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Call for Policy Resolutions & Proposed Amendments to the OPSBA Constitution

2017 3/1 | Connects Page, OPSBA Events, OPSBA News, Trustee PD

OPSBA logo big.jpgOPSBA Policy Resolutions

Submission deadline: Monday, April 3, 2017

Monday, April 3 is the deadline for OPSBA member boards to submit policy resolutions for consideration by the general membership at the 2017 OPSBA Annual General Meeting. Policy resolutions from member boards that are passed at the AGM are incorporated into the work planning that takes place over the summer and are aligned with the action framework to achieve OPSBA’s priorities for the year ahead. The Key Work of OPSBA is the OPSBA publication that sets out this action framework.

Please note:

  • Policy resolutions must reflect the corporate position of a member school board and address issues that have provincial implications.
  • Proposals for action by OPSBA should be clearly described as part of the backgrounder and within the resolution itself.

Policy resolutions received at OPSBA by Monday, April 3, will be reviewed by a Policy Resolutions Review Committee; i.e., members of Executive Council and Regional Vice-Chairs acting in this capacity. The policy resolutions, along with comments from the Policy Resolutions Review Committee, will be presented to the Board of Directors for information at their April 21-22, 2017 meeting before being forwarded to member boards.

In accordance with the OPSBA Constitution, policy resolutions may also be presented from the floor of the Annual General Meeting but are first subject to obtaining the approval of two-thirds of the delegates at the AGM to consider the new resolution. Once the approval to consider the new resolution has been obtained, the member board representative (delegate) who has introduced the new resolution from the floor must provide written copies of the resolution for every voting delegate.

See the link at the end of this article for the Guide to Submitting Policy Resolutions, including sample submission form.

Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Submission deadline: Monday, April 3, 2017

Each year, member boards have an opportunity to submit proposals for amendments to the OPSBA Constitution for consideration by the Board of Directors. The deadline for submission this year is April 3 in order to allow time for staff and legal counsel to review the proposals and to prepare language before submission to the Board of Directors for consideration at their April 21-22 meeting. Constitutional amendments must be first approved by the Board of Directors and are then forwarded to the OPSBA Annual General Meeting for confirmation by a two-thirds vote of the membership. This year, the AGM is being held on June 9. The constitutional amendments take effect once they are confirmed by at least two-thirds of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting. In some cases, a proposed constitutional amendment can be referred to a specially formed work group for further careful study and consideration of the full impact of the proposed change. That work group’s recommendation(s) would be provided in time for the following year’s process; i.e., consideration by the Board of Directors in April of the following year, and then forwarded to the Annual General Meeting for consideration by the delegates.

See the link at the end of this article for the OPSBA Constitution and By-Laws, last amended in July 2014.

Please send your board’s submissions, using the form provided, including a clear rationale/background and the proposed Constitutional change, to OPSBA by mail, fax or e-mail to the attention of Jane Hayes, Executive Coordinator, 439 University Ave., 18th Floor, Toronto M5G 1Y8; fax (416) 340-7571, or webmaster@opsba.org.

OPSBA Constitution and By-Laws (last amended in July 2014)

Guidelines for Submission of Policy Resolutions, including submission form

Proposed Constitutional Amendments form