Effective Date: June 14, 1999
Amended: March 23, 2001
Responsibility: Superintendent of Program and Schools
1.0 Rationale:
This guideline contains specific directions about responsibilities and communications related to planning and facilitating Near North School Council Forums described in Board Policy.
2.0 Organizing the Annual Training Forum:
The Board will organize an annual Forum in the three areas of the Board (North Bay, South River, and Parry Sound) in early October to provide training for School Council members on the role of School Councils and on the specific role of the Chair. To facilitate this process, the following steps will be taken:
2.1 Superintendents will determine the dates and sites for the annual October training Forums. This information will be provided by the September Principals’ meeting to principals for sharing with their School Councils.
2.2 Superintendent(s) will establish one or more committees to deliver the annual training in the three areas. Efforts will be made to have membership on the organizing committee(s) representative of trustees, experienced School Council Chairs, supervisory officers, and principals.
2.3 Principals will provide the names of their School Council executive members to the Board Office by September 30th.
2.4 Principals will provide to the Superintendents by September 30th the names of their School Council members who will attend the training Forums and will indicate which area Forum these members will be attending.
2.5 The costs of the training session (e.g., materials, refreshments) will be a central Board expense. There is no funding available for travel expenses for School Council members.
2.6 The training components will include such items as:
2.6.1 Roles and Responsibilities of the School Council
2.6.2 Roles and Responsibilities of School Council Chair
2.6.3 Roles and Responsibilities of School Council Members
2.6.4 Roles and Responsibilities of the School Principal
2.6.5 North School Council Forums
2.6.6 Setting Priorities
2.6.7 Strategies for Productive Meetings
2.6.8 Ways to Make Decisions
2.6.9 The Team Approach
2.6.10 Communication Strategies
2.6.11 Conflict Resolution
2.7 At the end of each training Forum, participants have the opportunity to evaluate the Forum, to provide suggestions for topics at future training Forums, and to indicate the degree of interest that exists for planning of a Forum in May of the school year. The May Forum would celebrate best practices and review the school year. If there is sufficient interest, the organizing committee would make the plans and facilitate the Forum.
3.0 Initiating and Organizing Other School Council Forums:
Any School Council can initiate additional School Council Forums during the school year. The process for facilitating these Forums is as follows:
3.1 The School Council makes the decision to ask for a School Council Forum. The Chair then informs the school’s principal of:
3.1.1 the purpose for the Forum,
3.1.2 the School Councils to whom the invitation should be extended (e.g., all School Councils in the Board; all School Councils in a family of schools),
3.1.3 the specific School Council members who are being asked to participate (e.g., all members; Chairs and Principals) and
3.1.4 the proposed date/site.
3.2 The school principal will forward the request for a Forum to the Superintendent who will survey the invited School Councils to determine who will participate.
3.3 When two or more School Councils have indicated their intentions to participate in a School Council Forum, the Superintendent will facilitate the planning through a committee whose membership would include the Chair and Principal of the School Council initiating the request for the Forum.
3.4 The organizing committee will draw up the agenda for the Forum and will extend formal invitations and the agenda to the School Councils who had indicated the intention to participate. The invitations should be sent at least two weeks prior to the Forum to allow each School Council time to discuss the agenda and to make plans to attend.
3.5 The planning committee will provide the Director of Education with the proposed agenda and request the Director to invite the Trustees to the forum. (Revised March 23, 2001)
3.6 The costs of these Forums will be the responsibility of the participating School Councils and their schools.
