RPPS School Council Constitution and Bylaws

This document is provided for information only.  In any dispute, the paper copy kept in the school office shall be considered the official version unless otherwise noted.

ROCKCLIFFE PARK HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

MISSION STATEMENT

Rockcliffe Park Home and School Association (school council) is made up of parents and guardians of students enrolled at Rockcliffe Park Public School (RPPS) and members of the larger community whose common goal is to make RPPS the best it can be for its students. Through volunteer recruitment, fundraising, lobbying and program coordination, the school council has always strived to involve parents, keep the school community informed, and enhance and enrich the learning environment for students. These by-laws, which are required under Ontario Regulation 612/00, should be read and interpreted with the purpose of facilitating and making the operations of school council more transparent without derogating from council's rich history and the spirit of volunteerism which has always been so strong in our school.

BYLAWS

General

These by-laws supplement and are subject to the terms and requirements of the Regulations made under the Education Act (Ontario), as amended from time to time and the policies and procedures of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

Composition of Council

The Rockcliffe Park Home and School Association (“school council”) shall be composed of a minimum of eight (8) parent members together with the principal and one teacher, staff and community representative.

Prior to the election, the outgoing school council shall fix the number of parent representatives to be elected.

Election Procedure

The school council will establish an election committee no later than April 30^th in each year. The committee will be responsible for planning the election process, gathering nominations and running the election. The election committee will be composed of at least two (2) parents who are not running for election or re-election in the next school council elections.

Any interested parents shall file a nomination form in the form attached as Appendix “A” on or before the date indicated on the form.

If the number of candidates is less than or equal to the number of positions available, the candidates shall be acclaimed.

Elections for school council shall be conducted by secret ballot, which shall be in the form of Appendix “B”. Voters must be present at the school on the election day during the preset hours for voting.

All eligible voters shall be entitled to cast one vote for each of the candidate positions available. Casting more than the maximum number of votes permitted in the category spoils the ballot.

If there is a tie for the final position for a representative on the school council the winner shall be determined by lot drawn by the school council chair.

The school council shall make public immediately following the election the names of the successful candidates and shall keep on file a list of candidates and the vote results for use in the event that a vacancy on the school council occurs.

The school principal and the chair of the election committee shall resolve any appeals related to the school council election process or results as soon as practicable following the election.

Meetings

The first meeting of the school council shall be held in September immediately following the elections. Subsequent meetings shall be held monthly from October through June on the second Tuesday of every month, subject to change by resolution of the school council.

Voting

Resolutions of the school council shall be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by members who voted in respect of that resolution.

These by-laws may be amended by a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by members who voted in respect of that resolution.

Before voting on any resolution, the school council shall, wherever practicable, allow all parents attending a council meeting to express their opinions through a show of hands.

Officers

The school council shall, at the first meeting of the council following the election, appoint the following officers from the elected parent members of the council: president (chair), vice-president, past president, treasurer, secretary, book fair chair(s), volunteer coordinator and OCASC representative(s). The officers shall fulfill their duties in accordance with the respective job descriptions set out in Appendix “C”.

The school council shall appoint one member of the community at the first meeting of the school council following the election.

Filling Vacancies

Should an elected parent member position become vacant before the next election, the school council may fill the vacancy by appointment from the non-elected candidates from the previous election based on the number of votes received starting with the person who received the highest number of votes.

If there are no such non-elected candidates or if none of the previous candidates remain interested in becoming a school council member, the council may, by means of a notice posted in the school newsletter, request that interested parents from the school community submit their names for consideration within fourteen (14) days. The council shall then appoint one of those who indicate an interest by majority vote at a meeting of the school council.

When a vacant spot on school council is filled, the new member’s term shall expire at the time of the next election.

Conflict of Interest

Each school council member shall avoid situations that could result in an inconsistency between the overall goals and vision of the council and a personal or vested interest, that arise in connection with his or her duties as a council member.

A conflict of interest may be actual, perceived or potential. Should an issue or agenda item arise during a school council meeting where a council member is in a conflict of interest, directly or indirectly, that member shall declare his or her interest immediately and shall not participate in the discussion and resolution of the issue or item.

Conflict Resolution

Every school council member will be given an opportunity to express his or her opinion about the issue at dispute.

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

Speakers will be allowed to speak without interruption.

It is the chair’s responsibility to clarify the statements made by all speakers, to identify common ground among the points of view raised, including making rulings on conflict of interest issues and to set out the joint interests of all members.

If no common ground can be identified and all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success within a reasonable period of time, the chair shall, as soon as practicable, request the intervention of an independent third party to assist in achieving a resolution to the dispute. An independent third party may be a board official or another individual mutually agreed on by the parties involved in the dispute.

Rules of Order

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the school council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these by-laws and any special rules of order the school council may adopt from time to time.

These by-laws were approved and confirmed in May, 2002.

Joy Chow

Secretary

APPENDIX A

RPPS SCHOOL COUNCIL CANDIDATE NOMINATION FORM

Please note that this form is to be used only for parents wishing to be elected as members of school council. The parent positions on school council include: President, Vice-President, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Book Fair Chair(s), OCASC Representative(s), Volunteer Coordinator and Member(s) at Large. There are a number of volunteer positions for parents not wishing to sit as members of council and a separate form outlining these positions is available in the school office.

I wish to nominate (you may nominate yourself)_____________________________ for an elected position as a parent/guardian representative on the School Council.

Address of Nominator:________________________________________________________

Home phone: ______________________ Business Phone: _________________________

E-mail: ___________________________

Address of Nominee: _________________________________________________________

Home phone: _______________________ Business Phone: _________________________

E-mail: ____________________________

_______________________________ is the parent/guardian of _________________________

(name of person nominated)

who is/are currently registered at RPPS.

The person I have nominated is ______ or is not ______ an employee of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB).

Circle the specific office(s)/position for which candidate should be considered:

President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Book Fair Chair, OCASC (Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils ) Representative, Volunteer Coordinator, Member at Large

The person I have nominated is available to attend and will commit to attending meetings held every second Tuesday of every month ______________________

___________________________________ ______________________________

Nominator’s signature                     Date

Please include a short paragraph on the back of this form outlining the candidate’s experience and involvement in schools and reasons for the nomination. Parts or all of this may be distributed to voters.

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE BY ______________________

NOMINEES WILL BE CONTACTED BY A MEMBER OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE UPON RECEIPT OF THIS FORM.

Appendix B

RPPS SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTION BALLOT FOR PARENT/GUARDIAN REPRESENTATIVES

Date: ________________________

Vote for no more than ________ candidates on this ballot.

Place an X in the box before the name(s) of the candidate(s) of your choice.

____________________________ _____________________________

Appendix C

SCHOOL COUNCIL

POSITIONS

Each year, parents of children attending RPPS may become members of their school council by filling out a nomination form, attached as Appendix A, provided by the school office. Candidates are usually acclaimed but an election will be held should there be more candidates running than there are positions on council. The following is a list of positions which parent members of school council may hold¹:

President

The President of the school council is responsible for the programs, budget and day-to-day operations of school council. Acting on behalf of all parents of students at the school, the President liaises with the Principal, Staff and Board representatives to work with them to enhance the quality of life for all students at RPPS. There has been a long-standing tradition at RPPS to appoint the President for a 1-year term, after being elected and serving a 1-year term as Vice-President.

Vice-President

According to tradition at RPPS, the school council member who holds the position of Vice-President, serves the following year as President. The incumbent works closely with the President to assist in the day-to-day operation of the school council. The Vice-President may stand-in for the President, to chair school council meetings or undertake other duties in the day-to-day operation of the school council on the President’s behalf.

Past-President

The Past-President has historically remained an executive member for 1 year after serving as President. The Past-President acts as a resource to the current President, to maintain continuity and provide assistance in planning the budget and implementing programs. The Past-President can also stand in for the President, Vice-President or Secretary to assist in the smooth operation of school council meetings and programs.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for developing and implementing the budget, subject to approval by School Council and overseen by the President. The treasurer administers the bank accounts of school council, making deposits and disbursements as required by school council. The treasurer must submit a budget for approval by school council each year, and provide a report at the end of each school year.

Secretary

The Secretary of the school council is responsible for the administration of school council. The chief responsibility of the Secretary is to take, distribute and maintain accurate minutes of all school council meetings, including the recording of any motions introduced or resolutions passed by school council. The incumbent is required to attend all school council meetings, or appoint another council member as a designate to undertake their responsibilities. Minutes must be recorded and distributed to all who attend school council meetings. Minutes are maintained on file in the school office for 5 years.

BookFair Chair(s)

The BookFair Chair(s) is/are responsible for managing the major fundraiser of School Council - BookFair. The BookFair Chair(s) must appoint a treasurer for BookFair and report the financial results of BookFair to the school council. The BookFair Chair(s) may appoint a committee to assist in organizing Book Fair.

School Council Representative(s) to OCASC

School council sends one or two representatives to the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils. The incumbent(s) is/are responsible for representing the views of RPPS’ school council to the larger body of school councils, and pursuant to their meetings, reporting back to, or seeking input from, the School Council with regard to the activities of OCASC. The individual who volunteers to fill this position, is required to attend approximately 10 OCASC meetings a year.

Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for recruiting parent volunteers and coordinating their activities in the school. The Principal or school council President may call upon the Volunteer Coordinator to provide parent volunteers for a variety of school events and activities, as required.

Member(s) at Large

Parents wanting to become council members but not wanting to hold a particular office may do so by becoming elected as members at large. Members at Large attend regular council meetings and discuss and vote on council issues along with other officers.