Board Policies

POLICY

The Board of Trustees is committed to Public Education and its Trustee members shall conduct themselves ethically and responsibly in carrying out the duties that they have been elected to fulfill. It is expected that all interactions related to the operations of the Board is characterized by mutual respect, which acknowledges the dignity and worth of all individuals.

The Board of Trustees is a corporation. The decisions of the Board in a properly constituted meeting are those of the corporation. A Trustee who is given corporate authority to act on behalf of the Board may carry out duties individually, but only as an agent of the Board. In such cases, the actions of the Trustee are those of the Board, which is then responsible for them. A Trustee acting individually has only the authority and status of any other citizen of the division. 

Trustees have a fiduciary duty to protect the interests of the Division, place the interests of the corporate board above their own, maintain confidentiality and avoid conflict of interests. 

GUIDELINES

The role of each individual Trustee is to:

1. Become familiar with Division policies and procedures, meeting agendas and reports in order to participate in Board business.

2. Represent his or her constituents and consider the interests of all Division stakeholders when making decisions.

3. Be familiar with the Education Act and Division policies and procedures.

4. Be familiar with and adhere to the Trustee Code of Conduct.

5. Stay informed on significant developments in Public Education.

6. Participate in seminars, conferences and conventions so they can enhance the quality of leadership and service they offer the Division. 

7. Following a Trustee development activity, share materials and ideas gained in written format with fellow Trustees.

8. Participate in, and contribute to, the decisions of the Board in order to provide the best solutions possible for the education of students within the Division. 

9. Support the corporate decisions of the Board and refrain from making any statements that may give the impression that such a statement reflects the corporate opinion of the Board when it does not.

10. Respect and support the authority of the Superintendent to direct the work of administration and staff.

11. Observe the Board’s rules of order for conduct at Board meetings.

12. Promote positive relationships between the Board and all Division stakeholders.

13. Trustees shall not attempt to exercise individual authority over the organization and/or schools; the Superintendent; or any member of the staff. In particular:

a. Individual Trustees will not assume personal responsibility for resolving operational problems or complaints. Upon receiving a concern, complaint or information regarding a sensitive or confidential matter from a parent, staff member, community member or other stakeholder, about school operations, must forthwith refer this individual to the Superintendent for investigation and resolution

i. If the individual attempts subsequent communication with the Trustee, the Trustee will respond that the concern has been forwarded to the Superintendent and will not engage in further conversation with the individual. AP211: Focused and Effective Communication and the associated appendices address specific complaint procedures. 

b. Trustees shall not encourage direct communication with employees and members of the public who attempt to bypass school or Central Office Administration, but shall encourage employees and members of the public to utilize reporting lines at the school level or within Central Office Administration to bring concerns to the Board.

c. Trustees shall comply with their fiduciary duty to inform Administration of concerns brought to their attention

14. Trustees shall recognize that:

a. The Board Chair is the official spokesperson for the Board of Trustees, and therefore, the only person authorized to speak to the public, media or other entities and communicate corporate decisions or positions on behalf of the Board, except for those instances where the Board has delegated this role to another individual or group.

b. Without limiting the right of Trustees to express their own personal views, when interacting with the public, media or other entities, Trustees shall accurately represent and accept the corporate decision of the Board, once a decision has been made.

15. Trustees shall be prepared for Board deliberations by attending in person or by electronic means:

a.  All regularly scheduled or special meetings of the Board of Trustees and any committee meetings to which they are assigned, on a regular and punctual basis.

i. The presence or absence of every Trustee shall be recorded in the minutes. If a Trustee wishes to be absent during a meeting, they will declare this wish and ensure that the recording secretary has noted it. Failure to do so will result in inaccuracies in the recording of minutes.

ii. As outlined in the Education Act, a person is disqualified from remaining as a Trustee of a board if that person is absent, without being authorized by a resolution of the board to do so, for three consecutive regular meetings of the board, unless his/her absence is due to illness and he/she provides evidence of that illness in the form of a medical certificate respecting the period of absence.

iii. Repeated partial or late attendance shall be cause for disciplinary action, as determined by the Board.

iv. Unless an absence has been previously approved by the Board, failure to attend regular and special meetings as well as scheduled committee meetings will result in the deduction from trustee remuneration.

v. Two days per year are allowed without deduction for illness on the part of the Trustee, and two days of compassionate leave are also permitted. If, however, a Trustee is absent from any regular or special meeting of the Board or scheduled committee meetings due to illness, beyond the two sick days permitted, he/she must produce a doctor’s certificate and no deduction from trustee remuneration will be made.

16. With regards to Standing Committees of the Board, the administrators assigned to support these committees will include in the meeting notes the date and time of the next scheduled committee meeting, the estimated length of the next scheduled meeting and the names of those Trustees who will be in attendance.

17. Trustees should attend Trustee Orientation and Renewal sessions, Board Retreats, School Council meetings, Student Discipline Hearings, Teacher Transfer Hearings and meetings with external organizations (such as Municipal Councils and Chamber of Commerce). Trustees are also expected to attend the annual general meetings of the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta (PSBAA) and/or the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) and other conferences as approved by the Board.

18. Board Orientation
As a result of elections, the Board may experience changes in membership. To ensure continuity and facilitate a smooth transition from one Board to the next following an election, Trustees must be adequately briefed concerning existing Board policy and practice, statutory requirements, initiatives and long-range plans. 

a. The Board believes an orientation program is necessary for effective Trusteeship. All Trustees are expected to attend all aspects of the orientation program.

b. The Division will offer an orientation program for all Trustees that provides information on:

i. Role of the Trustee and the Board;

ii. Organizational structures and procedures of the Division;

iii. Board policy, agendas and minutes;

iv. Existing Division initiatives, annual reports, budgets, financial statements and long-range plans;

v. Division programs and services;

vi. Board's function as an appeal body; and

vii. Statutory and regulatory requirements, including responsibilities with regard to conflict of interest. 

c. The Board Chair and Superintendent are responsible for ensuring a Division orientation program for Trustees.

d. Board Policies, Administrative Procedures and the Trustee Handbook are available on the Division website for Trustees. 

References:

Policy 4: Trustee Code of Conduct 
Policy 8: Board Committees 
Education Act: Sections 33, 34, 51, 52, 53, 64, 67, 75, 85-89, 90-96
Board Procedures Regulation 82/2019
Access to Information Act (ATIA)
Access to Information Act Regulation 133/2025

History

2022 Mar 23 Initial Approval
2025 Sep 24 Amended