Board Statutory & Board Standing Committees
Statutory Committees
Statutory Committees are established under Provincial Regulations and have mandates, composition, and terms of reference as required by the Regulations.
Statutory Committees of the Board include the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), Audit Committee, and Supervised Alternative Learning Committee (SAL).
Standing Committees
Standing Committees may be established by the Board and comprised of Board members as well as non-members of the Board. Standing Committees are established to consider, on an ongoing basis, a specific fixed area of the Board's operation.
Standing Committees of the Board shall include: Board Student Discipline Committee, Board Policy Review Committee (BPRC), Native Education Advisory Committee (NEAC), Occupational Health and Safety Committee (OH&S), Transportation Committee, Education Committee, and Business Committee.
SEAC: Special Education Advisory Committee (Statutory)
Each Board in the Province of Ontario is required to establish a Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) as defined in Ontario Regulation 464/97 made under the Education Act, Special Education Advisory Committees. All SEAC meetings are open to the general public and may take place by teleconference, videoconference, face-to-face, or a combination of the three methods. Meetings normally take place the second Tuesday of the month.
SEAC members consist of local associations as well as trustees and resource personnel. Members are required to attend, participate, review and make recommendations on a variety of subject matters as it relates to Special Education in our communities. Some activities include but are not limited to, reviewing the ²Ýݮֱ²¥ Special Education Plan, reviewing Special Education budgets, participating in professional development, corresponding with other boards and advocating system needs. SEAC meetings foster equity and human rights practices for all students in ²Ýݮֱ²¥.
PIC: Parent Involvement Committee (Statutory)
The Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is to support, encourage and enhance parent engagement at the board level in order to improve student achievement and well-being. This will be achieved by providing:
· Information and advice on parent engagement to the board;
· Communicating with and supporting school councils of schools of the board; and
· Understanding activities to help parents of pupils of the board support their children’s learning at home and at school.
Membership
a) The number of parent members specified in the by-laws of the committee (parent members must constitute a majority of the members of a PIC);
b) The director of education;
c) One trustee and one alternate appointed by the Board; and
d) The number of community representatives specified in the by-laws of the committee.
Meetings:
PICs are to meet at least 4 times in each school year. Meetings are to be held in public and no meeting may be held unless the following members are present: a majority of parent members present, the director of education (or designate) and the board member (or his/her designate).
Audit Committee (Statutory)
The primary role of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board of Trustees in fulfilling its duties related to governance and oversight.
Duties of the Audit Committee include reviewing the financial reporting process, internal controls, internal auditing, external auditing, compliance matters, risk management and any other board proposed activity.
The Audit Committee is also responsible for recommending approval of the financial statements to the Board of Trustees.
Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) Committee (Statutory)
Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) Committee: is a statutory Board committee that meets on an as-required basis. The committee consists of a Trustee as an appointed member, another Trustee as the alternate, the Director of Education or Superintendent of Education, and at least one community representative who is not a member or employee of the Board. The committee is supported by attendance counsellors, and school principals, as needed, who serve as resources.
The SAL program is intended to re-engage young people fourteen to seventeen years old who are not attending school and who are therefore at risk of not graduating. School principals assist students and their parents/guardians in created an alternative program for a student that can include, an educational, work, and/or counselling component, designed to re-engage the student, allow them to learn self-management skills, and to continue on the road to graduation. Committee members hear about the proposed plan from the principal, student, and parent/guardian, and decide whether to accept the plan or not.
BPRC: Board Policy Review Committee (Standing)
The Superior-Greenstone DSB Board Policy Committee is a standing committee responsible to the board for developing policies that outline how ²Ýݮֱ²¥ will successfully function. School Boards are responsible for facilitating the policy development and review process, which involves
- Ensuring that board policies are consistent with the Education Act and Regulations and other legislation;
- Reviewing policies to ensure that they are still relevant;
- Reviewing policies to ensure that they conform to the criteria for board governance policies; and
- Ensuring that policies have been implemented effectively.
Membership:
a) Trustees as determined by the board;
b) The chair of the board, as an ex officio member; and
c) The director of education and/or the director’s designate(s) as the administrative liaison for the Board Policy Committee.
Meeting: Meetings are held every two months or as needed, as determined by the committee.
IEAC: Indigenous Education Advisory Committee (Standing)
Superior-Greenstone DSB recognizes the importance of co-operation and communication between Indigenous partners and is committed to the implementation of the Ontario First Nation, Metis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework. Within this framework are key strategies including:
- Increase the capacity of ²Ýݮֱ²¥ to respond to the learning and cultural needs of Indigenous students;
- Improve achievement among Indigenous students;
- Provide curriculum about contemporary and traditional Indigenous cultures, histories, and perspectives among all students, also contributing to awareness among school board staff, teachers, and elected trustees; and
- Facilitate increased participation by Indigenous parents, students, communities, and organizations in working to support student success.
Recommended Participants:
- Trustees;
- Director of Education;
- Indigenous students, parents;
- Community stakeholders;
- Indigenous community representation;
- Indigenous Education Lead; and
- Board staff aligned with Indigenous education
Meeting:
Meetings will be held at least 4 times per year.
Occupational Health and Safety Committee (Standing)
A joint health and safety committee (JHSC) is composed of worker and employer representatives. Together, they should be mutually committed to improving health and safety conditions in the workplace. Committees identify potential health and safety issues and bring them to the employer's attention and must be kept informed of health and safety developments in the workplace by the employer. As well, a designated worker member of the committee inspects the workplace at least once a month.
The committee is an advisory body that helps to stimulate or raise awareness of health and safety issues in the workplace, recognizes and identifies workplace risks and develops recommendations for the employer to address these risks. To achieve its goal, the committee holds regular meetings and conducts regular workplace inspections and makes written recommendations to the employer for the improvement of the health and safety of workers.
Education Committee
Education Committee: meets on an ad hoc basis regarding business that is pertinent to the education of students. Chaired by a Trustee, the committee also includes Superintendents of Education, and other Board staff who serve as resources to the committee. Reports in this committees relate to the on-going educational successes of students in the Board, and include the following: EQAO results, graduation rates, the staffing and organization of Elementary and Secondary schools, etc.