Getting organized for a new school year

As students and teachers settle into their new routines for the year, the Board of Trustees is also getting back into its regular schedule. Although, a small rural board like ours doesn't go to work in an office everyday, our jobs include a lot of reading and preparation for meetings. The first regular Board Meeting day of the year is also when we hold the Organizational Meeting of the year (on non-election years).

The Organizational Meeting is open to the public and it is where we elect a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and choose our board committees. This year's meeting takes place on Wednesday, September 14 at 9:30 a.m. in the Board Room at Central Office. The division's Secretary Treasurer chairs the meeting until the Chairperson is elected and then the remaining items on the agenda are overseen by the Chairperson.

Municipal and school board elections will take place in October, 2017, which means next year's Organizational Meeting won't take place until later in October. When I was first elected in 2007, the vote was close and I didn't find out until close to midnight on the Monday that I had won over the incumbent (the previous trustee). With two toddlers at home, I quickly had to find childcare for the Wednesday of that week and prepare myself for the new trustee orientation and Organizational Meeting. It was quite overwhelming at the time, but as I look back, it was also very rewarding. Working with six other board members can be challenging at times, but I can honestly say we have all been there for kids first, no matter how much we agree to disagree.

This is also the time of the month where the Board prepares its agenda for its regular Board Meeting. Trustees are to submit any reports from their committee meetings to be included in the agenda package, and the Chair, Superintendent and Secretary Treasurer meet to create the official agenda. Items may be added, deleted or tabled at the actual meeting and the agenda must be voted on and passed by the majority prior to commencing with the meeting. The meeting day and time of regular Board Meetings is also set during the Organizational Meeting, but this has typically been the second Wednesday of the month starting at 12:30 p.m.

Policy 7 of the Board Policies sets out the rules for meetings and can be found here. This policy has recently gone through a number of revisions and will be reviewed and passed at the Board Meeting on September 14.