In addition to your responsibilities as an advisory body, School Councils are responsible for establishing annual goals and priorities, providing information and training for your new School Council members, and promoting the best interests of your school community as a whole.
The following are some ideas on how your School Council can create effective goals for the upcoming year:
- Understand your community – identify the unique characteristics, resources, and needs of your community.
- Create a list of goals – determine your top priorities. Are they aligned with the school learning plan?
- Develop strategies – maximize the resources and skills of the people in your school community to achieve your goals.
- Evaluate your results – analyze what works and what doesn’t in your school community to help with future planning.
- Remember that communication is key – talk to and listen to people in your school community; share your plans, goals, and ideas for the year.
Annual Report
Board Policy P.014.SCO School Councils requires School Councils to prepare an annual report on the School Council activities, including fundraising.
Please submit your report to your principal and using the online School Council Year-End Report Form by October 31 of each school year. The form asks for the following information:
- The School Council mission and vision
- Members of the School Council
- Note from the School Council Chair
- Summary of the School Council activities this school year, including fundraising activities, if applicable
- If fundraising activities are applicable, the spending plans approved by your School Council
- Comments for the successor School Council
Year-End Financial Report
Year end financial reports must be submitted through an online form each year. A link to the form and instructions on how to submit the report are shared on the Supporting School Councils webpage and newsletter. More information about financial reporting is available on our Funds Management page.
Records Management
Your School Council’s records, including minutes, the annual report, agendas, and newsletters, must be available to the public at the school or on the school’s website.
School Council records should be retained according to the following schedule:
- Records that contain financial information, such as those that pertain to School Generated Funds, are kept for the current year, plus 6 years.
- School Council meeting minutes are required to be maintained for the current school year, plus 5 years.
When destroying records, please be sure to shred anything which contains personal or sensitive information. If you have records for destruction, you can bring them to the school, boxed and clearly marked “School Council records for shredding”. Corporate Records welcomes questions with regard to document maintenance and can be reached at [email protected].