Constitution
The Constitution of the Seymour Heights Parent Advisory Council
1. Name and Status
a) The name of the council is the Seymour Heights Parent Advisory Council (SHPAC).
b) SHPAC operates as a non-profit organization with no personal financial benefit.
c) The business of SHPAC is not biased towards race, religion, gender or politics.
d) The purpose of the Council is to support, encourage, and improve the quality of education and the well being of the children in Seymour Heights Elementary School by:
1. Exchanging ideas and information among parents of Seymour Heights School
2. Providing information regarding educational and community matters to parents
3. Providing a parental voice to educational decision-making organizations affecting Seymour Heights School.
2. Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of SHPAC shall be:
a) To advise the school principal and staff on parents’ views about school programs, policies and activities.
b) To communicate with parents and to promote co-operation between the home and school in providing for education of the children.
c) To assist parents in accessing the system and to advocate for parents and students.
d) To organize and run SHPAC programs and events.
e) To get parents and other community members involved with the school to promote excellence and quality.
f) To raise money for the school's educational, health, safety, enhancement and other needs.
Bylaws
3. Membership
a) All parents and guardians of students registered at Seymour Heights Elementary School are voting members of SHPAC.
b) Administration and staff (teaching and non-teaching) of Seymour Heights Elementary School are non-voting members of SHPAC.
c) Members of the school community who are not parents or guardians of students currently in the system may also be non-voting members of SHPAC.
4. Meetings
a) There must be an Annual General Meeting, for the purpose of electing executive officers, held in May of each year. Additional general meetings must be held at least once a month during the school year (except December and March) to conduct current business.
b) Meetings of the Board of executive officers and additional general meetings are held at the discretion of the Board of executive officers or if the Board receives a petition representing at least fifty percent of the voting members.
5. Voting
a) A quorum is the minimum number of people needed to decide an issue. A quorum for meetings of the board of executive officers is 5 officers. A quorum for general meetings is 5 officers and any number more than 1 voting member.
b) A simple majority vote will decide issues, except for changes to the Constitution or Bylaws (See section 12), or unless the Board of executive officers decides differently.
c) If there is a tie vote, the motion is defeated.
d) Members must vote in person, not by proxy.
e) Members must vote by a show of hands.
6. Executive Officers and the Board
a) SHPAC must be managed by a board of elected executive.
b) The executive officers are:
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Treasurer
Secretary
District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) Representative
Family of Schools Representative
Two or more Members at Large
(Past President)
All executive officer positions (except Members at Large) can be shared and then the title has Co in front of it.
7. Election of Executive Officers
a) The executive officers must be elected from the voting members at the Annual General Meeting in May. No elected official of the school district or Ministry of Education can hold an executive officer position.
b) Nominations are made at the General Meeting in April.
c) If there is a vacancy on the Board during the year, SHPAC must elect a new executive officer who will hold office until the next election.
d) In the event that the chairperson/vice-chairperson positions are not filled, the board must be run by committee wherein general meeting duties rotate monthly through the existing board members.
e) The Nominations Committee chairperson must conduct elections.
f) Scrutinizers must be appointed as required by the Nominations Committee chairperson, when elections are held.
g) If the board chooses to hold the vote by ballot, a vote must also be taken to destroy the ballots.
8. Term of Office
a) The term of office of the executive officers starts on July 1st each year and lasts for one year.
b) Any elected member of SHPAC may serve on the Board for as many years as he or she is elected to a position.
c) No person can hold more than one executive officer position at any one time.
d) The Past Chairperson holds that office for one year.
9. Duties of Executive Officers
Chairperson:
- Convenes and presides at all meetings
- Ensures an agenda is prepared and presented
- Appoints committees where authorized to do so by the Board or members
- Is an ex-officio member of all committees and will lead the election of board members
- Acts (and ensure others act) to achieve the objectives of SHPAC
- Is the official spokesperson for SHPAC
- Is a signing officer
- Submits an annual report
Vice Chairperson:
- Acts as chairperson when the chairperson is absent
- Accepts extra duties as required
- Can be a signing officer
- Submits an annual report
Secretary:
- Records the minutes of membership, special and Board meetings
- Distributes minutes to SHPAC members
- Keeps an accurate copy of the Constitution and Bylaws
- Marks changes to the Constitution & Bylaws in red & submits them to the school board
- Issues and receives correspondence for SHPAC
- May be a signing officer
- Keeps safely all SHPAC records
- Submits an annual report
Treasurer:
- Is responsible for and reports on SHPAC accounts
- Is a signing officer
- Prepares and presents a monthly financial report to publish at the SHPAC general meeting as well as in the school newsletter (see section 11)
- Drafts a budget and tentative spending plan, with help from the Board (see section 11)
- Ensures another signing officer can access SHPAC books, if he or she is away
- Responsible for completing Gaming Grants on time and filing appropriate reports submits an annual report
DPAC Representative:
- Attends DPAC (District Parent Advisory Council) meetings and reports to SHPAC on them
- Seeks input from SHPAC for DPAC meetings
- Submits an annual report
Members at Large:
Serve as SHPAC requires
Attend monthly SHPAC executive and general meetings
Submit annual reports
Serve on at least 1 committee (See Section 10)
Past Chairperson:
Helps with the transition between the Past Chairperson and the new Chairperson helps and advises SHPAC
Acts as consultant to the Chairperson
Chairs the Nominations Committee
Submits an annual report
10. Committees
a) SHPAC has three permanent committees: the Finance Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Nominations Committee. The Board appoints the Chairs of all committees. The Board may form other permanent and temporary committees when necessary.
i. The Finance Committee consists of at least 3 SHPAC voting members, including the Treasurer. A position on this committee is offered to a Seymour Heights Elementary School staff member each year.
ii. The Communications Committee consists of at least 2 SHPAC voting members. This committee consists of usually the Chairperson who ensures communications are reviewed by school administration as well as the newsletter editor and website coordinator. A position on this committee is offered to one member of the school administration each year.
iii. The Nominations Committee consists of at least 3 SHPAC voting members and is chaired by the Past President.
b) The Finance Committee proposes a spending plan for all school needs and presents it to the members for their approval at the September General Meeting. The plan deals with the approved but allocated funds for school needs in the September budget. The plan is based on input the Committee gets from all relevant sources including teachers, parents, the school administration and all other SHPAC committees. The Finance Committee reviews all SHPAC spending.
Any other SHPAC committees seeking funding must prepare their spending plans and give them to the Finance Committee before the middle of September.
c) The Board must appoint a Nominations Committee before the Annual General Meeting.
d) Committees report to the Board and to members of SHPAC.
e) The Chairperson may appoint members to committees annually, after consulting with the Board.
11. Finances
a) The Board must review a budget prepared by the Treasurer and present it to the members for their approval at the September general meeting. All funds approved must be spent in the same school year or the money will stay in SHPAC's credit union or bank account to be reallocated and spent the following year.
The budget includes approved but unallocated funds for school needs. The Finance Committee proposes a spending plan for these unallocated funds and presents it to the members for their approval at the November general meeting (see item 10(b)).
a.1) The Board must review a preliminary budget prepared by the Treasurer and present it to the members for their approval at the May general meeting. All spending after the May general meeting is governed by the preliminary budget, until the final budget is approved at the September general meeting. No more than 75% of the amount for any expenditure item in the preliminary budget can be spent before the final budget is approved in September.
a.2) No money, over the amount in the budget, may be spent for any item without the prior approvals required in section 11(d)
b) All SHPAC funds are deposited in a bank or financial institution registered under the Bank Act or the Credit Union Incorporated Act.
c) The Board must name at least 3 signing officers, including the chairperson and the treasurer, for banking and legal documents. These documents must have two signatures. Officers must not sign any cheques payable to themselves.
d) All expenses between $100 and $500 that are not in the budget must be approved by a vote of the Board. All expenses of $500 or greater which are not in the budget must be approved by the members at a general meeting.
e) A Treasurer's report, including an income statement, must be published in the SHPAC or school newsletter before the end of each school term.
f) The members, at any general meeting, may agree upon a need for audits and if one is required, the Board must appoint an independent auditor.
g) SHPAC's fiscal year end is June 30.
12. Constitution and Bylaws Changes
Changes to the SHPAC Constitution and Bylaws may be made at any general meeting, as long as:
a) At least 14 days written notice of the meeting and of the proposed change has been given to all members.
b) A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting members present at the meeting approves the change.
13. Code of Conduct
a) SHPAC is not a forum for discussing school personnel, students, parents or other members of the school community.
b) An executive officer who is approached by a parent with a concern about an individual is in a privileged position. He or she must treat the discussion with discretion and protect the confidentiality of the people involved.
c) A parent who accepts a position as a SHPAC executive officer must:
Uphold the constitution and bylaws, policies and procedures of SHPAC.
Perform his or her duties with honesty and integrity.
Ensure that the well being of students is the primary focus of all SHPAC actions and decisions.
Respect the rights of all individuals.
Take direction from members, ensuring representation processes are in place.
Encourage and support parents and students with individual concerns to act on their behalf and provide information on how to present their concerns.
Work to ensure issues are resolved through due process.
Strive to be informed and pass on only information that is reliable and accurate.
Respect all confidential information.
Support public education.
14. Dissolution
a) In the event of the dissolution of the SHPAC, the SHPAC shall pay all outstanding debts and any costs of dissolution. The SHPAC shall then transfer any remaining funds and assets to another Parent Advisory Council(s) divided proportionally between those schools Seymour Heights students are sent to; or to DPAC within School District 44, North Vancouver, or a charitable organization(s) (determined by a list of suggestions presented to the SHPAC at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting and then decided by majority vote) within British Columbia registered under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada). This shall be determined by the membership at the final general meeting of the SHPAC by vote. This provision shall be unalterable.
b) In the event of dissolution of SHPAC, all records of the organization shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the District Parent Advisory Council, School District No. 44, North Vancouver.