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Education
Schools K - 12
School councils
School Councils provide a way for Yukon residents to get involved in the education of children.
School Councils have three to seven members. Members are elected to two-year terms and receive honoraria for attending regular meetings.
Most Yukon schools are run by the Public Schools Branch of Department of Education. École Émilie Tremblay and Académie Parhélie, the French First language schools, are run by a school board, the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon, (CSFY).
The Department of Education funds School Councils and CSFY.
On this page, you will learn
About school councils
- What School Councils do
- Finding your School Council
- Protecting privacy
- Eligibility for School Council membership
- Running for election to a school council
- Filling vacancies on a school council
- Guaranteed representation for Yukon First Nations
Responsibilities of councils
- Resources for School Councils
- Rules and regulations
- Financial information and reporting
- Honoraria
- Oaths, ethics and code of conduct
- Disqualification of council members
- Protection from liability
Tips for school council members
- Building relationships with your council and community
- Roles and responsibilities
- Holding effective meetings and taking minutes
- Policy development
- Hiring and performance review of school staff
- School growth process
What School Councils do
The duties and powers of School Councils are described in sections of the Education Act 
, primarily Section 113. They include:
- Reviewing and approving school growth plans
- Reviewing and developing school-based policies such as dispute resolution, attendance and discipline policies
- Participating in hiring school principals
- Making recommendations on how school budgets are spent
- Advising on matters such as:
- Length of the school years
- Staffing needs
- School renovations
- School programming
- Discipline policies
- Student transportation
- Proposing locally developed courses
Finding your School Council
For information about a specific School Council, visit the school website listed on our school directory page.
Protecting privacy
School Council members are bound by an oath of confidentiality. They must not reveal personal information about staff or students. Sometimes meetings must be closed to the public to protect personal information.
Eligibility for School Council membership
You are eligible to serve on a School Council if you are a Canadian citizen at least 18 years old and:
- You have lived in the school’s attendance area for at least three months.
OR - You are the parent of a child who attends the school.
You cannot serve on a School Council if you work in the school according to Section 151 of the Education Act
.
Running for election to a School Council
If you wish to run for election to a school council, you must obtain nomination signatures from at least three people who are qualified to vote in the election.
Elections are held every two years, in even-numbered years in the spring.
Visit the Elections Yukon website for more information about School Council elections.
Filling vacancies on a School Council
The Minister may appoint a person recommended by a School Council to fill a vacancy, under Section 108 of the Education Act
. The same section also allows the Minister to call a by-election to fill the vacancy.
Guaranteed representation for Yukon First Nations
Section 68 of the Education Act
provides for guaranteed representation of Yukon First Nations on School Councils. To find out more about these positions, contact your local principal, School Council, First Nation office or the School Council Liaison at the Department of Education.
Resources for School Councils
The School Council Liaison provides support to School Councils including:
- Providing information and advice about School Council mandates, responsibilities, policies and procedures to School Council members and to the public
- Helping with problem-solving
- Training School Council members
- Supporting recruitment between general School Council elections
- Coordinating and managing annual School Council conferences
- Working with School Councils on the annual school calendars
- Working with Yukon First Nations on the appointments of Guaranteed Representatives
- Researching issues and developing and proposing policies as requested by School Councils
School administrators and superintendents also support School Councils.
The Department of Education provides resource materials and offers professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops and training to School Councils.
These associations also support School Councils:
Rules and regulations
Much of a School Council’s work is described in acts, regulations and policies.
- Policies and legislation web pages
- Regulations under the Education Act
- School council monthly planning calendar
Financial information and reporting
School Councils are legally required to report on the funds they receive from the government. The Education Act
sets out how councils can use their funds. Councils conduct banking arrangements, pay their accounts and report on an annual basis how they used the funds.- How to complete School Council income statement-financial reporting template
- School Councils and school board operating grants regulation
- Financial statement template
- School supply reporting template
- Synoptic journal
- Synoptic journal examples
Honoraria
School Council members may receive honoraria for the meetings they attend. Canada Revenue Agency considers honoraria a taxable benefit. School Council members may choose to donate their honoraria to their schools or School Councils.
- Year-end honoraria information template
- Instructions for handling T4A information
- T4A information for members to provide to the department
- Form required for School Council members to donate honoraria to school
- Form required for School Council members to donate honoraria to School Council
Oaths, ethics and code of conduct
When new School Council members are elected, acclaimed or appointed, they need to make an oath or declarations. Secretary-treasurers who are hired by a School Council must swear an oath or make a declaration of non-disclosure (to protect privacy).
New Whitehorse councilors may be invited to come to the Department of Education to swear their oaths. Outside Whitehorse, councilors might prefer to fill in one of these oath forms, take it to a local notary, swear their oath and send the notarized form to our offices.
- Oath of office for Yukon School Council member
- Oath or declaration of non-disclosure for School Council member
- Oath or declaration of non-disclosure for School Council secretary-treasurer
Disqualification of council members
The Education Act
(Section 151) says that a person is no longer qualified and forfeits their seat on a council when they are:- Absent from three meetings in a row without authorization
- Ceases to be an elector in the attendance area (i.e., moves away)
- Uses information gained as a council member for financial gain
- Is a judge other than a justice of the peace or youth court
- Is employed in a school operated by the School Council, with the exception of a secretary-treasurer of a School Council.
If a member has a financial interest in a matter before the council, the member is required to
- Disclose the interest before the discussion in council
- Abstain from voting on any question relating to the matter
- Abstain from discussing the matter
- Leave the room until the discussion and voting have taken place.
Members who break these rules are no longer qualified and forfeit their seat on council. Any person can apply to court to determine if a member is qualified to remain on council. The Education Act
describes the process in detail.
Protection from liability
When School Council members are legally exercising their powers under the Education Act
in a way that is not negligent, Section 194 protects School Council members from legal liability. Negligence normally refers to- Acts that are wilfully intended to harm
- Acts that members should reasonably expect would cause harm
- Willfully ignoring a situation that would likely cause harm
To be negligent, harm has to actually occur to a person.
Building relationships with your council and community
Invest in time to develop good working relationships in your school community. These documents can give you ideas.
- Building relationships with and engagement of parents, families and community
- Sample developing norms exercise
- Sample Selkirk Elementary developing norms for council meetings
- Sample developing norms worksheet
- Sample: Norms of National Staff Development Council Board of Trustees and Staff
Roles and responsibilities
- Role of the chair
- Role of the secretary-treasurer
- Sample job description of secretary-treasurer
- Role of the Department of Education School Council Liaison
- Role of Association of Yukon School Councils, Boards and Committees (AYSCBC)
Holding effective meetings
Tips to help councils hold effective meetings and keep meaningful records.
- How to run meetings
- School council's annual general meeting (AGM)
- Record of meetings (Minutes)
- Simplified rules of order
- Sample minutes, École Whitehorse Elementary
Policy development
Department of Education policies provide guidance for school-based policies. Here are some guides and examples to help councils develop policies.
- Policy development process policy
- Sample Hidden Valley School Council dispute resolution procedures
- Sample Christ the King (CKES) School Council policy on resolving an issue or dispute
- Sample Hidden Valley School nutrition policy and guidelines
- Department of Education’s public schools policies web pages
Hiring and performance review
School Councils have a role in evaluating principals. They also may recommend to the superintendent the dismissal, transfer, discipline or demotion of teachers, principals or other employees in the school.
To learn more, read
- Education Act , Section 113
- Educator evaluation web page
School Growth Process
The school growth process sets out a school’s priorities for improving the success of its students. School staff, School Councils, parents, Yukon First Nations, Elders and students are involved in planning, determining appropriate actions to achieve goals and monitoring progress.
School Councils
Department of Education
1000 Lewes Boulevard
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon
Canada Y1A 2C6
Phone: 867- 667-8226
Toll free (In Yukon): 1-800-661-0408, local 8226
Fax: 867- 393-6339
Email: bob.walker@gov.yk.ca
Yukon government directory >>>
