Policy

Policy 2320 - Board Committees and Trustee Representation

1. TYPES OF COMMITTEES

1.1.

Board Standing Committees

Board Standing Committees are extensions of the governance work of the Surrey Board of Education. Meetings will be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. Only trustees may vote. Minutes will be kept of the committee deliberations.

The Finance Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Education and is a committee of the whole, with the Executive Committee and Fiscal Management Services staff in attendance. The Chairperson is appointed by the Board Chairperson.

The Audit Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Education and generally reports to the Board through the Finance Committee. The Chairperson and trustees representatives of the committee shall be appointed annually by the Board Chairperson. The committee is comprised of:

Three trustees, one of whom is the Finance Committee Chairperson;

ii.

One external community member who is independent from the district and who is experienced in auditing, accounting, financial management or other relevant business experience;

iii.

Executive Committee and other staff resource personnel.

The Audit Committee shall have jurisdiction to consider and make recommendations to the Finance Committee and the Board of Education on matters within their terms of reference.

The Audit Committee will meet a minimum of three times per year. The preparation of the agenda shall be the responsibility of the Secretary Treasurer’s office.

The purpose of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board of Education in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in the areas of;

Financial reporting;
Internal and external audit functions;
The system of internal control;
Risk assessment and mitigation strategies;
Compliance matters.

The Policy Committee is a Standing Committee of the Board of Education comprised of three trustees including the Chairperson, and is supported by the Executive Committee or designates. The Chairperson and trustees of the committee shall be appointedannually by the Board Chairperson.

The Policy Committee shall have jurisdiction to consider and make recommendations to the Board on matters assigned to them or on other matters within their terms of reference.

The dates, times and places of the committee meetings shall be established at each standing committee’s first regular meeting following the Board Chairperson’s annual appointment of trustee committee members. The preparation of the agenda for the Policy Committee shall be the responsibility of the Secretary-Treasurer’s office.

The Superintendent of Schools or the Secretary-Treasurer or their respective designates shall keep the chairperson of the committee informed of matters within their jurisdiction.

Terms of Reference:

The Policy Committee will:

Consider questions of overall school district policy
Establish an annual work plan of policies to be revised
Ensure existing school district policies are updated in accordance with the provisions of the School Act and other provincial legislation
May, upon review, strike subgroups to provide expert guidance or input on changes to district policy
Make recommendations to the board on policies following changes in current practice, enactment of new legislation or introduction of new regulations
Consider such other matters as may be referred by the board and make recommendations thereon as required.

1.2.

Stakeholders & Elected Officials Liaison Meetings

The objectives of conducting meetings with stakeholder and employee groups are stated in Policy #2610 – Liaison with Employee Groups and Policy #2680 – Stakeholder & Elected Officials Liaison Meetings.

1.3.

Learning Liaison Committee

The Learning Liaison Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Education that directly explores how the Board is achieving its educational goals. The committee will meet six times per year and will align its meeting agendas with the goals of the Board. The committee is comprised of:

Chairperson – A Trustee as designated by the Chairperson of the Board;
Two other Trustees as assigned by the Chairperson of the Board;
Senior Staff – Superintendent or designate;
C.U.P.E. – two representatives;
D.P.A.C. – two representatives;
S.P.V.P.A. – two representatives;
S.T.A. – two representatives;
Students – two representatives;
Other guests and staff as appropriate and as invited by the Chairperson or Superintendent depending on the topics on the agenda. All Trustees are invited to the meetings.

1.4.

District Committees

District Committee meeting times and membership varies based on the needs of the committee.

Meeting arrangements (date, time, location, etc.) are made by the executive assistant to the secretary-treasurer and the staff contact person assigned to the committee.

1.5.

Trustee Representation on External Committees

The presence of a trustee(s) on committees external to the district, may be requested, expected or otherwise considered to be in the best interests of the Board of Education.

In some cases, trustees will not be responsible for attending meetings on a regular basis, but can be contacted by the association when his/her assistance is required.

Trustees appointed to other non-board committees and non-school district committees/bodies may or may not participate as voting members, depending upon the nature and purpose of their involvement. Their more common role will be as resource or liaison person. Regardless of the nature of trustees’ participation, they do not have the authority to act on behalf of, or commit the board.

Trustees will be expected to report to the board in accordance with Board Policy #2400 – School Board Meetings & In-Service Sessions, on major activities of the groups in which they participate as district representatives.

1.6.

Ad-Hoc Committees

Committees in this category do not have a regular meeting schedule. If and when an Ad-Hoc Committee is struck, the chairperson will appoint trustee(s).

2. APPOINTING TRUSTEES TO COMMITTEES

The board chairperson shall appoint trustees to existing committees or bodies as soon as possible following the inaugural meeting of the board and advise the board of such appointments. The need for appointments arising subsequent to the inaugural meeting shall also be met by the board chairperson with advice to the board.

3. DISTRICT COMMITTEES CONDUCT/GOVERNANCE

3.1.

The committee will report to the board on its activities and outcomes (recommendations, etc.) through its chairperson.

3.2.

Unless appointed by name to the committee by board resolution, andgiven the right to vote, staff and others will act as resource persons.

3.3.

The Board Chairperson will be an ex-officio member of all committees, with full voting privileges.

3.4.

The committee will function in a formal manner under Robert’s Rules of Order – permitting the kind of free flowing discussion anticipated by Robert for committee work.

3.5.

The committee will appoint a recorder who shall keep minutes of the committee’s deliberations and conduct any correspondence as directed by the committee.

3.6.

Outcomes from committees will always be in the form of recommendations to the board.

3.7.

All trustees will vote as they see fit when recommendations are dealt with by the board.

3.8.

Decisions of the committee must always be made within the authority given (specific) or delegated (general) by the board. If no prior authority, all actions require prior board approval.

Revised:	2020-12-09 2019-12-11 2017-12-06 2015-06-04 1987-09-10
Adopted:	1986-02-27 1982-11-22
XRef:	#2400 #2610 #2680