| ---------------------------------------CSAC Constitution
|
download CSAC nomination form here (PDF format)
The name shall be Father John Redmond Secondary School & Regional Arts Advisory Council herein referred to as Òthe CouncilÓ.
Article II: Purpose of the Organization
In the spirit of the Mission and Vision Statements of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, the Catholic School Advisory Council shall function in an advisory role to improve student achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents by making recommendations to the Principal of the school and, where appropriate, the Board on any matter in accordance with the Education Act and the Policies, Guidelines and Operating Procedures of the Board.
Article III: Definitions
For purposes of this Constitution and By-laws, the following definitions shall apply:
q ÒBoardÓ shall refer to the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB).
q ÒSchoolÓ shall refer to Father John Redmond Catholic School.
q ÒThe CouncilÓ shall refer to the elected, appointed and ex-officio members of the Catholic School Advisory Council of the school.
q ÒCatholic School CommunityÓ shall include the following;
¤ The parent/guardians of students enrolled in the school;
¤ The school staff, including teaching and non-teaching personnel;
¤ The Pastor and the Parish designate;
¤ The school trustee;
¤ The students:
¤ All Separate School ratepayers within the area serviced by the school. Business and/or community organizations, which the Council may recognize for specific purposes.
Article IV: Membership
All members of the Council shall be elected or appointed by their constituent group as defined in Article III, the School Community, in accordance with the election procedures in this document, the Council shall endeavour to have its membership reflect the diversity of the school community.
Article V – Composition of the Council
The elected or appointed members shall carry out the business of the Council on behalf of the School Community.
1. Elected
Member
i) Parents/guardians
of students enrolled in the school, elected by parents/guardians in such numbers as to form
the majority of the council. The majority of parents
elected must
be Roman Catholic.
ii) A teaching staff representative, chosen by the teaching staff
iii) A non-teaching staff representative, chosen by the members of the
non-teaching
staff.
iv)
A student representative appointed by the student council may attend.
2.
Non-Voting Members
q Ex-officio members of The Council
q The Principal of the School or designate
q The Pastor or Parish designate
3.
Community Representatives
The Council shall welcome as community representative any member of the community
who wishes to regularly attend meetings.
4.
Ontario Association of Parent in Catholic Education
(O.A.P.C.E.)
One person appointed by the Council to act as liaison with the Ontario
Association of Parents in Catholic Education if the school is affiliated
with the association by virtue of school or Board membership.
Article VI: Election Procedures
1. Elections
shall occur within the first thirty days of the start of each school year. In
the case of a new school, the Principal shall form and chair the election
planning committee.
2. Each
parent/guardian seeking election must be nominated or self-nominated in
writing, must have a child registered at the school, and must declare if he or
she is employed by the school board.
3. Each
parent/guardian of a student enrolled in the school shall be entitled to vote
for each elected position on the council.
4. Before
the school year ends, the Council shall prepare for elections and will:
q
Ensure that the school community is notified of
election procedures and election date(s), location and time, at least fourteen
days in advance of the election;
q
Provide nomination forms;
q
Conduct the elections by secret ballot;
q
Keep all results and related information confidential.
q
All nominees must be present to be elected.
5. If
the number of candidates is less than or equal to the number of positions, the
candidates shall be acclaimed.
6. Appeals related to the school council election process or results will not be accepted after the evening of the election by the Principal and the elected council for that present year.
7. Selection
of the teaching staff representative:
Anyone assigned to the teaching staff of the school (full or part-time) other than the Principal or a vice-Principal may be chosen. Method of choice is determined by teaching staff.
8. Selection of the non-teaching staff representative:
Anyone assigned to the non-teaching staff of the school (full or part-time) may be chosen. Method of choice is determined by non-teaching staff.
9. Selection
of community representatives.
Any community members are welcome to be community representatives.
10. The names of new members will be publicized to the school community following the election.
11. At the first meeting of the new school council at the beginning of the year, the council shall set dates, times and locations for its meetings throughout the year and ensure that these are communicated to the community.
i)
Term of Office
The term of an elected or appointed member of the Council is one year. This term is
renewable
by re-election or re-appointment by the eligible electorate.
ii)
Vacancies
q
Vacancies in the membership of the Council shall be
filled by election or
appointment.
q A vacancy in the membership of the Council does not prevent it from exercising its authority.
iii)
Attendance
Any member of the Council who misses more than 2 consecutive meetings without sending
regrets, may be required to forfeit his/her position.
iv)
Consultation
The Council shall communicate regularly with parents and other members of the
Catholic school community to seek the views and opinions on matters being
addressed by the council so that the advice and recommendation provided to the Principal
and the board, are representative of the whole community.
Article VII: Executive Officers
The officers of the Council shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. However, the Council may choose to have two Co-Chairs. Positions may be shared or combined. The Executive Officers shall be elected annually by/and from the elected members of the Council.
1. Chair or Co-Chairs
The Chair of the Council (Co-Chairs) shall:
q Call council meetings in collaboration with the Principal
q Prepare the Agenda for Council meetings in collaboration with the Principal
q Chair council Meetings
q Ensure that the minutes of council meetings are recorded and maintained appropriately
q Ensure that records of all meetings and financial transactions are kept for a minimum of seven years and made available at the school for examination without charge to any person from the school community.
q Ensure that there is regular communication with the school community.
q Work collaboratively with the members of the Council to prepare and submit an annual written report on the activities of the Council, including fund raising, to the Principal and the board.
q Consult with senior board staff as required.
q Upon request, provide the local trustee with copies of the minutes of the meetings.
q In addition, the Chair shall act as spokesperson for the Council and carry out such other duties as shall be required from time to time.
2.
Vice-Chair
q The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair in the discharge of his/her duties and perform such other duties as may, be required by the Council.
q In the absence of The Chair/Co-Chairs, the Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of The Chair.
3.
Secretary
q The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Council, and shall deal with all correspondence or communications directed to or required of the Council.
q In addition, The Secretary shall collaborate with The Chair to ensure that all minutes and records of the Council are available at the school for examination by any person from the school community.
4.
Treasurer
q The Treasurer shall keep full and accurate accounts for all receipts and disbursements of the Council.
q The Treasurer shall be guided by Board Policy SM.04 Fund Raising in Schools in regard to banking and fund disbursements, in accordance with such requirements as may be imposed by the Board or other relevant authority.
q The Treasurer shall provide at regular meetings of the Council an account of all transactions of the Council, including the financial position.
q The Treasurer shall prepare a full Financial Statement for submission to the Internal Audit Committee of the Council at least two weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting in September.
q In the absence of The Chair /Co-Chairs, and Vice-Chair, the Treasurer shall assume the duties of The Chair.
5.
Conflict Resolution
The resolution of disagreements between members of the council on any issue, and in all matters of a disciplinary nature, shall be governed by the rules and practices of The BoardÕs Conflict Resolution Policy Regulation and Roberts Rules of Order. (21st Century Roberts Rules of Order. 1995). Produced by The Philip Lief Group Inc.
Article VIII: Meetings
The Council shall conduct its business at meetings held at the school. Meetings shall be accessible to all members of the school community.
1.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Council shall be held within the first thirty days of the school year. The following business shall be conducted:
q Annual Report of The Chair to Members
q Financial Reports
q Amendments to By-laws
q
Election
of parents/guardians to the Council.
q
The
Executive Officers and majority of parent members elected must be Roman
Catholic.
2.
Council Meetings
The elected members of the Council shall meet not less than four (4) times annually in addition to the Annual General Meeting (AGM). At the first meeting of the Council, (which must occur within thirty days following the election meeting),
the Executive Officers of the
Council shall be elected for the current year. Refer to Article V, points 2-4
for details on appointments.
The calendar of meetings for the
year shall be established at the first meeting of the elected Council. The Principal,
as an agent of the Board, shall not vote in the election of Executive Officers
nor on any matter for which a vote is taken. Employees of the Board may not be
Chair or Co-Chair of the Council. Employees of the board who do not work at the
school must have disclosed their employment on their nomination form or on the
evening of the election. Employees of the board who work at the school may not
be a community representative.
Each member of the Council shall
have the right to cast a single ballot on all matters properly arising at
meetings of the Council.
3.
Rules of Order
The Rules of Order used at all meetings of The Council shall be RobertÕs Rules of Order, insofar as they shall apply. (21st Century RobertÕs Rules of Order. 1995. The Philip Lief Group Inc.)
4.
Quorum
A Quorum shall be established for voting in accordance with the following:
A majority of the members present are parents
A majority of the members present are Roman Catholic
5.
Voting
Refer to Article VI.
The objective of the Council is to strive for consensus decision making wherever possible. When necessary, voting shall be by show of hands unless a member requests a secret ballot. A declaration by The Chair with regard to the outcome of all voting shall be entered into the minutes of the meeting.
6.
Attendance
All members of the school community are eligible to attend all meetings of the Council and to participate fully. The Principal of the school in consultation with The Chair shall give written notice of the dates, times and locations of council meetings to every parent/guardian on behalf of the Council.
Article IX: Committees
1.
Standing Committees
Standing Committees shall be
created to make recommendations to the Council on matters under consideration
by the Council in the current year.
2.
Special Committees
The Council shall strike Special Committees from time to time to meet specific objectives and to make recommendations to the Council. The Council shall appoint the Chair of each Special Committee. Members of the committee shall be recruited and appointed by the Committee Chair subject to the approval of the Council. A person not a member of the Council may be a member of a Special Committee.
Article X: Notice of Meetings
The Principal of the school, on behalf of the Council, shall give notice of the date, time and location of meetings of the Council to every parent of pupils enrolled in the school on the date the notice is given. A notice shall be posted in the school in a place accessible to parents.
Article XI: Financial Matters
1.
Remuneration
Members of the Council and members of Standing or Special Committees of the Council shall receive no remuneration for execution of their duties to the Council. Reimbursement for expenses incurred in the normal course of duty as a member of council shall be made in accordance with Board policy when such policy is established.
2.
Signing Authority
The following shall be authorized to sign cheques (one person from each of group (a) and (b) shall sign each cheque) in accordance with Policy S.M.04 Fund Raising in Schools.
a) Two parents on the Executive Committee of the Catholic School Advisory Council, usually the Treasurer and Chair (or Co-Chair).
b) Two staff representatives from the school namely the Principal and designate.
Article XII: Recommendations to
the Principal and the Board
The Council may make recommendations to the Principal and, where appropriate, to the Board on any matter.
When after considerations and study of the issue, the Council determines it wishes to make a formal recommendation; it shall do so in writing using a format provided by the Board for the purpose or one of its own design. It is the expectation of the Council that they will receive a written response in a timely manner indicating the action taken in response to the recommendation.
Article XIII: Consultation with
the Council
Where the Board or the Principal are required to seek the views of the Council in developing and revising policies, the Council shall review and provide recommendations.
Article XIV: Amendments to the
Constitution and Bylaws
The constitution and By-laws may only be amended at the Annual General Meeting. The proposed amendments must be placed on the agenda of the A.G.M., provided, notice in writing of the proposed amendment(s) shall have reached the Secretary or The Chair of the Council 10 Days before the A.G.M. Amendments must be approved by the majority of the members of the Council. Copies of amendments shall be distributed to the school community at least ten days before the A.G.M.
Article XV: Incorporation
The Catholic School Advisory
Council shall not incorporate.
Article XVI: Repeal and
Dissolution
1. Repeal
All previous By-laws of the Council are hereby repealed and replaced by this By-law and any amendments thereto.
2.
Dissolution
The Council shall be dissolved and cease to exist in the event that Father John Redmond ceases to operate as a school.
In the event of dissolution of the Council, the disposal of funds in the Treasury will be in accordance with the direction of members in attendance at a Special General Meeting of the Council called for the purpose of dissolution. Written notice of the purpose of such meeting shall include disclosure of the amounts to be dispersed at such meeting. The notice shall have been sent to all members of the school community at least 14 days prior to the date of the Special General Meeting. Disposition of assets are to be distributed to neighbouring schools based on percentage.
Father John Redmond Catholic
School
28 Colonel Samuel Smith Park
Drive
Etobicoke, ON
Date: September 18, 2007
for
position of: ______________________________________________________
Name: _______________________________________________
Phone
number: _______________________________________________
Email
Address: _______________________________________________
I am an
employee of the TCDSB
___yes ___no
Name: _______________________________________________
Phone
number: _______________________________________________
Email
Address: _______________________________________________
I am an
employee of the TCDSB
___yes ___no