article II

2.0 Mandate of the Council

 2.1 The purpose of the Council is to develop a strong relationship between home, school and the wider community served by Irma Coulson Public School (“ICPS”) through active participation of parents or guardians of students enrolled in ICPS and in collaboration with educators, to enhance educational opportunities for all students, and to help each student develop to their potential within a safe environment.

 2.2 Working within the Halton District School Board’s (“Board”) policies, goals, and vision and values of “every student will explore and enhance their potential, passions, and strengths to thrive as contributing global citizens” and “as a learning organization our actions will be guided by our values of Accountability, Creativity, Empathy, Integrity, Equity and Collaboration, the Council will:

•  provide opportunities for parents or guardians of a student or students enrolled in ICPS (collectively, “Parents or Guardians”; individually “Parent or Guardian”) to be more directly involved in the education of their children (such as volunteering);
• foster good relations among Parents or Guardians, ICPS staff and the local community;
• be a voice for public education within the community;
• provide Parents or Guardians and members of the ICPS community with information to help them gain a better understanding of the education system at different levels, including ICPS, the Board, and the Ministry of Education in Ontario;
• fundraise to support the objectives of the ICPS improvement plan; and
• report on the Council’s activities as requested by the Board.

 2.3 The Council will not have any of the powers and duties reserved by law or regulation for the Board, the Principal or collective agreements.

Article III

3.0 Representation and Membership

 3.1 The Council will be composed of the following members:

• a minimum of five Parents or Guardians;
• the Principal;
• a teacher at ICPS (“Teachers’ Representative”); 
• one non-teaching member of ICPS staff (e.g., caretaker, educational assistant, school secretary) (“Staff Representative”)

 3.2 All Parents or Guardians who are elected within the Council as voting members may vote on all matters before the Council.  The Principal is not a voting member.  The Teachers’ Representative and the Staff Representative will be excluded from voting on decisions involving funds being distributed to ICPS or teachers’ requests.

 3.3 Membership on Council suggests a commitment, requiring attendance at Council meetings.

Article IV

4.0 Elections and Appointment Procedures

 4.1 Timelines and Voting

• An election of members of the Council who are Parents or Guardians will be held during the first 30 days of each school year on a date that is fixed by the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Council after consulting with the Principal.
• The Principal will, during the last week of August and at least 14 days before the date of the first Council meeting, on behalf of the Council, give written notice of the date, time and location of the election to all Parents or Guardians through email as well as on the ICPS website and in the ICPS weekly updates preceding the election date. The Principal will also e-mail a copy of the Self-Nomination Candidacy Form (attached as Exhibit A) to all Parents or Guardians and post it on the ICPS website.
• Parents or Guardians will identify their interest as an Executive Member (Chair or Co-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) on the Council as well as their status as a voting member of Council through submission of the Self-Nomination Candidacy Form to the Principal by 3:15 p.m. on the Thursday before the first Council meeting.  Election candidates will be notified the Friday before the first Council meeting if there will be an election for their executive role of interest or if they are acclaimed, so that candidates may prepare a speech if necessary.
• If several Parents or Guardians are interested in an executive role on the Council, the election for the executive role will be by secret ballot.  If more than 15 Parents or Guardians are interested in being a voting member of Council, the secret ballot process will be applied for all attendees at the Council election meeting.
• Other roles such as Parent Involvement Committee (“PIC”) representative, pizza coordinator, dance-a-thon coordinator or spirit wear coordinator will be determined by Council as vacancies arise.

4.2 Parent or Guardian members of the Council will be determined according to the following process:

• a person is qualified to be a Parent or Guardian member of the Council if they are a Parent or Guardian;
• a person is not qualified to be a Parent or Guardian member of the Council if they are employed at ICPS;
• a person must declare if they are employed by the Board elsewhere in the Board; and
• a person is qualified to vote in an election of Parent or Guardian members of the Council if they are a Parent or Guardian.

 4.3 The Teachers’ Representative will be determined by the teaching staff of ICPS.

 4.4 The Staff Representative will be determined by the non-teaching staff of ICPS.

Article V  

5.0 Terms of Office

 5.1 A Parent or Guardian elected to the Council holds office from the first meeting of the year they are elected until the completion of the election of the Council for the following year.  As best practice, a meeting will be held between the predecessor Executive Member (Chair or Co-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) and their newly appointed successor for the upcoming school year.

 5.2 Elected Parents or Guardians must submit the Self-Nomination Candidacy Form annually.

 5.3 The Principal is appointed by the Board.

 5.4 The Teachers’ Representative and the Staff Representative will be determined annually from their respective groups. This will occur as soon as possible in the new school year and before the first Council meeting of the year.

 5.5 The Council may establish committees made up of Teachers, Parents or Guardians, to carry out specific functions, to study specific issues and to make recommendations to the Council.  These committees will have no responsibilities beyond those outlined by the Council when the committee is established. All committees must provide regular updates to the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Council and provide reports to the Council at meetings.

 5.6 Membership will be terminated when:

• a Parent or Guardian no longer has a student enrolled in ICPS;
• the Teachers’ Representative is no longer employed at ICPS;
• the Staff Representative is no longer employed at ICPS;
• a member of the Council has missed three scheduled meetings without proper notice or regrets to the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Council or to the Principal and is recorded as absent in the minutes; or
• a member submits a letter of resignation to the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Council. 

 5.7 Vacancies that occur during the term will be determined by Council members. If there is more than one candidate, Council members will vote. Nominations for this appointment may be made by any member of the Council including self-nomination.

 5.8 The names of all Council members, including the names of the Executive Members and the voting members of Council, will be published on the ICPS website within one week of the election.

 5.9 The name, address, telephone number and e-mail of the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Council will be forwarded, as requested, to the Board.

Article VI

6.0 Positions of Council

 6.1 Parent or Guardian roles within the Council will be identified as:

• Executive Members:
  • Chair or Co-chairs;
  • Secretary; and
  • Treasurer.
• Parent or Guardian Members:
  • voting members (maximum of 15 Parents or Guardians who are present at the first Council meeting);
  • PIC representative; and
  • Council contributors (non-voting Parents or Guardians present at any Council meeting).

Article VII 

7.0 Duties of Council Members

 7.1 The Chair (or each Co-Chair) is responsible for:

• residing at all meetings, providing leadership to the Council and general supervision of activities of the Council;
• working in cooperation with the Principal to prepare a written agenda for all Council meetings no later than seven days prior to the meeting;
• distributing the agenda to Council members at the time of each scheduled meeting;
• appointing temporary or standing committees as needed, in consultation with the Council;
• expressing consensus or accepting a motion from the floor, as reached by Council;
• serving as the spokesperson for the Council;
• monitoring the implementation of Council decisions; and
• ensuring the annual review, updating and approval of the Constitution and By-laws.

7.2 The Secretary is responsible for:

• keeping a full and accurate account of the proceedings and transactions of Council meetings;
• providing a copy of the minutes of the meeting to the Principal and all voting members of Council no later than 15 days following the meeting;
• maintaining a Council file in ICPS’s administration office containing copies of all minutes, Council correspondence, current by-laws, and current reports;
• maintaining a confidential list of the Council membership with current addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses; and
• assisting the Chair or Co-Chairs in introducing an executive summary of the Council’s activities, as required by the Board, after the final Council meeting of the academic year, and communicating the executive summary in its entirety to the ICPS community.

 7.3 The Treasurer is responsible for:

• working with the Chair or Co-Chairs and the Principal to prepare an annual budget of projected revenues and expenditures that support the ICPS improvement plan;
• obtaining monthly transaction reports from ICPS senior secretary for presentation at Council meetings; and
• monitoring the revenues and expenditures of the Council.

 7.4 All Council members will:

• participate in Council meetings;
• participate in information and training programs as appropriate;
• encourage the participation of Parents or Guardians and other people within the ICPS community.

7.5 The Principal is responsible for:

• planning programs and providing materials that will assist the Council in fulfilling its responsibilities;
• notifying the ICPS community regarding the dates, times and locations of all regular Council meetings through the ICPS website and the ICPS weekly updates as mutually decided upon by the Principal and newly elected Chair or Co-Chairs;
• sharing information on school activities, successes and concerns with the Council members on a variety of matters;
• sharing a copy of the minutes to all regular council members and the parent community within 21 days of the Council meeting;
• assisting, advising, supporting, cooperating and consulting with, and informing Council on how their recommendations have been taken into account when decisions related to the Council’s recommendations have been made;
• sharing the ICPS plan providing for co-curricular and co-instructional activities at ICPS;
• providing administrative support for Council activities;
• attending the meetings of the Council;
• cooperatively setting the agenda with the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Council; and
• maintaining the authority, responsibilities and obligations of the principalship as mandated by Board policies and the laws of Ontario.

Article VIII 

8.0 Council Procedures and Meetings 

 8.1 A Council file containing copies of all Council minutes, Council correspondence, current by-laws, and current reports, must be kept in ICPS’s administration office and retained by ICPS for four years.

 8.2 The Council has the responsibility to regularly inform the ICPS community of their activities, through the ICPS website, the ICPS weekly updates, and e-mail.  Parents or Guardians will have access to present and previous minutes of the Council which must be kept in ICPS’s administration office and posted on the ICPS website. A request for this information may also be made at the administration office.

 8.3 All Council meetings will be open to the public.

 8.4 Regular meetings of the Council will be held at ICPS no less than four times in each school year, and no more than ten times in each school year with the number and timing throughout the year of these meetings to be mutually agreed upon by the Principal and the newly elected Chair or Co-Chairs within ten days of the election.  Notice of meetings will be posted on the ICPS’s website and circulated to Parents or Guardians in the ICPS newsletter within fourteen days. 

 8.5 Special meetings of the Council or electronic voting between scheduled meetings may be held at the call of the Chair or the Co-Chairs, at their discretion or on the written request of one-half of the members of Council given to the Secretary. Any special meetings that include voting require the presence of the Principal.

 8.6 A Council meeting cannot be held unless:

• a majority of the current voting members of the Council are present;
• a majority of the voting members of the Council who are present at the meeting are Parent or Guardian members; and
• a majority of the voting members of Council are present or have issued their vote(s) for any motions identified by proxy.

 8.7 The newly formed Council will meet within 35 days of the election on a date mutually decided upon by the Principal and Chair or Co-Chairs. 

 8.8 The agenda of each Council meeting will be set by the Chair or Co-Chairs and the Principal jointly, and will include:

• welcome, introductions and attendance of members (present, regrets);
• acknowledgement of the previous meeting minutes being distributed;
• business arising from previous minutes;
• Chair’s report;
• Treasurer’s report;
• Principal’s report;
• any committee reports;
• agenda items for next meeting;
• new business or presentations; and
• adjournment.

 8.9 Although normal decision-making will be achieved through consensus, at times a voting process will be required. Absentee ballots or proxy voting will be permitted. Members of the Council having one vote each are:

• Parent or Guardian members;
• Teachers’ Representative; 
• Staff Representative; and
• Community Representative.

 8.10 A simple majority will carry a vote. The Council may not vote unless the conditions under section 8.6 are met.

 8.11 General protocol for meetings will follow best practices as indicated in Exhibit B: General Policies and Guidelines, attached.

Article IX

9.0 Constitutional Change

 9.1 The Constitution and By-laws will be reviewed annually and a discussion of any amendments will happen at the second meeting of the school year to ensure the Constitution and By-laws are aligned with the present Council. Any necessary voting will occur at the third meeting of the school year.

 9.2 The Constitution and By-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Council by a two-thirds majority vote of those present, provided there is advance notice to the stakeholders. Specific amendments must have been introduced at a prior Council meeting and have been published in the Council minutes and listed on the agenda for the current meeting. Council members may do this by serving a notice of motion at the Council meeting.

 9.3 A copy of the Constitution and By-laws will be made available on the ICPS website or to any person upon request.

 9.4 A copy of the most current Constitution and By-laws will be kept in the Council file.

Article X 

10.0 Financial Practices

 10.1 The Board is required to ensure that School Council Funds are properly administered and that transactions are accurately recorded. These obligations are met by:

• administrative guidelines for the collection, recording and control of student funds;
• annual financial reporting requirements for each fund; and
• financial review of funds by the Board.

 10.2 The Council will adhere to the following Board administrative procedures when fundraising:

• Fundraising in Schools;
• School Generated Funds and School Council Funds;
• Donations and Charitable Receipts.

 10.3 “School Council Funds” refers to funds raised by members of the Council to benefit students in the school.  School Council Funds are governed by the Education Act, Board policies and procedures, and donor requests. Revenue and expenses can come from different sources including fundraising and donations.  These funds are under the direction and control of the Principal.

 10.4 The Council should prepare an annual budget. Surplus funds not specifically earmarked should be applied to other ICPS priorities as identified in the ICPS’s improvement plan.

 10.5 The School Council Funds are included as part of School-Generated Funds on the annual report prepared by the senior secretary of ICPS, however, separate categories in ICPS ’s accounting software are used to keep track of the funds. Record keeping is done by the senior secretary of ICPS and monthly transaction reports are provided to the Council Treasurer for presentation at Council meetings. Signing authorities must include two people, one representing ICPS (i.e. the Principal or senior secretary), and one representing the Council (i.e. the Chair or Treasurer). 

 10.6 Theft of funds is covered by the Board’s insurance policy as long as the funds are in ICPS in a locked safe. Parents or Guardians and staff may not take School Council Funds home as these funds would not be covered by the Board’s insurance policy. The Board forms should be accessed from the Board’s internal website by the Principal for use by the Council when handling funds. 

Article XI

11.0 Conflict of Interest

 11.1 A conflict of interest may be actual, perceived or potential. Members of the Council will 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 the decision of the Council. 

 11.2 A member will not accept favours or economic benefits from any individuals, organization or entities known to be seeking business contracts with ICPS. 

Article XII 

12.0 Dispute Resolution 

 12.1 Every Council member will be given an opportunity to express their concern or opinion about an issue. 

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

 12.3 Speakers will be allowed to speak without interruption. 

 12.4 The Chair’s responsibility is to clarify statements made by all speakers, to identify common ground among points of view raised and to set out the joint interest of all members. 

 12.5 If no common ground can be identified, the Chair or Co-Chairs will seek to clarify preferences among all members before proceeding further. 

 12.6 If all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success, the Chair will request the intervention of an independent third party to assist in achieving a resolution to the dispute. 

 12.7 An independent third party may be a Board official or another individual mutually agreed upon by the parties involved in the dispute. 

 12.8 Any resolution reached at the meeting to resolve the conflict will be respected in full by all parties to the resolution.

 

Exhibit A:  Self-Nomination Candidacy Form

 

IRMA COULSON SCHOOL COUNCIL 

SELF-NOMINATION FORM

 

All members of the parent community, regular members of Council, and voting members of Council are welcome at all meetings and are encouraged to participate in all discussions.

If you would like to be a regular (non-voting) member of the School Council you DO NOT need to fill out this form and can participate in all School Council activities except voting, or holding an Executive position (Chair/Co-chair, Treasurer, or Secretary).  Attendance at all meetings is not mandatory for regular members.

If you would like to be a VOTING MEMBER please fill out the form below.

 

I, _____________________________________________________________ a parent/guardian of (list the name(s) of children currently attending Irma Coulson Public School, their grade(s) and their teacher(s))

 _____________________________________________________________________________________

would like to nominate myself for the role of:

_____ a VOTING MEMBER of the Irma Coulson School Council. I understand there will be an election if more than 15 people submit a nomination form.  

_____ a VOTING MEMBER of the Irma Coulson School Council AND I am also interested in running for the Executive role of: (please indicate role of interest)

 _____ Chair/Co-chair

 _____ Treasurer

 _____ Secretary

I understand that there will be an election at the first meeting of the year and that I must be present to be considered for one of the executive positions.

I declare that I:

____ am NOT an employee of the Halton District School Board

_____ am an employee of the Halton District School Board but do not work at Irma Coulson P.S. and work at (indicate location) _____________________________________________________

I understanding in assuming the role of a VOTING MEMBER that attendance is mandatory at all School Council meetings, and I agree to fulfill all the responsibilities of my role(s) as outlined in the Irma Coulson School Council Constitution.  

Name (please print) _______________________________________________________     

 

Signature __________________________________________________________  Date ___________________

 

Exhibit B:  General Policies and Guidelines

 

Protocol for Council Meetings

• Council meetings will begin promptly at 5:30 PM and end no later than 7:00 PM. If sufficient time is not remaining at 7:00 PM to cover the remaining topics, a vote will be taken as to whether the current meeting ending time will be extended to complete the items or if the items will be deferred to a special Council meeting which will be called or to the next scheduled Council meeting; 

• Attendance at meetings is expected. Voting members will communicate their inability to attend a meeting by notifying the Chair or Co-Chairs or the Principal at least 24 hours before the meeting; 

• All persons who wish to speak will be acknowledged by the Chair or Co-Chairs and given the opportunity to speak, while respecting time constraints. 

 Protocol for Communications 

• All communications distributed in the name of the Council (including website amendments) must be approved by the Chair or Co-Chairs. Communications from a committee must be reviewed and approved by a majority of the committee before being sent to the Chair or Co-Chairs, and the names of reviewing members included.

• Minutes from the previous Council meeting will be distributed to the parent community within 21 days after the meeting. 

• Agenda items and any attachments must be submitted to the Chair or Co-Chairs at least 14 days before the Council meeting.

• Minutes should exist for all Council meetings and should include a list of attendees.

• Council members are responsible to ensure receipt of the proposed agenda and minutes before the meeting. 

Protocol for Reimbursement of Expenses 

• All requests for reimbursement must be accompanied by an itemized receipt.

• All expenditures must be approved by a vote at a Council meeting at which a quorum, as required by section 8.6 of the Constitution and By-laws, is present.

*Adopted by School Council on February 5, 2024