GUIDE
DRAFTING
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
governing boards and parents’ committees
This guide is largely based on a document produced by the Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin, which has graciously agreed to let us adapt it for the benefit of parent’s committes in Quebec.
GUIDE TO DRAFTING MEETING MINUTES
GOVERNING BOARDS AND PARENTS’ COMMITTEES
This guide is intended specifically for the secretary, who is responsible for taking the minutes. It includes tips for drafting minutes, as well as examples of minute elements.
First of all, it should be noted that minutes are a publicly accessible document. It consists of a report of the proceedings of the Governing Board or Parents’ Committee, but is not a record of everything said and done at a Governing Board meeting. Its content must therefore be accurate, objective and succinct.
Furthermore, when drafting the minutes, the secretary must take care not to mention any personal information concerning individuals. (see box)This information is confidential within the meaning of the Loi sur l’accès aux documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels (LADOP).
Personal information
In a document, personal information is information that concerns a natural person and allows that person to be identified. The name of a natural person is not personal information, except when it is mentioned with other information concerning that person, or when its mere mention would reveal personal information concerning that person (art. 54 and 56, LADOP).
RECURRING ELEMENTS IN THE MINUTES
The minutes of a Governing Board meeting inevitably contain certain elements. These elements include the following:
- The name of the body (e.g. Governing Board of [nom de l’établissement]);
- The date of the session;
- The title of the document (e.g.: Minutes of the Governing Board meeting held on [date], à [lieu]located at [adresse]);
- Attendance and absence of members (to calculate and determine quorum);
- The presence of people invited by the Governing Board or Parents’ Committee, if applicable (e.g., resource person for a specific file);
- The fact that the meeting is open and the name of the person chairing the meeting;
- Theagenda and its adoption (see box);
- Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting and processing of follow-ups;
- Public question period, if applicable;
- Agenda items as adopted;
- Resolution numbers;
- Closing the session;
- The signature of the Chairman of the meeting and, as the case may be, of the Secretary or the Director (or the person designated by him for this purpose).
Watch out!
The terms “adopt” and “adoption” are used throughout this document to simplify reading. Always refer to the Education Act to find out the scope of the Governing Board’s and Parents’ Committee’s powers (e.g., adoption, approval, information, consultation). adoption, approval, information, consultation).
OTHER ELEMENTS OF A REPORT
Certain elements of the minutes require special attention. Here are a few tips and wording suggestions.
Points and titles
The agenda for a Governing Board meeting contains a list of items to be dealt with.
Once the agenda has been adopted, the meeting proceeds according to the established order, and resolutions may be passed, depending on the powers assigned to the Governing Board or Parents’ Committee by the Education Act (e.g., adoption, approval, information, consultation).
Each resolution corresponds to an item on the agenda and must bear a title. Ideally, the same terms should be used for both the agenda item and the corresponding resolution, to ensure a clear link between the agenda and the adopted resolution.
Public question period
Like the minutes themselves, notes taken during the public question period must be objective, concise and not provide personal information about the person addressing the Governing Board members.
Resolution number
To make it easier to locate and chronologize resolutions, it’s a good idea to assign a number to each Governing Board resolution, usually placed in the left-hand margin and containing the number of the resolution, the initials of the committee and the reference year: “01-GB-2021-2022”.
Sample question from the audience:
Mrs. Solange Potvin asked Governing Board members about the status of the schoolyard refurbishment project.
The Chair of the Governing Board invites the school management to answer this question.
The school principal presents the current status of the project.
The “Whereas” of a resolution
Whereas or whereas” are used to put the resolution into context, in terms of both facts and legal obligations. They represent the reasoning of the Governing Board or Parents’ Committee in its decision-making.
The same resolution may contain one or more “whereas”, and we suggest that you limit yourself to one idea per “whereas”. Clear language is preferable.
Here is an example of Whereas :
WHEREAS that the Governing Board, under Section 90 of the Education Act, may organize educational services other than those provided for in the Basic School Regulation, including teaching services outside teaching periods on school days as set out in the school calendar or outside school days, and services for social, cultural or sports purposes;
WHEREAS that the Governing Board may also permit other persons or organizations to organize such services on school premises;
WHEREAS that a survey of school parents and community members revealed a need for music lessons among children in the neighborhood surrounding the school;
WHEREAS the proposed services of Ms. A and Ms. B, piano and violin teachers respectively;
The proposal
The motion is required in all cases where the adoption of a resolution by the Governing Board or Parents’ Committee is required. The proposal does not need to be seconded by a second member, except where provided for in the rules of internal management.
The proposal can be noted as follows:
Therefore be it resolved by MR:
THAT ladies A and B can give piano and music lessons to local children;
THAT these courses take place on Thursday evenings on the school premises.
The vote
Any member may request that a proposal be put to the vote. It is therefore important to record the result of the vote in the minutes, in case the resolution is contested.
An abstention is neither a vote for nor a vote against, and is therefore not taken into account in determining the majority.
If the resolution is passed unanimously, with or without a vote, we simply indicate “Unanimously approved”, without counting the votes.
For example:
For : [nombre de voix]
Against : [nombre de voix]
Abstention(s): [nombre de voix]
Adopted by a majority / Rejected
Modifying a motion for resolution during the meeting (motion amendment)
It is sometimes useful to modify a proposed resolution during the meeting, when the Governing Board members are discussing the proposal. Any such change must be proposed by a member and recorded in the minutes.
For example:
IT WAS PROPOSED BY Mister E :
THAT the main proposal be amended by adding the following recital:
WHEREAS that offering piano and violin lessons to neighborhood children is in line with the main theme of the school’s educational project, namely A school and a neighborhood in harmony;
Amendment of a resolution adopted at a previous meeting
A resolution adopted at a previous Governing Board meeting may also be amended. This amendment will have to be adopted through a new resolution.
It is important to note that the minutes containing the original resolution should be annotated accordingly to refer to the amending resolution.
This is how it works:
IT WAS PROPOSED BY Mister E :
THAT resolution 44-CE-2018-2019, adopted at the regular meeting of the Governing Board of École Pierre-d’Iberville held on Tuesday, February 21, 2019, be amended as follows:
THAT the budget for the school-park rehabilitation project be increased from $44,000 to $55,000;
Deferring a point
Occasionally, an agenda item is postponed to be dealt with at a later Governing Board meeting. Under the item’s title, we’ll write: “The subject is deferred to a future meeting of the governing board.
Behind closed doors
Governing Board meetings are open to the public. However, the Governing Board may order an in camera session to study any subject that may be prejudicial to an individual. The heading of the item will then read: “The Board orders the meeting to be held behind closed doors. [heure]. “
When the Governing Board ends the in camera session, the following is recorded in the minutes: “The Governing Board ends the behind closed doors session at [heure]. “
Adjournment
If items on the agenda remain to be dealt with and the meeting must nevertheless be adjourned, we indicate: “Meeting adjourned until [date et heure]. “
The minutes of the adjourned meeting form part of the minutes of the original meeting and are noted at the end. The title reads as follows: “Adjourned meeting held on [date] at [heure] “.
Attendance, absences, opening of the meeting, outstanding agenda items, handling of these items, closing of the meeting and signatures must then be recorded once again.
Closing the session
A resolution is not required to end a Governing Board meeting, although many Governing Boards or Parents’ Committees operate this way.
In this case, we can simply note: “There being no further business, the meeting is adjourned at [heure]. “
Signatures and initials
All minutes must be signed by the Chair of the Governing Board or Parents’ Committee and countersigned by the Secretary or Principal (or by the person designated by the Chair for this purpose). It is advisable to have these same people initial each page of the minutes.