The school principal must be a member of the school council, as he or she is an
important link between the council and the school. In fact, a meeting cannot be
considered a meeting of the school council unless the principal or delegated vice-principal is in attendance. However, the principal is not a voting member of
the council.
Some important roles played by the principal:
- Acting as an important source of information. The principal is perhaps the
key source of information for the school council. He or she is the council’s best link
to finding out about the Education Act and its regulations, Ministry directives, laws,
school policies, board policies, the school profile, school improvement plans and
other new initiatives at the school and at the board level. By sharing knowledge and
acting as a resource, the principal is able to provide the school council with the
information required to be effective. Principals should be prepared to answer
questions and volunteer information on any matter being discussed by their councils.
The better informed a council is, the better it will be able to provide the principal
with good advice and contribute to the effective operation of the school.
- Receiving and responding to school council recommendations. School
council members have many and diverse interests, and may make recommendations
on any matter. In addition to the mandatory areas of consultation, other examples of
areas that might be considered by the school council include the scheduling of
school special events and school policies regarding field trips. Good principals have
always taken the recommendations made by school councils into account when
making decisions; however, according to Regulation 298, principals are now required
to report back on the actions taken or not taken in response to school council
recommendations. Although to take action or not is still the principal’s decision, the
principal must provide the council with an explanation of how its recommendations
have been considered or why a recommendation was not acted upon.
- Attending school council meetings. The principal is required to attend and
participate in every school council meeting or to delegate this responsibility to a vice-principal. This requirement acknowledges the important role that principals play in
providing support and continuity for their school councils. The principal and vice-principal may both choose to attend the meetings; however, only one of them can
represent the school at the meeting in his or her official capacity.
Principals (or vice-principals) are not eligible to vote on any matters being discussed
by their school councils, as it is not appropriate that the principal vote on the advice
that he or she is given by the school council (e.g. regarding the school’s policy on
homework for students).
- Delegating authority. In addition to attendance at council meetings, the
principal may delegate other powers or duties related to the school council to a vice-principal. This is to ensure that the school council is supported by the
administration.
- Ensuring that the school council is in place It is important that the school
council be ready early in the school year to begin its work with the principal on the
many significant areas identified in the Regulation. For this reason, school councils
must hold their elections within the first 30 days of the start of the school year. The
principal’s assistance to either an election committee or to the chair of the previous
year’s council will go a long way towards ensuring that school council membership is
in place within the 30-day time frame required.
- Notifying the community and posting materials for parents It is important
that the school community know the names of the parent representatives who were
elected. The principal must publish names of the school council members no later than 30 days following their election. This information may be posted on the school’s website and in the school, and may also be published in the first school newsletter sent out after the elections.
The principal can demonstrate his or her support of the council’s work by
encouraging the school council to prepare notices that can be sent home with
students for delivery to their parents and posted in an obvious place in the school for
parents to examine. Council news can also be included in the school newsletter.
The principal is legally obligated to notify the school community of the following
information related to the school council:
- the date, time and location of the school council elections, at least 14
days before the election date
- the results of the school council election (the names of the members elected to
the school council), no later than 30 days following the school council
election
- the dates, times and locations of all regular school council meetings and
committee meetings
- the annual school council report, including a report of fundraising activities
and financial statements, if applicable.
- Providing information As school councils frequently experience changes in
membership as students move on to new schools and as parents find new interests,
new council members will have to be briefed on the work of the council. As well,
parents new to a school may wish to learn about some of the priorities and activities
undertaken by the school council in the past. For these reasons, the following
information, which will help parents learn about the evolution and actions of their
school council, must be stored in the school and made available for a minimum of four years:
- school council and committee meeting minutes
- financial transactions/records.
A council may decide that other documents would also be of value for reference.
These might include the following:
- school council agendas
- school council annual reports
- school profiles
- position papers that were prepared for board consideration or submission to
the Ministry of Education and the provincial bodies.
The above information should be readily available to parents wishing to learn more
about the history of their school council. Regardless of where the material is kept,
whether it be in the resource centre or in another location in the school, parents
should be made aware of the location and should have easy access to this material.
- Developing a school profile Another important activity in which principals can
involve school councils is to invite them to participate in the development of the
school profile. Their participation will help them gain an understanding of the needs
of the school, an insight into the unique characteristics of their school community,
and an understanding of the demographics and other aspects of the school
environment. Many schools have found that developing a school profile can be
especially helpful in recruiting community representatives and other school council
members, during the improvement planning process or when preparing for a new
principal or vice-principal. A school profile will also help a council identify the
resources that the community might have available or suggest strategies that might be
included in the school’s action plan. A school profile can include any combination of
information but usually includes at least the following:
- student demographics
- enrolment trends
- languages spoken in the home and the ethnic composition of the community
- the school’s and/or board’s mission statement
- the school’s program priorities
- programs offered in the school (e.g. guidance, library services)
- school facilities
- class sizes
- the rate of student turnover or transfer.
A school council can help ensure that the school profile is kept up-to-date. By doing
so, the school profile can demonstrate over time how changes in any one area have
impacted on the school as a whole.
(Source: School Councils, A Guide for Members. 2002. Ministry of Education, pp. 3.5–3.7)