The Record Off The Record is  my personal record of and  commentary on SD61 Board and  Standing Committee meetings. Official, approved  minutes are on the SD61 website, one  month after the meeting.

SD61 Greater Victoria School District includes students in Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Victoria, View Royal, parts of Saanich and the Highlands, and the Traditional Territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

Sticky post: Motions and Trustee Voting Records  January 2012 – October  2016 (November 2016-May 2017 to come).  Motions may be shortened but retain essential information.

P1: Backgrounders/ Meeting Schedule /  Trustee  Appointments
P2:  Standing Committee Meeting
P3: Letter to Ministry of Education from SD23 Central Okanagan

Trustees  are assigned as voting members by the Chair to one of the two standing committees, Education  Policy and Directions, and Operations Policy and Planning. Agenda setting is the prerogative of the Committee Chair, with input from senior administration. Recent Change to Standing Committee vote:  October 17/16, Whiteaker: That the Board amend Bylaw 9130 Standing Committees to remove the words “with voting rights” from Item #4 and Item #5. / Carried. Unanimous.  This had the effect of allowing only members of the Standing Committee to vote on motions, though other Trustees, if they attend,  can participate in  the debate. The Chair of the Board  ex officio member both Committees, with voting rights. Quorum is a majority of Trustee members on the committee.

Standing committees are the best opportunity for stakeholders, public, and partner groups to make their views known to Trustees. Standing  Committee structure operates on less formal   Rules of Order than does the Board, ie. no need for a seconder for a motion, and a Trustee  can speak as many times as the Chair allows; members of the public and presenters can ask questions of each other and engage in dialogue.The question can’t be called in a standing committee, meaning debate can extend for some time. Most substantive debate on motions takes place at the standing committees.   

The BC School Act allows Trustees to be absent with no reason for nearly 3 months – have to show up for that last meeting in the 3d month or disqualified. Anyone else have absence leeway like that?

52 (2) If a trustee is continuously absent from board meetings for a period of 3 consecutive months, unless the absence is because of illness or with the leave of the board, the office of the member is deemed to be vacant and the person who held the office is disqualified from holding office as a trustee until the next general school election.

GVSD 61 TRUSTEE REPRESENTATIVES AND TRUSTEE ASSIGNMENTS 2017
Board Chair: Loring-Kuhanga  Vice-Chair: Ferris

BOARD-ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TO EXTERNAL MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS 2017

British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA)	Paynter
British Columbia School Trustees Association (BCSTA)	Whiteaker

BOARD STANDING COMMITTEES 2017
(Loring-Kuhanga member of both, ex officio)
Operations P&P: Chair Watters, McNally, Leonard, Paynter
Ed Policy&Dev: Chair Whiteaker, Ferris, Nohr, Orcherton
Policy SubCommittee: (members vary ; 3 month terms)Mar/17–May/17 Ferris&Orcherton

INTERNAL COMMITTEES 2017

Aboriginal Nations Education Council	McNally
District Facilities Planning Committee	Ferris
Gender Sexuality Alliance	Watters
Equity Ad Hoc Committee	Paynter & Watters
French Immersion Advisory	Ferris
Needs Budget Advisory Committee	Orcherton, Leonard, Nohr
Public Engagement Ad Hoc Committee	McNally & Orcherton
Student Registration & Transfer Committee	Ferris & Nohr
Middle School Review Committee	Whiteaker & Leonard

SECONDARY SCHOOL CATCHMENT AREA GROUPS LIAISON 2017

Spectrum	Ferris& Leonard
Mount Doug	Paynter
Oak Bay	Loring-Kuhanga
Reynolds	Nohr&Orcherton
Vic High	McNally
Lambrick	Whiteaker
Esquimalt	Watters

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS 2017

Allied Specialists Association	Orcherton
CUPE 382	Watters
CUPE 947	Paynter
Exempt Staff	Ferris (Alternate –Whiteaker)
GVTA	Nohr (Alternate –Leonard)
Principals & VP	Loring-Kuhanga (Alternate –McNally)

EXTERNAL TRUSTEE LIAISONS – COMMUNITY 2017

Saanich Arts, Culture & Heritage	McNally
Saanich Parks, Trails & Rec	Whiteaker
Healthy Saanich Advisory Committee	Orcherton
Victoria Family Court & Youth Justice Committee	Watters

Ad Hoc Committees of the Board and their terms of reference are listed on the SD61 website.

Meeting schedule here.   Next meeting May 8/17 Operations Policy & Planning. Meeting agendas posted on SD61 website Friday before the meeting. Board meetings  audio and video recorded;  Standing Committees not.