PAC Constitution

We are currently updating our Oak Bay Secondary School constitution. The current (and outdated) constitution is listed below.

OAK BAY HIGH SCHOOL PARENTS ADVISORY COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BYLAWS

PART 1 INTERPRETATION

1.01

1.02

PART 2 MEMBERSHIP

Who are Members
Duty of Members
Membership Fees
Termination of Membership
PART 3 GENERAL MEETINGS

General Meeting
Business of Annual General Meeting
Regular General Meeting
Extraordinary General Meeting
Notice
Who is Entitled to Vote
PART 4 PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

Agenda at a General Meeting
Quorum
Chairperson
Adjourned Meetings
Resolutions
Voting
PART 5 EXECUTIVE AND OFFICERS

Executive
Positions Not Elected
Procedure of Elections
Term of Office
Immediate Past-Senior Chair
Special Advisory
Vacancy in Executive
Office to be Vacated
Removal of Executive Member by Members
Powers of the Executive
PART 6 PROCEEDINGS OF EXECUTIVE

Executive Meetings
Quorum
Chairperson
Resolutions
Internal Committees
External Committees
Determination of Questions
PART 7 DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Officers/Committee Chairs
Senior and Junior Co-Chairs
Secretary
Treasurer
VCPAC Delegate
Members at Large
Immediate Past-Senior Chair
School Planning Council
PART 8 FINANCES

Deposit of Funds
Signing Authority
Fiscal Year
Annual General Meetings
Fiscal Responsibility of Executive
Liability of Executive
PART 9 CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Copy of Constitution and Bylaws
Constitution and Bylaw Amendments
PART 10 BOOKS OF ACCOUNTS

Books of Accounts
PART 11 RULES OF ORDER

11.01

CONSTITUTION

NAME
The name of the group is: OAK BAY HIGH SCHOOL PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL, herein referred to as “OBHS PAC”.

PURPOSE
The purposes of the group are:

to exercise leadership in developing and expressing collective parental views, as identified through the OBHS PAC, regarding the public school education and well-being of the children in Oak Bay High School;
to carry on activities to promote and enhance meaningful parent participation in an advisory role at the school, school district and provincial levels;
to enhance the educational excellence of Oak Bay High School through a partnership with administrative staff, teachers, parents and students.
To work in an advisory capacity with administration, staff and students on matters pertaining to the school including
Give students/parents/guardians an opportunity to examine educational and school philosophy;
Provide a forum for discussion of matters of mutual interest or concern to students/parents/guardians;
Promote cooperation between the home and the school in providing for the education of the students;
Encourage communication among students, parents, educators, administrators, School Board Trustees, VCPAC, BCCPAC and the Ministry of Education.
Promote good relations between Oak Bay High School and the broader community.
Raise funds when possible for school equipment, activities and programs.
POLICY
Membership and activities of OBHS PAC shall be free of commercial, partisan, sectarian, racial and gender bias.

DISSOLUTION
In the event of wind-up or dissolution of OBHS PAC and following the payment of all outstanding debts, OBHS PAC shall transfer all of its property and assets to another organization having similar objects or purposes which will be decided by the members at the final general meeting with consideration given to the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils. This provision is unalterable.

BYLAWS

PART 1 INTERPRETATION

1.01

In these Bylaws and in the Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires:
“Executive” means the members of the executive committee elected or appointed in accordance with Bylaws 5.01,5.02.
“Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils” means the provincial organization composed of representatives from provincial public school parent organizations.
“District Parent Advisory Council” means a council in a school district the members of which are Parent Advisory Councils in that school district.
“regular general meeting” means a meeting of which all members of OBHS PAC are duly notified;
“ordinary resolution” has the same meaning as in the Society Act;
“parent” means parent and/or legal guardian in respect of a child registered in a public school in the Province of British Columbia, as defined in the School Act;
“Parent Advisory Council” means a council established pursuant to section 8 of the School Act;
“registered address” of a member means the address of a member as recorded in the register of members;
“School Act” means the School Act of the Province of British Columbia in force and all amendments to it;
“Special Resolution” has the same meaning as in the Society Act;
“OBHS PAC” means the Oak Bay High School Parent Advisory Council;
“Student” has the same meaning as in the School Act.
The definitions in the Society Act on the date these Bylaws become effective apply to these Bylaws.
Words importing the singulars include the plural and vice versa; and words importing male person include a female person and a corporation.
PART 2 MEMBERSHIP

2.01 Who are Members

The members of OBHS PAC are the parents of students registered at OBHS.

Duty of Members
Every member shall uphold the Constitution and comply with these Bylaws.

Membership Fees
There are no membership fees.

Termination of Membership
A member shall cease to be a member of OBHS PAC when his/her child ceases permanently to be a student at OBHS.

PART 3 GENERAL MEETINGS

All general meetings will be held in a place accessible to the public. A minimum of three regular general meetings, plus the Annual General Meeting will be held throughout the school year.
Annual General Meeting. The business of the annual general meeting can include some or all of the following but is not limited to some or all of the following:
receive from the PAC a report of its activities during the previous year including the presentation of financial statements;
ratify policy;
establish the priorities of the PAC for the coming year;
adopt a budget for the coming year;
appoint auditors, if required;
receive reports from members;
consider and act upon the policies of the PAC’
elect the Executive;
consider appeals regarding expulsion of membership;
establish the membership fee; and
transact such other business as may require the attention of the members.
Regular General Meeting. Every general meeting, other than an Annual General Meeting is a regular general meeting.
Extraordinary General Meeting. The PAC may, when it deems appropriate, convene an Extraordinary General Meeting;
an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be called by the Chairs or the Secretary upon receipt of a request by Regular Members comprising 10% or more of the membership setting forth the reasons for calling such a meeting which shall be stated in the notice of meeting.
The Extraordinary General Meeting called under this section shall deal only with the business stipulated in the request.
Notice
Notice of an annual general or regular general meeting shall specify the place, day and hour of meeting, along with a tentative agenda, and in the case of special business, the general nature of the business, and shall be given to all members entitled to receive notice through publication in the school newspaper and will be posted on the school website at least fourteen days prior to the date of the general meeting.
Notice of changes to these meetings will be given in the School Newsletter and will be posted on the school web page at least fourteen days prior to the new date.
Notice of an Extraordinary Meeting will be given by any reasonable means accessible to the executive committee.
The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of a notice by, any of the members entitled to receive notice does not invalidate proceedings at that meeting.
Who is Entitled to Notice. Notice of a General Meeting will be given to all membership.
PART 4 AGENDA AT GENERAL MEETINGS

The Agenda at a General Meeting can include some of the following but is not limited to some or all of these:
minutes of the last meeting
old business
new business
correspondence.
Quorum
No business, other than the election of a chairperson and the adjournment or termination of the meeting, shall be conducted at a general meeting at a time when a quorum is not present.
If at any time during a general meeting there ceases to be a quorum present, business other than in progress shall be suspended until these is a quorum present or until the meeting is adjourned or terminated.
If within 30 minutes from the time appointed for a general meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened on the requisition of members, shall be terminated; but in any other case, it shall stand adjourned to a date, time, and place to be determined by the Executive, and if, at the adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present with 30 minutes from the time appointed for the meeting, the members present shall constitute a quorum.
For the purposes of determining policy, amending the Bylaws or the Constitution, adopting a budget, and electing the Executive, a quorum shall be not less than a majority of the Executive then in office.
Chairperson. If at a general meeting these is no Chair present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the members present shall choose one of their number to be chairperson.
Adjourned Meetings
A general meeting may be adjourned from time to time and from place to place.
When a meeting is adjourned for 10 days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of the original meeting.
Except as provided in the Bylaw, it is not necessary to give notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned general meeting.
Resolutions. In case of an equality of votes the chairpersons shall not have a casting or second vote in addition to the vote and the proposed resolution shall not pass.
Voting. A regular member in good standing is entitled to one vote, to be cast in person by the member or the official delegate designated for this purpose by the regular member.
PART 5 EXECUTIVE AND OFFICERS

Executive
At each annual general meeting the following positions shall be elected:

Senior Chair
Junior Chair
Treasurer
Secretary
VCPAC Representative
4 members at large who may be Committee Chairs or Representatives of the PAC to outside Committees or Organizations.
Past Chair (nonvoting and not elected).
Positions not elected
If a position is not elected at an annual general meeting, the Executive may appoint the position , according to Bylaw 5.07.

Procedure of Elections
a. Annual general meetings in which the Executive is to be elected will be conducted efficiently and with fairness to the members present.

b. The election of representatives to the School Planning Council must be by secret ballot.

c. Three parent representatives to the School Planning Council shall be elected annually from parents of students enrolled in the school who are not employees of any school district. One other representative must be an elected officer of the PAC.

Term of Office
Elected members of the Executive shall hold office or appoint another member until their successors take office.
The Senior and Junior Chairs shall not hold their respective offices for more than two consecutive terms.
The Secretary and Treasurer shall hold office until their respective successors are elected or appointed.
The term of office of School Planing Council representatives shall be for one year.
Immediate Past Senior Chair.
The Immediate Past Senior Chair shall be an ex officio member of the Executive, entitled to notice of, attend and speak at, but not vote at, Executive meetings.

Special Advisor
Following each annual general meeting the Executive may appoint one or more Special Advisors who may attend and speak at, but not vote at, Executive meetings.

Vacancy in Executive
If there is any vacancy in the Executive for any reason, the remaining Executive members shall appoint a person who is a member of the parent group in good standing to fill the vacancy and the term of the Executive member so appointed will end when his successor takes office.

Office to be Vacated
The following are grounds for termination of the office of any Executive member;

is a member of the Oak Bay High School Parent Advisory Council who ceases permanently to be a parent of a student registered at the school.
Is absent from two consecutive meetings of the Executive without prior consent of the Chair.
Is found to be incapable of managing his or her own affairs by reason of mental infirmity; or
Is convicted of a criminal or other serious offense.
For failure to observe the constitution and bylaws, purposes, or policies of the OBHS PAC.
Removal of Executive Member by Members
The members may, by special resolution, remove an Executive member before the expiration of his term of office, and may elect a successor to complete the term of office.

Powers of the Executive
The members of the Executive will conduct business on behalf of the OBHS PAC, but subject nevertheless to:

all laws affecting the OBHS PAC.
These bylaws; and
Rules, not being inconsistent with these Bylaws, which are made from time to time by the PAC in general meeting.
PART 6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE

Executive Meetings
Meetings of the Executive called by the Chair or the Executive, are open to the membership and shall be held at least four times yearly (between annual general meetings). The Executive may meet together at the places they think fit to dispatch business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings, as they see fit.

Quorum
The quorum for the Executive shall be a majority of the Executive then in office.

Chairperson
The Senior Chair shall be chairperson of all executive meetings, but if at a meeting the Senior Chair is not present, the Junior Chair shall act as chairperson; but if neither is present the Executive members present may choose one of their number to be chairperson at that meeting.

Resolutions
A resolution in writing, signed by all the Executive members and placed with the minutes of the executive meeting is as valid and effective as if regularly passed at a meeting of the Executive.

Internal Committees
Standing and ad-hoc committees shall be formed when necessary.
A Nominating Committee shall be appointed annually one month before the Annual General Meeting.
The Constitution Review Committee shall review the Constitution and Bylaws as deemed necessary.
Committees are responsible to the Executive Officers and the membership.
Committee chairpersons will be responsible for submitting a written report yearly at the Annual General Meeting.
External Committees
The Executive may appoint representatives to external committees or in liaison positions to external organizations.
Committees are responsible to the Executive Officers and the membership. Committee chairpersons will be responsible for submitting a written report yearly at the Annual General Meeting and apprising the Executive Committee on an ongoing basis as appropriate.

 

Determination of Questions
At Executive meetings, only those who officially constitute the elected Executive are entitled to a vote and at internal committee meetings, those who officially constitute the internal committee are entitled to vote.

Questions arising at a meeting of the Executive and committee shall be decided by a majority of votes.
In case of equality of votes the chairperson does not have a second or casting vote and the motion shall fail.
PART 7 DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Officers/Committee Chairs
All officers shall;

keep up to date on the affairs of the OBHS PAC;
carry out delegated responsibilities; and
assess the financial undertakings to ensure they are within the annual budget.
Approve all expenditures but require a vote by the voting members at a general meeting for all expenditures exceeding $300.00 and not previously approved in the budget;
Ensure all relevant information is passed on to their successors.

2. Senior/Junior Co-Chairs
The Co-Chairs shall;

be an ex-officio member of all committees and shall oversee and delegate responsibility to the committees whenever possible or necessary;
regularly attend the principal liaison meeting and report to the Executive Committee;
be a representative to the monthly staff meeting (by invitation) and report to the Executive Committee;
be the Chief Executive Officers of the OBHS PAC and shall supervise the other officers in the execution of their duties;
preside at all general meetings of the OBHS PAC and Executive and ensure an agenda is prepared and presented;
speak on behalf of the OBHS PAC;
appoint members to committees in consultation with the other Executive members;
the Junior Chair shall carry out the duties of the Senior Chair during any absences and in the event the Senior Chair resigns assume the Senior Chair until the next annual general meeting.
An Executive member shall carry out the duties of the Chairs during their absences
Assess the financial undertakings to ensure they are within the annual budget and be one of the signing officers;
Ensure that the Treasurer submits all required financial reports to the appropriate government agencies;
Submit an annual report;
If the position of the Past Chair is vacant, the Junior Chair shall be responsible for the nominating committee.|

3. Secretary
The Secretary shall:

be one of the signing officers;
issue notices of meetings of OBHS PAC and Executive;
record proceedings and keep minutes of all business meetings of the OBHS PAC and Executive and try to issue minutes prior to subsequent meetings;
oversee all records and documents of the OBHS PAC except those required to be kept by the Treasurer;
maintain the register of Executive members; and
assess the financial undertakings to ensure they are within the annual budget.
keep an accurate copy of the OBHS PAC Constitution and Bylaws and assure the School Board has a current copy.
Issue and receive correspondence of OBHS PAC (if the Secretary is unable to pick up the mail from the school, this duty can be delegated to another Executive member);
In the absence of the Secretary from a meeting, the Executive shall appoint another person to act as Secretary at that meeting

4. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall:

Be one of the signing officers;
Be bondable;
With a budget committee, prepare an annual budget;
Be responsible for the deposit of all monies paid to the OBHS PAC;
Properly account for the funds of the OBHS PAC and keep the financial records, including books of account;
Render a full detailed account of receipts and disbursements to the OBHS PAC or Executive;
With the Executive, assess all financial undertakings to ensure they are within the annual budget;
Ensure that all required financial reports are submitted to appropriate government agencies.

5. VCPAC Delegate
The VCPAC Delegate shall:

attend regular monthly VCPAC meetings or arrange for alternate when possible,
report back to the OBHS PAC and seek input for OBHS PAC.
Submit an annual report.
Ensure all relevant information regarding this position is passed on to succeeding VCPAC Delegates
Manage BCPAC membership and matters pertaining to BCPAC membership
Deal with matters relating to BCPAC.

6. Members at Large
The members at large shall;

serve in a capacity to be determined by the OBHS PAC at the time of their election, and other times throughout their tenure as the needs of the OBHS PAC might require.
Submit an annual report.

7. Immediate Past Senior Chair
The Immediate Past Senior Chair shall;

provide advice and support, and
provide information about resources, contacts, and other essential information.
Form a nominating committee at least one month prior to the AGM. If the position of the Past Chair is not filled, this duty will be covered by the Junior Chair.

8. School Planning Council Representative

The School Planning Council (SPC) representative shall:

a. be one of three elected SPC representatives
b. represent and speak on behalf of the PAC at SPC meetings
c. take direction from the general PAC membership
d. report back to the PAC at general meetings
PART 8 FINANCES

All funds of the OBHS PAC will be on deposit in a chartered bank, credit union or trust company.
Signing Authority
The OBHS PAC shall designate at least two persons to be signing officers, one of whom will be the Treasurer, at least two of whom shall sign any banking and legal documents on behalf of the OBHS PAC.

Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the OBHS PAC shall end June 30th.

Annual General Meetings
At each annual general meeting the Executive shall present to the members for their consideration a report of income and expenditures for the previous fiscal year, together with the auditor’s report thereon, if any.

Fiscal Responsibility of Executive
In order to carry out the purposes of the OBHS PAC the Executive may, on behalf of and in the name of the OBHS PAC, raise or secure the payment or repayment of money in the manner they decide.

the Executive shall have power to:
initiate specific fundraising projects; or
ii. seek grants that may be available from governments, charitable foundations and similar sources;

provided that neither (a) nor (b) constitutes or implies partisan support of any political party or endorsement of a commercial product without the prior approval of the general membership.

the Executive shall have the power to:
i.authorize funds for executive members to attend conferences that support the aims and philosophies of this school.

ii. suitability of conferences to be determined by a majority of the Executive at an Executive meeting.

Funds issued for travel/conference expenses to be determined by Executive and may constitute part or all of the cost of attending.
Liability of Executive
Except for such costs, charges or expenses as are occasioned by his own willful neglect or default, each Executive member of OBHS PAC shall be indemnified and saved harmless out of the funds of the OBHS PAC from and against all expenses incurred or lawsuits brought against him in his capacity as an Executive member of the OBHS PAC.

PART 9 CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

9.01 Copy of Constitution and Bylaws

A copy of the Constitution and Bylaws shall remain with the Secretary and be made available on request to any member.

Constitution and Bylaw Amendments
The Constitution and these Bylaws may not be rescinded, altered or added to except by special resolution at a general meeting;
Such action to amend the Constitution or Bylaws shall require thirty days written notice of the proposed amendment to all members in good standing.
PART 10 BOOKS OF ACCOUNTS

All books of accounts, records and minutes of the OBHS PAC, other than minutes of in-camera proceedings of the OBHS PAC, shall be open for inspection by any member at any reasonable time and upon reasonable notice to the Secretary.
PART 11 RULES OF ORDER

11.01 The Rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all matters of procedure not covered in these Bylaws.