Revised: September 21, 2001
Revised: September 28, 2004
Revised: October 24, 2007 (References to Board of Trustees changed to Board of Education)
Revised: June 23, 2010
Revised: May 26, 2015
Revised: February 16, 2016
Policy
The
School Act states that a Board must meet as often as is necessary to transact its business and must establish procedures governing the conduct of its meetings. A written copy of those procedures must be available to the public.
The Board shall conduct regular or special meetings at which all formal and legal business of the Board will be conducted. Regular meetings, scheduled in advance by the Board, shall be held monthly during the school year, usually on the third or fourth Tuesday of the month. An additional special meeting may be held at any time with the consent of all Trustees present at a properly called meeting of the Board, or if all Trustees holding office waive notice. Meetings will be held in July and August at the call of the Chair of the Board for urgent business only.
On the written request of a majority of Trustees, the Chair or the Secretary Treasurer may call special meetings on dates other than those of regularly scheduled meetings. All Trustees must be provided written notice no less than 24-hours in advance of the special meeting. No business other than that for which the meeting was called shall be conducted at such a special meeting.
Individual Trustees or groups of Trustees may also meet at working sessions, seminars, discussions with members of the public or staff, or as committees. Such gatherings and meetings are not considered meetings of the Board, and no official action of the Board may be taken on such occasions.
Trustee Seminars will be scheduled each month during the school year. Seminars will be of an informal discussion session with the Superintendent of Schools and the Board Chair setting the dates and agenda in consultation with Trustees. No minutes will be taken.
In-Camera Meetings
Meetings of the Board are open to the public unless, in the opinion of the Board, the public interest so requires that persons other than Trustees should be excluded from a meeting. Such matters include those where privacy of employees, students, parents or others need to be respected or matters subject to negotiations (e.g., labour contracts, land sales) or litigation. The Secretary Treasurer or another employee designated by the Board must be present at the time that a decision of the Board is rendered and must record any decision. Minutes of such meetings shall be kept in the same manner as those of a regular meeting, but shall be approved or amended only in an in-camera session. Minutes of in-camera meetings shall be filed separately from those of regular meetings.
The Board will prepare a record containing a general statement as to the nature of the matters discussed and the general nature of the decisions reached at in-camera meetings. The record will be open for inspection by members of the public by appointment with the Secretary Treasurer.
Inaugural Meeting
The inaugural meeting will be scheduled no earlier than the first Monday after November 1st in a general school election year. Immediately following the swearing-in of Trustees-elect, the Secretary Treasurer or the Secretary Treasurer’s designate shall act as temporary Chair to call the meeting to order. After ascertaining that the credentials of those seated at the Board table are in order, the Secretary Treasurer shall call for nominations for the position of Chair of the Board for the ensuing year. If there is more than one (1) nomination, the election shall proceed by secret ballot. When the election has been concluded, the newly elected Chair of the Board shall preside at the inaugural meeting.
The Board shall then conduct such business as is pertinent and urgent, including election of the Vice-Chair of the Board. Provision will also be made for Trustees to indicate committee preferences to the Chair.
Audiovisual Recording of Regular and Special Meetings
The Board shall adopt administrative procedures for conduct of its regular, special, and standing committee meetings and will review these on an annual basis.
Annual Review of Policy
The Board will review this Policy on an annual basis.
Resources
