235: Board Operations
POLICY
The Board’s ability to discharge its obligations in an efficient and effective manner is dependent upon the development and implementation of a sound organization design. The meetings of the Board must be held in public and no person shall be excluded from them except for improper conduct (Education Act 64 (1)).
There are times when public interest is best served by private discussion of specific issues through in-camera sessions. It is necessary to protect individual privacy and the Board's own position in negotiating either collective agreements or contracts and therefore the Board may go in-camera for issues dealing with individual students, individual employees, land, labour, litigation or negotiation.
The Board believes that effectiveness and transparency of decision-making are facilitated by conducting regular and committee meetings (virtually and in-person) as often as is necessary to deal adequately with its business (Board Procedures Regulation 82/2019) with clearly defined procedures that are communicated clearly to the public.
GUIDELINES
1. The Board will follow Robert’s Rules of Order for operational procedures during Public Board and Board Committee meetings except where applicable legislation provides different or additional directives (Board Procedures Regulation 82/2019).
2. The organizational meeting of the Board shall be held annually at the August Board meeting, except in an election year, where it will be held within 4 weeks of election date. The agenda for this meeting is found in Appendix A.
2.1 An official swearing-in ceremony shall be scheduled following confirmation of trustee election results in a general election year.
2.1.1 Each trustee shall take the oath of office or make an affirmation as called upon in accordance with the agenda.
2.1.2 Special swearing-in provisions shall be made for a trustee taking office following a by-election.
3. The Board will establish, by resolution at the Annual Organizational Meeting, the dates, start time, standing adjournment time, and place of the regular meetings of the Board. The format for the agendas of these meetings is found in Appendix B.
4. The Board will acknowledge the Treaty 6 territory with the Treaty 6 Acknowledgement Statement at the Annual Organizational Meeting.
5. A quorum, which is a simple majority of the number of trustees, must be present for every duly constituted meeting.
6. All meetings will ordinarily be held in the Division Office in Morinville.
7. Meetings of the Board shall not be held without the Superintendent and/or designate(s) in attendance, unless the Superintendent’s employment contract is being discussed.
WARDS
As per the Education Act (s. 76), the Board provides for the nomination and election of trustees within the Division by wards (electoral subdivisions). The Board believes it is best served by an electoral ward system, with each ward being equitable, in terms of the electoral population served.
Electoral wards will be established based primarily on representation by population.
Each ward’s population should follow the Electoral Boundaries commission’s recommendation that the population of a proposed ward should not vary +/- 25% from the average ward population.
Sturgeon Public Schools will also give consideration to the geographic area served and communities served in establishing its electoral wards.
The Board has determined that there shall be seven (7) electoral wards as specified in the Exhibit to this policy.
Any changes to the electoral ward boundaries shall be by Ministerial Order.
A copy of The Sturgeon Public School Division Electoral Wards is attached as Appendix C of this policy.
PREPARATION OF PUBLIC BOARD MEETING AGENDAS
8. Before each Board meeting, the Board Chair and Vice Chair shall confer with the Superintendent on the items to be included on the agenda, the order of the items and to become familiar with the items.
9. Agenda Items to be considered for inclusion in the Public Board Meeting Agenda must be submitted to the Board Chair or Superintendent of Schools eight (8) days prior to the meeting.
10. Distribution of Agenda Kits
10.1 Regular Board Meeting Agenda kits will be available on the division website, no later than 5:00 p.m. three (3) business days or 5 calendar days prior to the Board Meeting.
10.2 Closed and/or In Camera Meeting Agenda kits will be provided at the meeting.
11. The Board Chair may depart from the order of business set forth on the Agenda with the consent of a majority of trustees present.
12. Public Board meetings of the Board shall not be held without the Superintendent and/or designate(s) in attendance, unless the Superintendent’s employment contract is being discussed.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS
The Board believes that input and feedback on educational issues from stakeholders is of value and, as such, supports opportunities for the Board to hear from and engage with the public. Any group or individual who wishes to appear before the Board to make a presentation to or a request of the Board will first discuss the request with the Superintendent of Schools or a designate. This provides the presenter an opportunity to clarify his/her understanding of Division procedures related to the presentation topic and determine what other assistance may be available through the administration. If after meeting with the administration an appearance before the Board is still desired;
13. Any appointments made with the Board by delegations and/or by individual stakeholders will be dealt with at the designated time (or as close to it as possible following completion of discussion of the last item) regardless of the position reached in the Agenda. Any delegations appearing before the Board will be made aware of the Board's practice with respect to delegations coming before the Board or its Committees.
13.1 The delegation and/or individual stakeholders shall provide the Superintendent five (5) business days’ written notice of intent, prior to the regular Board meeting at which they wish to appear; the notice shall include a written brief articulating the matter and added to the Board package to ensure Trustees have the information at the same time as the Superintendent.
13.1.1 The Board reserves the right to determine whether the delegation will be heard by the Board. For matters clearly within the mandate of the Board, the Board Chair, in consultation with the Superintendent of Schools, will make appropriate arrangements for the delegation to be heard.
13.1.2 The Board Chair and the Superintendent may jointly agree to waive the foregoing requirements in special circumstances.
13.2 Once confirmed, an individual stakeholder may speak for three minutes at the identified public Board meeting under the agenda category “Presentations/Delegations”.
13.3 In the case of a delegation, 10 minutes shall be provided to a maximum of two (2) speakers.
13.4 The total duration of the “Presentations/Delegations” section of the agenda shall not exceed 20 minutes. Exceptions to the time limits may be made by the Board Chair or a majority vote of the Board.
13.5 Speakers shall address their comments to the Board Chair.
13.6 Should a speaker utter comments that are disruptive, or negatively impact any person or entity, the speaker will be removed from the meeting.
13.7 The Board Chair will thank the speaker and/or delegation on behalf of the Board.
13.8 If a decision is required in response to a presentation, the Board will render its decision at a subsequent meeting and in a timely manner.
13.8.1 Any speaker wishing a response from the Board shall provide their comments and any associated questions, in writing, addressed to the Board of Trustees. A response from the Board will be provided, in writing, within 2 weeks of the receipt of the written request for same.
13.9 The Board may also incorporate a recess session during a regular meeting of the Board, for the purpose of unscheduled public participation.
14. During the Comment & Question period of a Public Board meeting:
14.1 The public may ask a question of the Board. To ask a question of the Board, the speaker must raise their hand (in the chat, if online), wait to be called upon by the Board Chair and have their camera on (if online). The Chair will ask the speaker to state his or her name, and the question to be addressed. The Board Chair shall answer the question or direct the question to the Superintendent.
14.2 The Board will not permit negative statements being made about particular individuals or schools whether named or identifiable by the context. As stated in 14.6, should a speaker utter comments that are disruptive, or negatively impact any person or entity, the speaker will be removed from the meeting.
14.3 Questions or Comments with respect to the following issues will not be permitted:
14.3.1 the security of the property of The Sturgeon Public School Division,
14.3.2 personal information of an individual, including but not limited to a student, an employee, or a group thereof, of The Sturgeon Public School Division,
14.3.3 a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of property by or for The Sturgeon Public School Division,
14.3.4 labour relations or employee negotiations,
14.3.5 a law enforcement matter, litigation, or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals affecting The Sturgeon Public School Division, or
14.3.6 the consideration of a request for access for information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
14.3.7 With the exception of the Board Chair, who may provide clarification as required, Trustees will not make comments or ask questions of the speaker.
AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING DEVICES
15. The Board expects that anyone wanting to use recording devices at a public Board meeting shall notify the Board Chair. Public Board Meetings are recorded and live-streamed.
PREPARATION AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES
16. The minutes of board meetings will state the date and venue of the meeting, the Trustees and members of the administration present and those trustees absent. The minutes shall contain all motions, board requests for information and notices of motion. They shall also state the time at which the meeting was called to order, the time that the meeting reverted from a closed to an open meeting, the time and duration of any recesses and the time the meeting adjourned or was closed.
17. The minutes of the previous meeting or other past meetings shall be provided to the Board prior to the meeting at which they are to be approved. It is the Trustees' responsibility to check for accuracy of content and, if necessary, to request changes and corrections.
18. Minutes, once approved, are only subject to change by a formal resolution.
SPECIAL MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
Occasionally, unanticipated or emergent issues require immediate Board attention and/or action.
19. Special meetings of the Board shall be called in accordance with Section 3 of the Board Procedures Regulation.
20. Special meetings of the Board shall not be held without the Superintendent and/or designate(s) in attendance, unless the Superintendent’s employment contract is being discussed.
IN-CAMERA
The Board may, by resolution, schedule an in-camera meeting at a time or place agreeable to the Board, or recess a meeting in progress for the purpose of meeting in-camera.
Such resolutions shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board and shall specify those individuals eligible to attend in addition to trustees and the Superintendent.
21. The Board may convene in-camera only to discuss matters of a sensitive nature, including:
21.1 Personnel; either
21.1.1 Individual students; or
21.1.2 Individual employees;
21.2 Matters relating to negotiations;
21.3. Acquisition/disposal of real property;
21.4. Litigation brought by or against the Board;
21.5. Other topics that a majority of the trustees present feel should be held in private, in the public interest.
22. In-camera sessions shall be closed to the public and press.
23. The Board shall only discuss the matter(s) that gave rise to the in-camera meeting.
24. Board members and other persons attending the session shall maintain confidentiality and shall not disclose the details of the discussion at such sessions.
25. In-camera minutes shall be marked as privileged and confidential.
26. The Board shall, during the in-camera session, adopt only such resolution and/or recommendation as is required to re-convene the Board in an open, public meeting, with due consideration to protection of personal or proprietary information.
ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS
27. A Trustee may participate in a meeting of the Board by electronic means or other communication facilities if the electronic means or other communication facilities enable the Trustees participating in the meeting and members of the public attending the meeting to hear each other (Board Procedures Regulation Section 5).
28. Meetings of the Board include regular Public Board Meetings and the Committee of the Whole Meetings.
29. A Trustee who participates in a meeting by electronic means is considered present at the meeting and will be recorded as in attendance (Board Procedures Regulation Section 5).
30. A Trustee who wishes to participate in a Board meeting by means of electronic communication shall notify the Board Chair as soon as reasonably possible. Except in the case of a declared emergency, a Trustee shall provide such notice not less than two (2) days before the Board meeting in question.
31. While electronic participation is accommodated, in-person attendance is strongly encouraged as it fosters a more effective collaborative environment within the Board.
TRUSTEE COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES
The Board believes that Trustees of the Division who incur expenses in carrying out their authorized duties should be reimbursed by the Division upon submission of an approved expense claim.
The Board will establish guidelines and procedures for the reimbursement of approved expenses from annual budget allocations. The Chair will approve Trustee and Superintendent expenses. The Vice Chair will approve Chair expenses.
Trustee remuneration may change at the same rate and at the same time as changes to the salary scales contained in the General Employment Conditions.
Trustees carrying out their authorized duties will be expected to exercise the same care in incurring expenses that a prudent person would exercise in traveling on personal business.
32. Approved expenses incurred by Trustees will be reimbursed in accordance with the requirements and subject to the limitation specified in the guidelines and procedures.
33. Advances will not be paid to cover any approved expenses.
34. Claims for reimbursement of expenses should be submitted promptly and within one (1) month of the expenses being incurred.
35. All expense reimbursement claims must be on an individual Trustee basis other than expenses incurred pursuant to Guideline 2.6.
36. A Division credit card will be provided to the Board Chair upon request.
36.1 Expenses incurred and charged to such credit cards shall be in line with the intent of this policy.
37. Approved expenses are found in Appendix D.
38. Approved expenses will be reimbursed at the rates set out in Appendix D applicable to this policy.
39. Claims for the reimbursement of approved expenses are to be submitted for payment to the Board Chair. Questions will be directed to the Board Chair.
40. Approved expenses will be paid at the following rates:
40.1 Actual distance traveled in Alberta in the Trustee’s vehicle, at the approved Canada Customs and Revenue Agency rate.
40.2 Actual voucher expenses for travel incurred by means other than the use of the Trustee’s vehicle – receipts required.
40.3 Actual voucher subsistence expenses for approved conferences, workshops, seminars and meetings.
40.4 $10.00 for breakfast, $14.00 for lunch and $22.00 for dinner where vouchers are not available.
41. Standard per kilometer distances between schools, Central Office and Edmonton have been established and are to be applied when seeking reimbursement of approved expenses. A chart showing these distances is attached to this policy.
42. A general expense allowance is determined annually as part of the budget process.
TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT FOR TRUSTEES
To facilitate communication and the sharing of information trustees shall be provided with computer technology (i.e. laptop and printer) for the duration of their term. The device is owned by the Division and is loaned to trustees for the purpose of engaging in Division related business. Consumables (i.e. Print cartridges and maintenance kits) shall be reimbursed. See Appendix E.
References:
Education Act:
Division 2, Board Procedures;
Division 5, Conflict of Interest and Disqualification
Sections 33, 34, 64, 75
Appendix A - Sturgeon Public Schools Board Organizational Meeting Agenda
Appendix B - Sturgeon Public Schools Board Meeting Agenda
Appendix C - Electoral Wards
Appendix D - Trustee Remuneration
Appendix E - Technology Equipment for Trustees
AP425– Purchasing Authority and Procedure
AP435– Employee Expense Claims and Reimbursement
AP435 - Mileage Chart
Board Procedures Regulation 82/2019
Robert’s Rules of Order
History
2019 Mar 27 Initial Approval
2020 Jan 29 Amended
2020 Mar 25 Amended
2020 Nov 25 Amended
2021 Oct 27 Reviewed
2022 Jun 22 Amended
2023 Oct 25 Amended
Board Policies II. School Board Governance and Operations