Policy Manual Introduction
The Board of Trustees is committed to the educational needs of the community within the Sunrise School Division and seeks to carry out this role through the practise of good governance. Effective governance includes sound policies that support a school board’s mandate in the areas of leadership, stewardship and relationship.
The Board is elected to represent the public with regard to education and does so primarily through policies. These policies serve as a course of action to the daily activities of the schools and the school division. Policies are principles adopted by the Board and provide clear direction for parameters so policy goals may be achieved. One of the key roles of the Board is to, through good governance practices, determine the need for policy, ensure that policy is developed and reviewed on a regular basis, and followed. The role of Administration is to execute policy within the spirit and intent written by the Board.
Board Governance
The Board is a unified body and, as the leader of the school division, encourages and strengthens the school division in its goal of student achievement and success. The primary activity of the Board is governance, and as such, the Board provides leadership in the achievements of the school division by making informed decisions, setting broad goals, and ensuring that the Board Policy Manual is relevant, current and adhered to. The Board's contribution is vital in its guidance and leadership, and the goal of each individual Trustee is to be a capable governor.
Policy Leadership as a Governance Model
Through governance policy statement (Board Policy Manual) the Board provides leadership for the division. According to The Public Schools Act, only the Board can adopt new policies or revise existing policies. In the Sunrise School Division, the Board governs through policy leadership in order to ensure the pursuit of excellence.
The governance model practiced by the Board, informs the Board’s governance role and strengthens the connection between the Board and the community it is elected to represent. Policies are clearly worded and re-examined regularly by the Board to ensure that desired results are being achieved within the division. Accountability is clearly established through the delegation of authority to the Superintendent in written Board policy. A regular monitoring cycle for Board policies ensures the necessary framework for Administration to demonstrate achievement of the goals established by the board and holds the Superintendent accountable for compliance with Board policies.
Strong governance policies:
- Illustrate the relationship between core values and the actions of the school division;
- Eliminate overlapping policies;
- Provide easy maintenance;
- Offer assurance of compliance;
- Set a clear framework for operations within the school division;
- Clarify accountability;
- Specify results the Board wants to achieve;
- Define authority and responsibility;
- Outline processes and operations of the Board itself; and
- Outline how the Board is connected to the management of the school division.
Policies are developed depending on responses to the following three questions:
- Does this policy communicate clearly the purposes of the Board?
- Does this policy define the Board’s instructions to the Superintendent in such a way as to allow the Superintendent an acceptable range of implementation?
- How will this policy be monitored?
By practicing good governance, the Board ensures that the policy is the basis for action and decision-making within the school division.
This manual is organized in a manner that enables the board to govern through policy and provide effective means to govern the division. Sections within this manual include:
- Vision, Mission and Values
- Board Governance Model and Process
- Role of the School Board
- Board Operational Goals
- Annual Planning Cycle
- Board Policy Development, Review and Amendment Processes
- Board Operations
- Board Member Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest
- Board and Superintendent Relationship
- Board Evaluation
- Contingency Planning
- Respect for Human Diversity
- Learning Environment, Programs and Services
- Safe Schools
- Community Engagement
- Finances
- Audits
- Assets
- Public Interest
- Seclusion
- Mandatory Proof of Covid-10 Vaccination Status or Covid Testing
- Senior Administration Contract Negotiations
Administrative Procedures
This Board Policy Manual is supplemented by the Reference and Procedure Manual, the principal written document by which the Superintendent has delegated authority and directs the operations of the school division and the staff. Administrative procedures may be developed, altered and modified without prior approval of the Board, except in those areas specifically identified through Board policy as requiring Board approval (see Policy 9.9). The Reference and Procedure Manual must be entirely consistent with the Board Policy Manual.
The development of two distinct documents (policy manual and procedure manual) reinforces the distinction between the governance responsibility of the Board and the administrative/managerial duties of the Superintendent within the Board’s governance model.
Legislation and Regulations
The Sunrise School Division and Board operate under the terms of the Manitoba Public Schools Act and any other provincial, municipal or federal legislation or regulations that may apply, and is bound by its own policy manual.
- All edicts of the province of Manitoba, (including regulations) are considered mandated Board policy.
- All agreements signed through contract are considered mandated Board policy, such as the collective agreements signed with employee groups.
- All adopted rules and regulations concerning the Board’s own procedures and by-laws and how the Board operates as the governance arm of the school division, are also policy statements and adhered to by the Board.
The policies within this document reflect the requirements of the Board, and reflect provincial legislation and priorities, as outlined in the legislation and regulations governing education, including The Public Schools Act, The Education Administration Act, The Safe Schools Charter, The Workplace Safety and Health Act, The Manitoba Human Rights Code, The Child and Family Services Act, Appropriate Educational Programming in Manitoba: Standards for Student Services, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), and the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA). Compliance with federal legislation including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, The Youth Criminal Justice Act and The Constitution Act are also reflected within the policies and procedures of Sunrise School Division.
Legal Status and Role of the School Board
1.0 School Board Legal Status and Division Boundaries
The members of the Board, or Trustees of the division, and their successors in office are constituted and created, from the date from which the establishment of the division is effective a body corporate and politic under the name the “Sunrise School Division”
[Public Schools Act (PSA) Section 3.1]. The boundaries of the Sunrise School Division shall be the boundary of the area contained in the wards of the division.
The Sunrise School Division, as a corporate body established by the Government of
Manitoba, is authorized to deliver appropriate public education for all students who reside in or are otherwise the responsibility of, Sunrise School Division.
1.3 School trustees are elected under the conditions and regulations of the Public Schools Act
to represent the public ownership of the school division as the
Voting members of the Board.
1.4 The number of elected school trustees, their term of office, and parameters for conduct shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Manitoba Public Schools Act, its Preamble and attendant regulations, and this Board Policy Manual.
1.5 Board By-Laws not contained within this policy manual are binding upon the operations of the Sunrise School Division Board. They are available for viewing at the Sunrise School Division central office in Beausejour, Manitoba.
1.6 Documentation of this policy manual and any attendant legislation and regulations are located at or through the Sunrise School Division central office in Beausejour, Manitoba.
*Legal References include: The Public Schools Act, The Education Administration Act, The Safe Schools Charter, The Manitoba Human Rights Code, Appropriate Educational Programming, The Workplace Health and Safety Act.
2.0 Role of the School Board
The school board is responsible for the delivery of fair and equitable public education within the Sunrise School Division. As the governing Board, Trustees are responsible to:
- Identify, support and represent values which reflect the best hopes and aspirations of the community.
- Choose and organize priorities and outcomes for the school division.
- Establish structures and systems, and retain a Superintendent for the school division.
- Acquire and allocate resources within its level of authority.
- Set out vital principles and the limits of acceptable behavior.
- Encourage commitment and compliance within the school division.
- Evaluate performance of themselves, the Superintendent, and the school division.
- Move the organization forward according to established decisions and standards.