School Community Councils Roles and Responsibilities March 23, 24, 2009

Agenda Overview of School Community Councils Roles and Responsibilities Self-monitoring and Evaluation Networking Session Questions

Role of the Board Establish School Community Councils in each school; Create governing policies and procedures specific to SCCs; Appoint a senior administrator to oversee SCCs; Establish a process for consulting and communicating with SCCs; Provide training for SCCs; Allocate funds for the operation of SCCs; Monitor and assess the success of SCCs.

SCC Information Update Privacy Act, Confidentiality Preferred Candidate Profiles Review of SCC governance and grounds funding Fundraising PSAB compliance

School Community Councils School Community Councils across the province provide a province-wide mechanism for parents, community members, school staffs and students to be actively Involved in local initiatives that positively impact student learning and success, including school-level learning Improvement Plans and career development initiatives. - Ministry of Education website

The Education Act, 1995 Establishment of school community councils Membership of school community council Terms of office Disqualification of members Duties and powers

Duties and Powers Every school community council shall: (a) facilitate parent and community participation in school planning; (b) provide advice to its board of education; (c) provide advice to its school’s staff; (d) provide advice to other agencies involved in the learning and development of pupils; and (e) comply with the regulations and the policies of its board of education.

Advising the Board of Education The advice Boards of Education may seek falls into three broad categories: Advice related to general Division-wide governing policy, operational procedure and decisions including the School Division strategic plan, budget and other specific initiatives; Advice on the educational program and its delivery and on religious observances and language of instruction within the school: and, Advice about the formation, structure and operations of the Council itself.

Advising the School & Community The Principal may request Council’s advice on extra-curricular programs, the family-life curriculum, supports and enhancements for the learning program and e-learning opportunities. A Regional Health District may seek a Council’s input on wellness initiatives for children and youth. Community Recreation Boards and Library Boards may request advice regarding recreation and family literacy programs.

School Division Strategic Plan Horizon School Division Strategic Goals: Focus on Learning Student Success Effective Instruction and Administration Supportive Professional Climate Engaged Parents and Communities Fiscal Accountability and Sustainability

Board Protocol Policy Development and Review Committee - Reviewing the current Board Protocol Manual, with a view to separate policy statements from procedures. The committee will be undertaking to renew Policy statements in the following areas: Governance Students Human Resources Technology School Community Councils Transportation Facilities The deadline for submissions is March 31, Please provide submissions both in writing and electronically to Marc Danylchuk.

Division Admin Procedures Pleased to announce that the electronic version of the Admin Manual is now available. The new Admin Manual can be found in First Class / Division Conference / Admin Procedures Also on line at both Division and Staff categories)

School Division Budget The provincial budget announcement last week made provision for reducing the burden on property tax for education funding – something this Board and its administration applauds and supports wholeheartedly. We caution that the elimination of a school division mill rate may have deleterious consequences downstream. Boards may be forced to find revenue by reducing programs, cutting staff, closing schools or some combination of the aforementioned.

Learning Improvement Plan Learning Improvement Plans are expected to be informed by available data. Includes: Demographic information about the community, identification of student learning and well-being supports that might be provided, compilation of community-based supports for learning and ways to assist parents as they support their children’s learning. This data is factual and both the plan and results are to be made public.

Learning Improvement Plan Steps School Community Councils and others may wish to follow as they go about jointly developing, implementing and evaluating the Learning Improvement Plan: 1. Reviewing the School Community Profile 2. Establishing Beliefs and Creating a Vision 3. Reassessing Needs Based on the Vision 4. Developing Objectives 5. Creating an Action Plan 6. Identifying Program Supports 7. Submitting the Plan to the Board for Approval 8. Monitoring/Evaluating and Communicating Accomplishments to the School Community

School Policies “School Community Councils do not discuss, consider or provide advice about complaints or about personal, confidential information about students, parents, teachers and other staff of the school.” –Local Accountability and Partnerships Panel, 2005

Student Code of Conduct Most schools will have already established a Student Code of Conduct. School Community Councils should seek the Principal’s advice about the need to review the Student Code of Conduct as it may be satisfactory in its present form. On the other hand, the Principal and Council may believe this would be a good time to undertake a review and updating of the Code. Such a project takes time but does provide an opportunity for student and parent engagement in the life of the school. In either case, the Council will need to discharge its responsibility to provide its approval for the Student Code of Conduct.

School Closure and Grade Discontinuance The SCC can give consent to a school closure/grade discontinuance or withhold consent. Consent means that the board of education may proceed directly to school closure/grade discontinuance. Lack of consent means that the review process mandated in The Education Act, 1995 and described in the School Review Handbook must be followed.

School Closure and Grade Discontinuance The school community council’s responsibilities include providing advice to the board of education, thus it can advise the board of education throughout the school review process. If a board decides to close a school or discontinue grades, the school community councils of both the closing school and the receiving school(s) may play a role in supporting transition planning to ensure continuity for all students, including those with special needs or unique situations. If a school closes, the school community council of that school is dissolved. The members of the dissolved school community council can, if they wish, stand for election to the school community council of a receiving school, the next time that school community council holds an election.

Religious Observances and Language of Instruction “In all cases, the advice provided by the School Community Council is expected to be provided at a general and school- wide level and the interests of all students must be taken into consideration. Care must be taken to ensure that a program or special initiative to support certain students does not detract from the opportunities provided for other students.” - A Handbook for School Community councils and Principals

School Fees Protocol 7-50 Each school administrator and School Community Council shall have the authority to annually establish school fees. Fees must be approved by the School Community Council and must not exceed the terms and conditions outlined by the Board of Education.

Concerns and Issues Currently Protocol If a parent has a concern about his/her child, he/she should: 1. First contact the child's teacher. 2. If not satisfied, contact the Principal. If not satisfied, contact the Designated Area Superintendent. If not satisfied, contact in person or in writing, the Director of Education. If not satisfied, contact in person or in writing the Board of Education.

Questions? Marc Danylchuk, Director of Education –Lanigan Central Office –Phone –Fax –

Roles and Responsibilities Understand the school and its community’s economic, social and health conditions and needs and their aspirations for child and youth learning and well-being by becoming knowledgeable about resources and supports for the school, parents and community;

School Profile Student demographics Enrolment trends Languages spoken in the home School’s mission/vision statements School’s program priorities Programs and services offered School facilities Class sizes Staff allocations Rate of student turnover/transfer High school graduation rates Other relevant information

Community Profile Population demographics Level of stability or transience for the population Family services offered Traditions valued by the community Significant community achievements Recent innovations in the community Parent involvement in the school Other relevant information

The School Community Council shall: Jointly and in cooperation with the Principal and staff of the school, develop and recommend to the Board of Education for approval a Learning Improvement Plan that is aligned with the School Division strategic plan; Take action to fulfill initiatives assigned it within the Learning Improvement Plan;

Learning Improvement Plan Aligns with the Continuous Improvement Framework and Horizon School Division’s Strategic Plan; To improve student learning and well-being; Living document – improvement and growth over time; Goals and actions plans for academics and student well- being;

Data has value when: We use all of our data sources collectively and watch for emerging themes; We recognize and celebrate the emerging themes that appear as strengths; We recognize which of the emerging themes reflect the greatest needs; We share information appropriately with others; We identify school goals from the emerging themes best enabling the school to improve.

Data and School Improvement Planning School Achievement Goals (learning and well-being) Target area for school improvement Themes emerging from the data

Learning Improvement Plans and School Community Councils Information is shared with School Community Councils to enhance their knowledge and understanding; School Community Councils collaborate with the school to develop strategies to achieve the desired goals; School Community Councils develop community based supports for the desired goals.

Goals Reading goals and action plan Math goals and action plan Student well-being goal and action plan

Planning for Improvement Where are we? (data) What do we hope to accomplish? (goal) How will we get there? (action plan) How will we know when we get there? (monitor, adjust, renewal)

Action Plans SMART goals – specific, measureable, attainable, results oriented, time bound Identifies personnel involved Identifies strategies and actions taken Identifies areas for SCC involvement Awareness Specific tasks Engaging parents and community

The School Community Council shall: Communicate annually to the parents, guardians and community on its plans, initiatives and outcomes;

Reporting Hold an annual meeting in January/February Annual meeting – twofold purpose –Elections –Report to public Initiatives and accomplishments Expenditure of funds related to the operations of the SCC

Parent/Community Engagement Encourage and facilitate parent/community engagement in the school: Develop communication plan Gather information and input from parents and community members in activities directly related to learning improvement plan Coordinate presentations – parent focus (i.e. Early Learning and Literacy, Internet Safety, Nutrition) Curriculum Evening Presentations – Literacy, Math, Character Education, Assessment

The School Community Council shall: Participate in opportunities to develop the capacity of the School Community Council to fulfill its responsibilities.

Opportunities for Growth and Development Division wide in-service for Principals and SCC Chairpersons First Class Module learning Horizon website

SCC ‘To Do’ List Develop a continuous agenda

Continuum of SCC Development and Effectiveness Level 1 – Informing At this level, the School Community Council is informed about the school improvement plan. Knowledge of the planning process and the school learning improvement plan is limited. Communication is primarily one-way.

Continuum of SCC Development and Effectiveness Level 2 – Involving At this level, the school administrator provides the SCC with a greater understanding of the planning process and the current school learning improvement plan. There are opportunities to ask questions. Communication is two-way.

Continuum of SCC Development and Effectiveness Level 3 – Engaging At this level, in addition to Level 2, the SCC is engaged in a discussion with administration. The question is asked, “How can the SCC support the priorities in the plan and facilitate parent and community engagement in school planning and improvement processes?” The ultimate goal is to have the SCC written into the plan and responsible for an activity /action to support a priority in the plan.

Networking Success stories Submissions from Councils Table talk – guide for discussion

Question Period FAQ’s Questions from the floor - Panel