DUKE OF CONNAUGHT SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL BY-LAWS (2014-15)
A. Declaration
The Duke of Connaught School Advisory Council (SAC) shall abide, first and foremost, by the guidelines set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Toronto District School Board. Additionally, the Duke of Connaught SAC has developed the following by-laws:
B. Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of SAC is, through the active participation of parents and guardians and in consultation with the Principal, to support student achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents and guardians. The objectives of the SAC shall be to:
Support: Parents: by providing relevant/useful information as it relates to their children and the school
School: through fundraising activities which enhance the school learning environment
Advocate: Be the voice of parents to support the education system for the benefit of our students and their learning
Counsel: Provide advice to the school and board on a variety of issues and topics
As such, the SAC shall provide parent representation for 4 School Committees as mandated by the TDSB: Budget, Staffing, School Improvement Plan, and Caring and Safe Schools.
C. General Members
SAC members shall consist of:
D. SAC Executive Composition
The Duke SAC Executive shall be composed of the following members:
E. Election
1. Executive Members – The election of the SAC Executive shall be held annually in September for the School Year starting October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The Principal shall, on behalf of the SAC, issue written notice of the election of Executive members not less than 14 days before the election. Elections shall be by a show of hands or by ballot, if necessary.
2. Voting – All parents or guardians of students currently enrolled at Duke of Connaught PS are eligible to vote for members of the Duke SAC Executive.
3. Eligibility – Position 1 through 7 outlined in Section D are parent positions, meaning they can only be held by parents or guardians of students currently enrolled at Duke. TDSB employees who are Duke parents and who are not employed at Duke of Connaught are eligible to run for these positions except the Chair(s). A TDSB employee should declare that they work for the TDSB if they are running for an executive position. Staff roles are selected by their corresponding employee group members and will be made known to the new Executive by the Principal in time for their first meeting. The Community Representative is appointed by the new Executive.
4. Vacancies – When vacancies occur, the Executive shall advertise the position. If there is no response, the Executive may appoint a qualified person for the remainder of the term of the former Executive member.
F. Meetings
1. Notice of general SAC Meetings – The general SAC shall meet as needed, a minimum of 6 times a year, and the Chair(s) shall establish the dates for such meetings by the end of September.
2. Quorum of SAC Executives – Executive meetings shall not be held unless there is Quorum. Quorum is defined as “50%+1” and the majority of the Quorum must be parents.
3. Decision-Making – All funding and fundraising proposals must be submitted in writing and are first approved by majority vote of the Executive. At general SAC meetings, Executive- endorsed proposals shall be presented.
4. Agenda – The agenda shall be prepared by the Chair(s) and distributed 5 days prior to the next meeting. Items to be added to the agenda must be presented to the Chair(s) prior to the meeting or as part of the call for All Other Business items at the start of each meeting. 5. Minutes – Minutes from all meetings shall be issued within 10 days of the meeting.
G. Remuneration
A person shall not receive any remuneration for serving as a member or Executive of the SAC. Reimbursement of members, for costs out-of-pocket during performance of duties for SAC activities, shall be made by the Treasurer with original receipt or self-declaration forms within 2 business days of submission of receipt(s).
H. Duties of Executive Members Fulfillment of Duties
Executive members are expected to fulfill his/her duties as outlined below and be in attendance at all SAC meetings (minimum of 6 over the full school year). o Executive members are also expectedtositonatleastoneSACsub-committee,asnecessary.o Executivememberswhoare deemed not to be fulfilling their duties and/or miss 2 consecutive meetings without reasonable excuse or notification shall receive a letter from the Chair(s) advising of non-fulfillment of duties. Executive members who continue to not fulfill their duties and/or who miss a 3rd consecutive SAC meeting, without reasonable excuse or notification, may be asked to resign from the Executive.
Chair:
a) Manage SAC meetings (arrange, prepare agendas and chair SAC meetings)
b) Ensure that minutes of SAC meetings are accurately recorded, issued and maintained
c) Ensure that the Annual Report is prepared and that the By-Laws and School Statement of Need are updated annually
d) Facilitate conflict resolution
e) Communicate with the Principal on behalf of the SAC
f) Consult with Senior Board Staff and Trustees, as required, on behalf of the SAC
g) Manage communications to parents (create and respond to SAC emails, manage Facebook page and email distribution list)
h) Read and sign off on monthly reconciliation sheets
Vice-Chair in Charge of Fundraising:
a) connect with staff and parents to collect ideas for fundraising goals for the year
b) organize and present fundraising ideas at executive meeting for vote and then create fundraising plan for distribution and display
c) work with chairs of fundraising sub-committees to make sure budget proposals are submitted and adhered to
d) work with treasurer to make sure fundraising goals are being met and items requested are being purchased
e) track companies/people being given donation requests so overlap doesn't happen
f) manage fundraising emails in the Duke School Council email account
g) Act as Joint Signing Officer (along with the Treasurer).
Secretary(s) – maximum of 2:
a) Complete and confirm accuracy of minutes of all SAC meetings and forward to Chair for final proofing within 5 days of the meeting b) Manage the attendance sheet
c) Assist the Chair in the distribution of minutes to all SAC members, post minutes on the web site and ensure a reference to,
or a synopsis of, the minutes is mentioned in the school newsletter. d) Update internal SAC board
e) Copy/count/stuff communication for teacher mailboxes
Treasurer:
a) Act as custodian for SAC funds and maintain proper records of all financial transactions including arranging monthly
reconciliation with the Chair(s) and Principal
b) Handle receipt and disbursement of SAC monies (including acting as the final verification of monies collected during
SAC activities) and report bank balance and major transactions at each SAC meeting
c) Prepare and arrange for verification of the SAC’s annual PSAB financial statement in September
d) Act as a Joint Signing Officer (along with the Vice-Chair).
Parent Representative(s) – maximum of 4:
a) Act as support person/community liaison with parents
b) Obtain/solicit parent feedback and advocate on their behalf
c) Increase parental involvement/engagement including volunteer recruitment and having Police Record Checks (PRC) submitted
d) Maintain the weekly Need to Read and make sure it's sent to the Duke School Council account by Sunday afternoon
e) Update external school sign in a timely fashion
f) Write articles for monthly school newsletter by the 10th of each month
Ward 16 Representative(s) – maximum of 2:
a) Be the Duke representative at monthly Ward 16 meetings, take notes and report key items (including PIAC initiatives)
at SAC meetings
b) Ensure that information from the school trustee gets distributed to the Duke parent community.
Teaching, Non-Teaching Staff and Community Representative:
Represent their respective staff group or local community’s perspectives and provide a link between the Duke SAC and their respective groups.
Principal/VP Designates:
Please refer to Section 5.6 of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s School Councils: A Guide for Members, 2001 for specific details.
I. Sub-Committees
1. The SAC may establish sub-committees as required to make recommendations to the SAC and to carry out SAC projects
on an as-needed basis.
2. Any member can chair a SAC sub-committee.
3. All SAC sub-committees must include at least one elected Executive member.
4. All sub-committees must record the minutes of their meetings and provide them to the SAC Chair(s) within 5 days of the meeting.
5. Sub-committee meetings must be open and accessible to the public.
J. Conflict of Interest
1. A conflict of interest may be actual, perceived or potential.
2. SAC members shall declare any 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 decisions of the SAC.
3. A member shall exclude herself/himself from discussions in which:
a) A conflict of interest is likely to result,
b) The member’s ability to carry out his/her duties and responsibilities as a member of SAC may be jeopardized,
c) The SAC member, his/her relatives, or a business entity in which the member may have an interest, may gain or
benefit either directly or indirectly as a result of actions that may be taken by the principal or board in response to
advice that the SAC provides to the principal or board,
d) A member shall not accept favours or economic benefits from any individual organizations, or entities known to be
seeking business contracts with the school.
K. Conflict Resolution
1. Every SAC member shall be given an opportunity to express his/her concern or opinion about the issue at dispute and how
the dispute has affected him/her.
2. The Chair’s responsibility is to clarify the statements made by all speakers, to identify common ground among the points of
view raised, and to set out the joint interests of all members.
3. If no common ground can be identified, the Chair shall seek to clarify preferences for all members before proceeding.
4. If all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success, the Chair shall request intervention of an
independent third party to assist in achieving a resolution.
5. An independent third party may be a board official or another individual mutually agreed on by the parties involved in the dispute.
6. If an SAC member becomes disruptive during a meeting, the Chair, after unsuccessfully asking for order, shall direct the
individual member(s) to leave the meeting, citing reasons for the request. This does not prevent the member(s) from
participating in future SAC meetings.
7. When the Chair has requested the removal of a member(s) from the meeting, the Chair shall request that the disputing
members of the SAC participate in a special meeting, the purpose of which shall be to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution
to the dispute. Such a meeting may be a private meeting, and shall not be construed as a meeting of the SAC.
L. Finances
1. The SAC shall be self-supporting and shall hold as many fundraising events as necessary to carry out its activities
and programs which support the Purpose and Objectives of the SAC.
2. SAC Expenditures are to be incurred only in the furtherance of the Objectives of the SAC.
3. All SAC expenditures require approval per the Decision-Making process outlined in Article F.3 with the exception of
those outlined in Article L.4.
4. Expenditure decisions of up to $250 can be made by the Executive to support SAC/school activities that arise during the
year. These expenditures must be reported in the Treasurer’s Report.
5. All revenue and expenditures are to be reported in the SAC’s annual PSAB financial statement.
6. The SAC shall not borrow funds or enter into any financial commitment for which funds are not already in hand.
7. The SAC shall maintain bank accounts from which SAC funds shall be deposited and from which payments by the SAC
shall be made. Cheques drawn on the bank account of the SAC shall require the signature of the Chair and the Treasurer.
The SAC shall house $400 in the school safe for use as floats for SAC activities. The float shall be deposited back into the
SAC bank account after the last SAC activity in June.
8. A verification of the financial records shall be carried out annually by a TDSB-appointed individual as part of the PSAB
submission process.
9. All monies collected by SAC shall be discreetly counted in the presence of at least 1 Executive and another parent
(excluding the Treasurer), verified by the Treasurer and then secured in a locked location until it can be deposited
into the SAC bank account.
10. The Duke of Connaught SAC shall have 2 signing officers: 1 Chair and 1 Treasurer
A. Declaration
The Duke of Connaught School Advisory Council (SAC) shall abide, first and foremost, by the guidelines set out by the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Toronto District School Board. Additionally, the Duke of Connaught SAC has developed the following by-laws:
B. Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of SAC is, through the active participation of parents and guardians and in consultation with the Principal, to support student achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents and guardians. The objectives of the SAC shall be to:
Support: Parents: by providing relevant/useful information as it relates to their children and the school
School: through fundraising activities which enhance the school learning environment
Advocate: Be the voice of parents to support the education system for the benefit of our students and their learning
Counsel: Provide advice to the school and board on a variety of issues and topics
As such, the SAC shall provide parent representation for 4 School Committees as mandated by the TDSB: Budget, Staffing, School Improvement Plan, and Caring and Safe Schools.
C. General Members
SAC members shall consist of:
- All parents/guardians of currently enrolled Duke students
- The SAC Executive
D. SAC Executive Composition
The Duke SAC Executive shall be composed of the following members:
- Chair – (should have served on the Executive previously)
- Vice-Chair in charge of Fundraising
- Secretary(s) – maximum of 2
- Treasurer – (should have served on the Executive previously)
- Parent representative(s) – maximum of 4
- Ward representative(s) – maximum of 2
- One teacher representative
- One non-teaching staff representative
- One community representative
- The Principal/VP Designates (non-voting)
E. Election
1. Executive Members – The election of the SAC Executive shall be held annually in September for the School Year starting October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The Principal shall, on behalf of the SAC, issue written notice of the election of Executive members not less than 14 days before the election. Elections shall be by a show of hands or by ballot, if necessary.
2. Voting – All parents or guardians of students currently enrolled at Duke of Connaught PS are eligible to vote for members of the Duke SAC Executive.
3. Eligibility – Position 1 through 7 outlined in Section D are parent positions, meaning they can only be held by parents or guardians of students currently enrolled at Duke. TDSB employees who are Duke parents and who are not employed at Duke of Connaught are eligible to run for these positions except the Chair(s). A TDSB employee should declare that they work for the TDSB if they are running for an executive position. Staff roles are selected by their corresponding employee group members and will be made known to the new Executive by the Principal in time for their first meeting. The Community Representative is appointed by the new Executive.
4. Vacancies – When vacancies occur, the Executive shall advertise the position. If there is no response, the Executive may appoint a qualified person for the remainder of the term of the former Executive member.
F. Meetings
1. Notice of general SAC Meetings – The general SAC shall meet as needed, a minimum of 6 times a year, and the Chair(s) shall establish the dates for such meetings by the end of September.
2. Quorum of SAC Executives – Executive meetings shall not be held unless there is Quorum. Quorum is defined as “50%+1” and the majority of the Quorum must be parents.
3. Decision-Making – All funding and fundraising proposals must be submitted in writing and are first approved by majority vote of the Executive. At general SAC meetings, Executive- endorsed proposals shall be presented.
4. Agenda – The agenda shall be prepared by the Chair(s) and distributed 5 days prior to the next meeting. Items to be added to the agenda must be presented to the Chair(s) prior to the meeting or as part of the call for All Other Business items at the start of each meeting. 5. Minutes – Minutes from all meetings shall be issued within 10 days of the meeting.
G. Remuneration
A person shall not receive any remuneration for serving as a member or Executive of the SAC. Reimbursement of members, for costs out-of-pocket during performance of duties for SAC activities, shall be made by the Treasurer with original receipt or self-declaration forms within 2 business days of submission of receipt(s).
H. Duties of Executive Members Fulfillment of Duties
Executive members are expected to fulfill his/her duties as outlined below and be in attendance at all SAC meetings (minimum of 6 over the full school year). o Executive members are also expectedtositonatleastoneSACsub-committee,asnecessary.o Executivememberswhoare deemed not to be fulfilling their duties and/or miss 2 consecutive meetings without reasonable excuse or notification shall receive a letter from the Chair(s) advising of non-fulfillment of duties. Executive members who continue to not fulfill their duties and/or who miss a 3rd consecutive SAC meeting, without reasonable excuse or notification, may be asked to resign from the Executive.
Chair:
a) Manage SAC meetings (arrange, prepare agendas and chair SAC meetings)
b) Ensure that minutes of SAC meetings are accurately recorded, issued and maintained
c) Ensure that the Annual Report is prepared and that the By-Laws and School Statement of Need are updated annually
d) Facilitate conflict resolution
e) Communicate with the Principal on behalf of the SAC
f) Consult with Senior Board Staff and Trustees, as required, on behalf of the SAC
g) Manage communications to parents (create and respond to SAC emails, manage Facebook page and email distribution list)
h) Read and sign off on monthly reconciliation sheets
Vice-Chair in Charge of Fundraising:
a) connect with staff and parents to collect ideas for fundraising goals for the year
b) organize and present fundraising ideas at executive meeting for vote and then create fundraising plan for distribution and display
c) work with chairs of fundraising sub-committees to make sure budget proposals are submitted and adhered to
d) work with treasurer to make sure fundraising goals are being met and items requested are being purchased
e) track companies/people being given donation requests so overlap doesn't happen
f) manage fundraising emails in the Duke School Council email account
g) Act as Joint Signing Officer (along with the Treasurer).
Secretary(s) – maximum of 2:
a) Complete and confirm accuracy of minutes of all SAC meetings and forward to Chair for final proofing within 5 days of the meeting b) Manage the attendance sheet
c) Assist the Chair in the distribution of minutes to all SAC members, post minutes on the web site and ensure a reference to,
or a synopsis of, the minutes is mentioned in the school newsletter. d) Update internal SAC board
e) Copy/count/stuff communication for teacher mailboxes
Treasurer:
a) Act as custodian for SAC funds and maintain proper records of all financial transactions including arranging monthly
reconciliation with the Chair(s) and Principal
b) Handle receipt and disbursement of SAC monies (including acting as the final verification of monies collected during
SAC activities) and report bank balance and major transactions at each SAC meeting
c) Prepare and arrange for verification of the SAC’s annual PSAB financial statement in September
d) Act as a Joint Signing Officer (along with the Vice-Chair).
Parent Representative(s) – maximum of 4:
a) Act as support person/community liaison with parents
b) Obtain/solicit parent feedback and advocate on their behalf
c) Increase parental involvement/engagement including volunteer recruitment and having Police Record Checks (PRC) submitted
d) Maintain the weekly Need to Read and make sure it's sent to the Duke School Council account by Sunday afternoon
e) Update external school sign in a timely fashion
f) Write articles for monthly school newsletter by the 10th of each month
Ward 16 Representative(s) – maximum of 2:
a) Be the Duke representative at monthly Ward 16 meetings, take notes and report key items (including PIAC initiatives)
at SAC meetings
b) Ensure that information from the school trustee gets distributed to the Duke parent community.
Teaching, Non-Teaching Staff and Community Representative:
Represent their respective staff group or local community’s perspectives and provide a link between the Duke SAC and their respective groups.
Principal/VP Designates:
Please refer to Section 5.6 of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s School Councils: A Guide for Members, 2001 for specific details.
I. Sub-Committees
1. The SAC may establish sub-committees as required to make recommendations to the SAC and to carry out SAC projects
on an as-needed basis.
2. Any member can chair a SAC sub-committee.
3. All SAC sub-committees must include at least one elected Executive member.
4. All sub-committees must record the minutes of their meetings and provide them to the SAC Chair(s) within 5 days of the meeting.
5. Sub-committee meetings must be open and accessible to the public.
J. Conflict of Interest
1. A conflict of interest may be actual, perceived or potential.
2. SAC members shall declare any 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 decisions of the SAC.
3. A member shall exclude herself/himself from discussions in which:
a) A conflict of interest is likely to result,
b) The member’s ability to carry out his/her duties and responsibilities as a member of SAC may be jeopardized,
c) The SAC member, his/her relatives, or a business entity in which the member may have an interest, may gain or
benefit either directly or indirectly as a result of actions that may be taken by the principal or board in response to
advice that the SAC provides to the principal or board,
d) A member shall not accept favours or economic benefits from any individual organizations, or entities known to be
seeking business contracts with the school.
K. Conflict Resolution
1. Every SAC member shall be given an opportunity to express his/her concern or opinion about the issue at dispute and how
the dispute has affected him/her.
2. The Chair’s responsibility is to clarify the statements made by all speakers, to identify common ground among the points of
view raised, and to set out the joint interests of all members.
3. If no common ground can be identified, the Chair shall seek to clarify preferences for all members before proceeding.
4. If all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success, the Chair shall request intervention of an
independent third party to assist in achieving a resolution.
5. An independent third party may be a board official or another individual mutually agreed on by the parties involved in the dispute.
6. If an SAC member becomes disruptive during a meeting, the Chair, after unsuccessfully asking for order, shall direct the
individual member(s) to leave the meeting, citing reasons for the request. This does not prevent the member(s) from
participating in future SAC meetings.
7. When the Chair has requested the removal of a member(s) from the meeting, the Chair shall request that the disputing
members of the SAC participate in a special meeting, the purpose of which shall be to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution
to the dispute. Such a meeting may be a private meeting, and shall not be construed as a meeting of the SAC.
L. Finances
1. The SAC shall be self-supporting and shall hold as many fundraising events as necessary to carry out its activities
and programs which support the Purpose and Objectives of the SAC.
2. SAC Expenditures are to be incurred only in the furtherance of the Objectives of the SAC.
3. All SAC expenditures require approval per the Decision-Making process outlined in Article F.3 with the exception of
those outlined in Article L.4.
4. Expenditure decisions of up to $250 can be made by the Executive to support SAC/school activities that arise during the
year. These expenditures must be reported in the Treasurer’s Report.
5. All revenue and expenditures are to be reported in the SAC’s annual PSAB financial statement.
6. The SAC shall not borrow funds or enter into any financial commitment for which funds are not already in hand.
7. The SAC shall maintain bank accounts from which SAC funds shall be deposited and from which payments by the SAC
shall be made. Cheques drawn on the bank account of the SAC shall require the signature of the Chair and the Treasurer.
The SAC shall house $400 in the school safe for use as floats for SAC activities. The float shall be deposited back into the
SAC bank account after the last SAC activity in June.
8. A verification of the financial records shall be carried out annually by a TDSB-appointed individual as part of the PSAB
submission process.
9. All monies collected by SAC shall be discreetly counted in the presence of at least 1 Executive and another parent
(excluding the Treasurer), verified by the Treasurer and then secured in a locked location until it can be deposited
into the SAC bank account.
10. The Duke of Connaught SAC shall have 2 signing officers: 1 Chair and 1 Treasurer
