Parent Committee Constitution
(Revised - December 2008)

1. Mission
The Sister O’Brien Catholic School Community Council holds the following to be its mission: To work in collaboration with the staff and community in the development of the students’ overall Catholic education: rooted in faith, growing in knowledge and reaching out to transform the world, visibly supporting a positive academic school culture.

2. Guiding Principles/Code of Conduct
A Catholic school community council member shall:
• conduct business of the council according to the values and teachings of the Catholic faith
• be guided by the overall vision and purpose of Catholic school community councils
• practice high standards of honesty and integrity
• recognize and respect each member of the school community council and the school community
• encourage a positive atmosphere where individual contributions are encouraged and valued
• contribute to consensus building
• consider the best interests of all students
• use the appropriate communication channels when questions or concerns arise
• declare any conflict of interest
• endeavour to be familiar with school and school division policies and operating practices and act in accordance with them
• be respectful of all members of our school community by not discussing information or complaints about a specific student, parent, staff member or any other employee of the board
• be guided by the policy, vision, goals and principles of the school program
• know and work toward the vision for Sister O’Brien Catholic School
• endeavour to be familiar with school policies and operating practices and act in accordance with them; • practice the highest standards of honesty, accuracy, integrity and truth
• encourage a positive atmosphere where individual contributions are encouraged and valued; • recognize and respect the personal integrity of each member of the school community
• apply democratic principles; • consider the best interests of all students
• respect and maintain the confidentiality of student information
• limit discussions at council meetings to matters of concern to the school community as a whole
• use the appropriate communication channels when questions or concerns arise
• promote high standards of ethical practice within the school community; and • accept accountability for the decisions of the council.

3. Membership and Officers 3.1 Membership
3.1.1 Elected Members The Catholic school community council will have the following elected members
• A minimum of 5 parent and community members elected at the annual general meeting. (Parent representatives must be in the majority.)
• If applicable, representatives from the following First Nation(s) that have students who live on-reserve and are enrolled in this school.
3.1.2 Appointed Members The Catholic school community council will have the following appointed members
• the school principal
• a teacher
• a parish representative
3.2 Officers
3.2.1 Officers to be elected The following Catholic school community council officers will be elected annually from among the elected members:
• Chairperson
• Vice-Chairperson
• Secretary
• Treasurer
3.2.2 Other positions and/or sub-committees may be appointed as required.

4. Catholic school community council meetings
4.1 Annual general meeting The Annual General Meeting will be held in September of each year. During this meeting Catholic school community council members will be selected. Other orders of business will include the delivery of an annual report, other business as established by the CSCC and open discussion.
4.2 The Catholic school community council will meet a minimum of five times per year.
4.3 Model of governance The representative model In this model, the CSCC represents the wider school community. Meetings are open to the public but only elected and/or appointed members of the CSCC may decide upon matters brought before the CSCC. The CSCC reports to the school community using a communication strategy, an annual report and the annual general meeting.
4.4 Decision-making process The CSCC preferred decision-making process is the consensus building model. If unsuccessful, the majority vote model will be implemented. Consensus building model: Consensus does not necessarily mean that all parties agree, but that all can live with the decision for the sake of the group’s ability to move forward. It requires that all members listen to each other’s opinions and try to find solutions to problems and differences. Consensus will almost always involve compromise and can release a group beyond individual wants to determining and pursuing shared needs. Majority vote model: The majority vote decides the issue. On matters requiring a formal vote (motion on the floor), only elected and appointed members of the CSSC may vote. Note: It is advisable that the principal and teachers vote only in clearly defined circumstances. They should however, be expected to participate fully in the discussions and provide their advice.
4.5 Voting Refer to majority vote model Section 4.4.
4.6 Quorum A quorum of the CSCC shall be a majority of the elected and appointed members
4.7 Special meeting A special meeting of a CSCC shall be called by the chair of the CSCC if required to do so by the board of education or a request in writing signed by no fewer than 25 persons who have a child attending that school or who are electors (as defined in the CSCC Handbook). Only business pertaining to the roles and responsibilities of the CSCC can be considered at a special meeting.

5. Public consultation and communication
The CSCC will communicate with the school community through the following strategies
• school newsletter
• parish bulletin
• community association newsletter
• posters, flyers
• school website
• phone tree
• email The CSCC will communicate with the broader community and the board of education by using some or all of the following strategies:
• its principal, who will communicate with the senior administrator representative (unit superintendent)
• its respective trustee liaison board member; and
• regional meetings of CSCCs sponsored by the board Notice regarding the annual general meeting of the Catholic school community council must be publicly given four weeks prior to the meeting date

6. Conflict of Interest
A CSCC member may occasionally find him/herself in a conflict of interest position in terms of an issue under consideration by the CSCC. When this happens, the member should declare that he/she is in a conflict of interest situation and leave the room for this portion of the meeting, thus refraining from participating in the discussion. The member should not vote on any decision on the issue.

7. Dispute resolution protocol
(Complaints/concerns procedure)
7.1 Complaints or concerns about an individual student or staff member Any matter concerning an individual student or staff member must be directed to the staff member or principal. It is never the responsibility of the CSCC to deal with concerns or complaints about individuals other than to direct the concern to the appropriate individual. (See Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools document: “Parents, Guardians and School Working Together: Conflict Resolution Protocol”)
7.2 Complaints or concerns about CSCC initiatives or activities
7.2.1 Informal complaints or concerns Provided the CSCC members are comfortable in their knowledge and feel at ease expressing it, concerns or questions about CSCC initiatives and activities expressed informally to members of the CSCC may be addressed immediately by the member. If a member is unsure of the appropriate response, he/she should say so but indicate that he/she will check and get back the individual. If such a commitment is made, the member must follow through. After responding to the complaint or concern, the member should always ask if the response has been satisfactory. If the individual is not satisfied with the response, the member should explain how the concern or complaint could be brought to the attention of the CSCC in a more formal manner.
7.2.2 Formal complaints or concerns Concerns or complaints can be brought to the attention of the CSCC by addressing the concern in writing to the chairperson or by requesting that the chairperson provide the individual with an opportunity to meet with the CSCC at an upcoming meeting. The CSCC will provide a written response regarding how it has addressed or plans to address the concern or complaint.
8. Evaluating council operations The council will evaluate council operations a maximum of twice a year. We will use the Catholic School Community Council Handbook as a template. (Appendix K)
9. Amending the constitution The CSCC may amend its constitution by sending a draft which includes the particulars of the change desired, to the Board of Education through the senior administrator.