School Community Councils
A Resource for SCC Chairs and School Administrators
Download PSSD SCC Handbook Here
Introduction
School Community Councils (SCCs) are school-based advisory bodies that involve parents, students, community members and school staff, working together on issues that affect student learning and community well-being.
A School Community Council (SCC) is one mechanism where shared responsibility will enhance the learning success and wellbeing of all children and youth.
SCCs provide advice and recommendations to the Board, school staff and other organizations about the learning needs and wellbeing of students.
SCCs are required in every school and develop a sense of shared responsibility for student outcomes. SCCs bring a new appreciation for what can be accomplished collaboratively in a way that suits your own unique community.
SCCs work with parents and community members to:
• share responsibility for the success and well-being of all children and youth; and,
• encourage parent, community and youth engagement in school planning and improvement.
Research show that students have greater success when parents are involved and engaged at the school level supporting their child’s learning.
School Community Council Roles and Responsibilities
School Community Councils work co-operatively with schools to support opportunities for student learning, growth and wellbeing. The general duties and powers of SCCs are outlined in The Education Act, 1995, The Education Regulations, 2019, and the Ministry of Education’s School Community Council Support Centre.
In Prairie Spirit School Division, SCCs:
• Understand the community’s needs, objectives and resources to support student learning and well-being;
• Participate in the development and implementation of a school-level plan;
• Participate in training and development to build capacity; and
• Communicate annually about plans, activities and accomplishments.
SCCs play a significant role in school-level planning, including:
• Reviewing interpreted school-level student achievement data as it relates to the development of the school’s goals.
• Understanding the rationale and content of the school goals.
• Developing SCC activities that support school goals, student learning and well-being.
SCCs review the SCC Handbook each fall and complete the yearly planning guide. SCCs prepare, submit and make public an annual financial report and an annual report on student learning and well-being activities.
SCCs provide advice to the Board on policy, procedures or any other matter on which the Board seeks the perspective of the community. To support SCCs in carrying out their responsibilities, the principal is expected to share the following with SCCs:
• Information on school curricular and extra-curricular activities on an on-going basis.
• Interpreted school-level student achievement data as it relates to the development of the school, Division and provincial goals.
SCCs are strongly encouraged to prepare an annual financial plan (or budget) that aligns with the SCC’s annual activity plan. The financial plan should describe:
• Estimated revenues for the year by type (including the operating grant from the Board, fundraising proceeds and other revenue sources); and
• Estimates expenses for the year by type (for council operations and SCC-sponsored activities and events).
Fundraising activities as proposed by the school administration and/or the Student Council are to be reviewed in September and February of each year. The review of the fundraising plan is to include:
• A determination of the activities that financially benefit the school and those activities that support charitable causes.
• A determination of the coordination of efforts among schools, communities and other organizations and concerns regarding saturation of activities in the community and school.
Self-Assessment:
· SCCs are expected to engage in an ongoing process of self-assessment in order to ensure their effectiveness.
Meeting Procedures
Procedures are to be consistent with the requirements of The Education Act, 1995, and the policies of the Division.
· Minutes of annual meetings of SCCs are to be posted or available to the appropriate Learning Superintendent and Board Trustee as soon as is practicable after the meeting.
· The principal is to be in attendance at all meetings. If the principal is unable to attend a meeting, she/he is to inform the Chair of the SCC and name a designate for that meeting.
· To ensure effective, respectful, and efficient meetings, SCCs are encouraged to establish and review group meeting norms at the beginning of each school year. Suggestions include:
o Be solution focused
o Ensure every member has the chance to be heard
o Meetings are democratic
o Clear agenda (see Sample Agenda provided)
o Defined start/end times
Code of Conduct
The following points provide a sample “Code of Conduct”. Actual codes may vary to reflect local concerns and considerations.
1. The School Community Council is not a forum for the discussion of individual school personnel, students, parents or other individual members of the school community.
2. A person who accepts a position as a member of the School Community Council shall:
· Honour the role of the School Community Council.
· Endeavour to be familiar with the vision, mission and shared values of the School Division and perform their duties accordingly.
· Work to ensure that the well-being of all students is the primary focus in all decisions.
· Work to ensure that issues are resolved through due process.
· Strive to be informed and only share information that is reliable and correct.
· Respect all confidential information.
· Declare any conflict of interest.
· Support public education.
· Represent the school community in a positive way in all communication.
School Community Council Membership
The School Community Council membership includes two types of members, elected and appointed. At minimum, SCCs consist of:
• Five to nine elected parents and community members. The majority of these members must be parents or guardians of students that attend the school;
• Appointed members that include:
o The principal;
o One teacher; and
o One or two students from grades 10-12 (if applicable), and
• First Nations representative if students live on-reserve.
School Community Council Orientation, Training, and Development
One of the responsibilities of the SCC is to participate in orientation, training, and development. Each year, the SCC shall participate in the Fall Orientation and the Spring Assembly. Information on these events is shared with the Principal and SCC Chairperson.
Along with the Fall Orientation and Spring Assembly, SCCs are encouraged to participate in other training and development sessions as they become available.
SCCs may access their annual grant to support attendance in other training and networking opportunities related to SCCs.
School Community Council Linkage to Prairie Spirit Board of Education
To facilitate communication, Trustees shall make an effort to liaise with SCC’s at a minimum of one (1) meeting per year of each SCC in their subdivision. The Trustee shall inform the SCC’s chairperson of their wishes to attend a council meeting prior to the meeting date.
Board members are welcome to attend SCC meetings to communicate Board policies, priorities and initiatives, but are not members of the SCC.
When individual Trustees attend SCC meetings, they do so in a non-voting role and as observers; and do not have the authority to speak for the Board, unless provided with such authority by motion of the Board. No Trustee can serve as a voting member of a SCC.
The Board approves of individual Board members attending SCC meetings in order to:
• Enhance communication with SCCs.
• Enhance the development of educational governance across the Division.
• Create, develop, and maintain an effective network between the various groups that are part of the Division.
• Help clarify and reinforce the Board’s role, Division protocols, Board directions and initiatives.
The Board will seek input from SCCs on items that the Board deems appropriate.
SCCs are to communicate with the Board of Education through their in-school administrators. For the purposes of appropriate communication and awareness, SCCs have the opportunity to address the Board using the Board’s procedure to meet with delegations.
To further facilitate communication:
· The Board may seek community perspectives by asking SCCs or their representatives to discuss, provide feedback and/or information on various matters dealing with the provision of educational services to students.
· The Board or Director of Education may seek SCC input into the creation of Board policy or administrative procedures, depending on the nature of policy or procedures being developed.
· The Division will support SCCs in their work through information sharing and professional development opportunities organized by the Director of Education or designate.
Guidelines for School Community Council Elections
Election timeframe
An election timeframe will be shared with schools each year. Typically, SCC elections are to occur during the first two weeks of May.
Your chosen election date must be publicized four (4) weeks prior to the date of the SCC election.
Terms
SCC members are elected for a two-year term and these terms should be staggered so that not all positions on your SCC are up for election at the same time (i.e. only half of your elected positions
should be up for election every year).
A staggered election allows for continuity in the elected body.
Nominations
Nomination forms will be shared annually with all PSSD schools.
The Prairie Spirit Board of Education has not adopted any procedures requiring nominations to take place prior to the actual SCC election meeting. Therefore, nominations will be accepted four weeks prior to the SCC election meeting and up to and including the date of the actual public meeting.
Candidates
Persons eligible to vote and run for School Community Council includes:
· parents of students who are enrolled in the school (including parents who do not reside within the attendance area of the school);
· electors that reside within the school attendance area.
Administration of election
Each school must appoint an Election Supervisor/Officer to handle the collection and safe storage of candidate nominations and related information, preparation of ballots, arrangements for ballot distribution and counting, dispute resolution (contested election), provisions for breaking election ties and the official destruction of ballots.
This role cannot be filled by the Principal, as he or she is already a member of the SCC. At its regular meeting on March 3, 208, The Prairie Spirit Board of Education directed the Principal to select a staff member to be the Election Supervisor/Officer for the School’s community council elections.
Administrative arrangements for the SCC election are the responsibility of the school. They include:
· Making arrangements for the Public Meeting, including providing information materials, designating a location and making necessary equipment available;
· Providing for voter registration and distribution of ballots;
· Conducting the Public Meeting to elect the School Community Council in a formal manner, since it is instituted under the authority of The Education Act, 1995; and
· Considering the rules of order, naming the chairperson, and setting the agenda.
School Community Council Finances
SCC Funding and Expenditures
The Board of Education provides each School Community Council with an annual grant which provides operational funds for the SCC. The local SCC must establish an annual budget for these funds. These funds are to be used to promote the work of the SCC and its operation in each school. Prairie Spirit’s guidelines for the use of these funds follow the expectations set out by the Ministry of Education.
For example, the funds can be used to cover postage, paper, photocopying, posters or SCC newsletters. The annual grant funds can be used to pay for refreshments for SCC meetings or to pay for a guest speaker who could speak to parents and the community on a topic relevant to the school’s goals. The funds are not to be used for fundraising activities for the school.
Prairie Spirit School Division’s policy regarding the SCC Grants states:
2. Purpose of Funds
a. Vehicle expense allowance for out-of-community events and meetings. Per diem is not included.
b. Communication and public relations
c. Memberships in provincial organizations
d. Conference attendance and professional development e. incidental expenses such as postage and printing.
Fundraising
Fundraising is not an activity to be carried out by SCCs. SCCs should act in consultation with the school to approve any fundraising initiatives for the school year. The school council, as a whole, must decide the extent to which its purpose is likely to be enhanced or compromised as a result of fundraising efforts.
Members who serve on a school community council can also serve on fundraising society, and vice versa, unless the constitution of either organization prohibits it.
School Community Council Activity Examples
The following is a list of various activities that SCCs have planned, supported and/or faciltated in Prairie Spirit schools. It is not an exhaustive list and we would love to continue to grow and share our list of ideas!
• Monthly SCC newsletter and/or Calendar
• Local Newspaper articles including SCC sponsored events
• Book Exchange / Community Book Drive
• Parent/Student Book Clubs
• One School, One Book
• Reading fairs with guest readers
• Book and Breakfast or Lunch and Learn activities with parents/community members
• Supporing writing goals – providing writing folders and pencils with words of encouragement and hope on them
• Reviewing OurSchool Survey and finding ways to help address possible concerns
• Hosting parent information nights
o Literacy / Math / Mental Health / Emotional Wellness / Social Media
• Family Nights
o Movies / Games / Carnival / Author Visits / BBQs
• Community Day (outdoor winter activities, spring BBQ & carnival)
• Scavenger Hunts
o Clues are spread through out a community in relation to a book, school goal, physical fitness, etc.. (family scavenger hunt)
• Fairs
o Health Fair / Career Fair / Cultural Fair
• Clubs
o Cooking / Beading / Card making / Reading
• Nutrition / Healthy Eating Activities / Mindfulness activities
• Inclusion and Diversity awareness activities
• Organizing weekly gym nights for parents and students to participate together
• Parent University and Parent PD related to MPSC
• Learning Walks
• Asset maps / knowledge keeper surveys (who are our parents/families/community members and what strengths/knowledge can they bring to our school, our students, our learning?)
• Babysitting service for meetings / events
• Participating in the annual Learning For Life Presentations in May
• Developing partnerships (community and beyond)