By-Laws

Upper Grand District School Parent Involvement Committee By-Laws

Amended June, 2016

Mandatory By-laws

Reg. 612/00 By-laws
A parent involvement committee
may make by-laws governing the conduct of the committee’s affairs; and
shall make by-laws
1. specifying the number of parent members to be appointed or elected to the committee, governing the process of appointment or election of parent members and governing the filling of vacancies in parent membership
2. specifying the number of community representatives, up to three, to be appointed to the committee, governing the process of appointment of community representatives and governing the filling of vacancies in community representative membership
3. governing the election of members of the committee to the offices of chair or co-chair, and any offices provided for in the by-laws, and governing the filling of vacancies in the offices of the committee
4. specifying the number of parent members of the parent involvement committee that will hold office for one year and the number of parent members that will hold office for two years
5. specifying how many, if any, of the persons listed in subsection 33(2) may be appointed by the board to the parent involvement committee
6. specifying the length of the term of office for the community representative members of the parent involvement committee and the members appointed by the board, if any under subsection 33(2)
7. establishing rules respecting conflicts of interest of the members of the parent involvement committee, and
8. establishing a process for resolving conflicts internal to the committee, consistent with any conflict resolution policies of the board

By-law 1: Parent Members of the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) Parent Involvement Committee (PIC)

Parent Members: A parent member must be the parent of a pupil currently enrolled in a school of the UGDSB. Employees of the board may serve as parent members and must inform the committee of their employment at their first committee meeting.

The majority of PIC members must be parents. Quorum is 51%.

Members will include up to 3 parents representing each region of the board for a total of 12. Regions of the board are identified as North Wellington, Centre Wellington, Dufferin, Guelph.

Selection of new parent members: A selection subcommittee comprising one of the co-chairs, at least two parent members of the PIC and one non-voting member will determine the selection process for committee approval and will manage the recruitment and selection of parent members. Efforts will be made to represent the diverse communities of the Board.

Supplemental appointments: The diversity of the parent population, and all regions of the board, should be represented. Up to three supplemental appointments may be made by consensus in order to help ensure that the membership of the UGDSB PIC represents the parent population of the board.

Appointment procedures

When there is a vacancy at the beginning of a school year, each region of the board will be asked to submit 3 parent representative(s) as a member/members of the UGDSB. The term of the PIC parent member so appointed will be two years, with a limit of five (5) years in total
Parent members entering the second year of their two-year appointment will be affirmed

By-law 2: Community Members

Appointment procedures

Members of the community can bring an important perspective to the work of the PIC. They can provide a voice for families who may not otherwise be represented.

The UGDSB PIC shall include up to three (3) community members, bearing in mind the need to have a majority of parents.

Community members may not be a member of the board of trustees or an employee of the board
Community members are voting members
Community members shall serve on the PIC for a term of one year. An individual may serve a maximum of five (5) consecutive terms
Community members may not be a parent of a pupil currently enrolled in a school in the Upper Grand District School Board

Filling vacancies

Should a vacancy occur, the sending group will be invited to name another representative to serve the remainder of the term of the vacant position. If that is not an option, vacant positions may be filled by appointment of the PIC for the remaining term of office, from other community organizations meeting the requirements.

By-law 3: Offices

Chair: The PIC will have a chair elected by the parent members of the UGDSB for a two-year term. Only a parent member who is beginning a two-year term is eligible to stand for the position of chair. An individual cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in this office.

Co-chairs/Vice-chair: The PIC may have two co-chairs, each elected by the parent members of the UGDSB PIC for a two-year term. To promote continuity, ideally terms shall be staggered such that one of the two positions is open at the beginning of each school year. Only a parent member who is beginning a two-year term is eligible to stand for the position of co-chair. An individual cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in this office

Treasurer: At the first meeting of alternate school years, or earlier if a vacancy arises, parent members of the PIC shall elect a parent member to serve as treasurer. The term of office shall be two years. An individual cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in this office.

Vacancies:

Should an officer position become vacant before the next election process, the PIC shall fill the vacancy by election of a parent member. Only parent members of the PIC may vote in an election to fill an officer position
When a vacant spot on the PIC is filled, the new officer’s term will expire at the time the previous officer’s term would have ended

By-law 4: Parent Members – Term of Membership

Parent members – term of membership:

Terms of membership for parent members of the committee are for two years. Terms will be staggered so that parent positions become available each year. Terms will begin October 1 and end September 30. Upon application, candidates will indicate whether they would like to serve on the UGDSB PIC for one or two years. Committee members may apply for additional terms as long as they are eligible, up to a maximum of six (6) years.

By-law 5: Board Employee Group Members – Term of Membership

Board employee group members:

To bring the perspectives of board employee groups from both elementary and secondary schools, one representative of each of the following board staff groups will be invited to join the UGDSB PIC:

One elementary school principal
One secondary school principal
One elementary teacher, other than a principal or vice principal
One secondary teacher, other than a principal or vice principal
One board employee, other than a principal, vice principal or teacher

As per O. Reg. 612/00, the board will be responsible for these appointments. These members are non-voting. The term for these members shall be one year, and will be reviewed annually.

By-law 6: Community Members – Term of Membership

Community Members: Up to three community members appointed by the PIC will serve on the committee for one or two years. Terms will be staggered so that community positions become available each year.

By-law 7: Conflict of Interest

Conflict of Interest: Each member of the UGDSB PIC shall avoid situations that could result in an actual, potential, or perceived conflict between the overall goals and vision of the PIC and a personal or monetary interest of that PIC member.

Should an issue or agenda item arise during a PIC meeting where a PIC member is in a conflict of interest situation, he or she shall declare the conflict of interest immediately and shall absent himself or herself from the meeting for, and decline any participation, the discussion and resolution of the issue or item.

By-law 8: Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution

Every PIC member will be given an opportunity to express his or her concern or opinion about the issue in dispute and how the dispute has affected him or her
Speakers to an issue will maintain a calm and respectful tone at all times
Speakers will be allowed to speak without interruption
The responsibility of the chair or co-chairs is to clarify the statements made by all speakers, to identify common ground among the points of view raised, and to set out the joint interests of all members
If no common ground can be identified, the chair or co-chairs will seek to clarify preferences among all members before proceeding further
If all attempts at resolving the conflict have been exhausted without success, the chair or co-chairs shall request the intervention of the director, or other senior administrator, to facilitate a resolution to the conflict