HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix A to Report 24-082POLICY P.005.GOV
TITLE:BOARD MEMBER AND STUDENT TRUSTEE EXPENSES AND
SUPPORT SERVICES
Date Authorized:30 January 1998
Last Revised:XXXXXXX
Last Reviewed:XXXXXXX
COMMITMENT TO INDIGENOUS RIGHTS,HUMAN RIGHTS,AND EQUITY
The Board recognizes its responsibility to ensure that OCDSB policies and procedures promote and
protect Indigenous,equity,and human rights and to seek to address and eliminate racism and
structural and systemic barriers for students,staff,and community.
1.0 RATIONALE
This policy was developed in support of legislative requirements under subsections 191.2 of
the Education Act which authorizes the Board to develop policies:
1.1 To provide Board members and student trustees with resources to enable them to fulfill
their corporate and constituency responsibilities.
1.2 To enable Board members and student trustees to claim reasonable expenses he/she
they incurred while carrying out their duties as a member of the Board for such items as
professional development,communications,office supplies and services,hospitality and
business travel.
2.0 POLICY
2.1 Board members and student trustees shall be provided with reasonable levels of staff
support through Board Services for handling correspondence;preparing notices of
motions or recommendations to the Board and/or its committees;research into previous
Board discussions,positions or resolutions;making arrangements for travel on Board
business or for purposes of professional development;small-scale photocopying and
postal services;and any other reasonable support to enable them to carry out their
normal duties and responsibilities as Board members and student trustees.
a)Staff research in support of proposed notices of motions or recommendations is
limited to materials already on file,except as the Board may otherwise direct.
b)Surveys or communications to be distributed via students or staff shall only be
undertaken under approved procedures,and not on behalf of individual Board
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members or student trustees.
2.2 The Board shall set aside annually a budget allocation for each member of the Board
member position and student trustee position to cover expenses incurred by the
member incumbent while carrying out his/her their duties as a member of the Board
member or student trustee.This amount shall be equal for each member of the Board
member position and student trustee position.
2.3 Each Board member and student trustee shall have the discretion to use these funds to
cover the reasonable costs of professional development directly related to their role as
elected officials,constituency communications,business travel,office supplies,
business services and hospitality expenses incurred by the member while carrying out
his/her their duties as an elected representative.
2.4 Costs incurred by a Board member or student trustee for mileage,taxi,parking and for
long distances shall be charged against a central account and not against the individual
Board member allocation.
2.5 Board members and student trustees who attend conferences,annual general
meetings,meetings of other organizations,etc.,as appointed representatives on behalf
of the Board or representing the Board Chair shall have their expenses reimbursed
centrally and not charged against individual Board member or student trustee expense
allocations.
2.6 Where a trustee sits as a Director of the Ontario Public School Boards’Association
(OPSBA)or where a student trustee sits as a Director of the Ontario Student Trustees’
Association (OSTA-AECO),travel to a Director ’s meeting or to the Annual General
Meeting of OPSBA or OSTA-AECO will be considered as travel on official Board
business and not charged to the individual Board member or student trustee account.
2.7 Board members and student trustees must submit an expense claim or original invoice
in order to be reimbursed for any expenses incurred.Expense claims and original
invoices must be submitted in the budget year the expense was incurred in accordance
with the financial reporting requirements of the Board.
2.8 Expense claims of individual board members and student trustees,directly related to
their roles as elected officials,shall be authorized for payment by the Chair of the Board
or designate.The General Manager of Board Services shall certify that the expense The
Chair of the Board,or designate,and the Manager of Board Services shall certify that
the individual trustee,student trustee,and Director of Education’s claims meet the
requirements of Board policy and authorize the payment of the claim.
2.9 If there is a dispute about the eligibility of an expense,a member may appeal the
decision through a Notice of Motion to the Audit Committee,outlining the issue,reasons
for the expense,and the basis for the appeal.
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2.10 The Chief Financial Officer Associate Director of Business Operations shall certify the
Chair of the Board’s expense claim meets the requirements of Board policy and is
directly related to their role as an elected official,to the Director of Education,and the
Director of Education shall recommend for payment.
2.11 The Chair of the Board,or designate and the Director of Education,or designate shall
certify all expenses incurred under the Board Development Fund.
2.12 With the approval of the Board,any deficits resulting from expenditures which exceed
individual Board member allocation under this policy may be carried forward and
deducted from the individual trustee budget of the following school year.
Notwithstanding the above,in the last year of the term of office,the Board member shall
repay any deficit that remains.
2.13 The District shall provide budgets to board members to meet in-year expenses in
support of their elected responsibilities to the Board.Such budgets shall be utilized in
the year they are provided.In exceptional circumstances,Trustees may request to carry
forward unspent funds.Requests to carry forward unspent funds shall be submitted to
the Associate Director of Business Operations before 31 August in any year and
a)not exceed $2,500;
b)in writing,outline the exceptional rationale for the request;and
c)in an election year,be used before the end of the board member ’s term of office.
Student Trustees are not allowed to incur a deficit or to carry forward budget funds.
2.14 The Associate Director of Business Operations shall review and decide on appropriate
justification for carry forward requests and submit these requests at a fall Board meeting
for Trustee approval.
2.15 In the fall of each year,a report detailing the expenses charged against Board member
and student trustee accounts in the preceding fiscal year shall be filed with the Board in
open public session for each member of the Board,and for the Board Development
Fund.Such reports shall clearly identify the nature of the expenses and the total
amount spent.
2.16 Board members and student trustees shall be provided on request with such additional
office equipment (computer,printer)and office furnishings in accordance with Board
standards as may reasonably be required to enable them to carry out their normal
duties and responsibilities from a home office.
2.17 The costs of office equipment shall be funded centrally and not from the individual
Board member account,except that where the equipment exceeds the standard board
issue,the cost differential between the standard board issue and the equipment
requested will be funded through the individual budget allocation.
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2.18 Board members and student trustees shall be reimbursed at the approved mileage rate
of kilometrage for travel within the area of jurisdiction of the Ottawa-Carleton District
School Board to attend meetings of the Board or its committees or related activities,to
visit schools and/or to attend meetings with school councils,or to attend to similar
constituency affairs.Additional expenses associated with such travel shall also be
reimbursed within approved levels and in accordance with the relevant Board policies.
2.19 For the fiscal year in which a municipal election occurs,funding available for individual
Board members and for the Board Development Fund shall be pro-rated for the period
from 1 September to the end of the Board’s term of office,(14 November)and from the
beginning of the new Board’s term of office to 31 August of the following year (15
November);during the period from 1 September to the end of the Board’s term of office
(14 November),permissible expenditures by an incumbent Board member and
permissible expenditures from the Board Development Fund shall not exceed twenty
percent (20%)of the total of the annual budget allocation plus any carryforward from the
previous fiscal year.
2.20 Any furnishings and equipment provided under this policy remain the property of the
Board,to be returned at the end of the member’s or student trustee’s term or terms of
office.Board members may request to purchase such furnishings and/or equipment.If
their request is approved by the Director of Education they would be charged the fair
market value costs as determined by the Director of Education.
2.21 Board members and student trustees shall not use their individual budget allocations to
cover expenses such as legal fees,accounting fees,insurance premiums or other
administrative or professional fees or expenses for personal or business services
related to the business of the Board.
2.22 Any Board member or student trustee having specific accommodation needs to carry
out their duties may request to charge associated costs to meet those needs to the
Board’s central account.
2.23 No expenses related to a municipal or student election campaign or any electoral costs
shall be charged to any Board account.
2.24 Board members and student trustees shall not use their member budget to purchase,
donate,or gift items or services donate funds or gifts from their individual budget
allocations to community groups,charities,schools,school councils,political campaigns
or political parties purchased with funds from the annual budget allocations for their
positions to any organizations or individuals,including community groups,charities,
schools,school councils,students,student organizations,political campaigns or political
parties.
2.25 Board members and student trustees shall not use their budget allocation for
self-promotion.Self-promotion includes:
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a)advertising for personal financial gain;
b)the production and distribution of novelty items which contain the Board
member ’s name (e.g.,personalized pens,pencils,magnets,keychains,banners,
signs,plaques,balloons,etc.);and
c)public communications that contain only Board member identifiers or contact
information without any substantive information (e.g.,details about the operations
of the OCDSB,its programs,upcoming special events,new OCDSB initiatives).
Business cards and newsletters are not considered to be self-promotion.
2.26 The Director of Education is authorized to issue such procedures as may be necessary
to implement this policy.
3.0 APPENDICES
Appendix A:Policy Definitions
4.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Education Act,R.S.O.1998,§191.2
Ontario Regulation 7/07,§4
Broader Public Sector Expenses Directive
OCDSB Policy P.017.GOV Student Trustees
OCDSB Policy P.003.GOV Board Member And Student Trustee Professional Development
And Constituency Communications
OCDSB Policy P.039.FIN:Expense Policy
OCDSB Policy P.122.GOV Election Activities
OCDSB Procedure PR.529.FIN:Expense Procedure
OCDSB Procedure PR.503.GOV:Trustee Expenses for Professional Development,
Constituency Communications and Support Services
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APPENDIX A:POLICY DEFINITIONS
In this policy,
Board means the Board of Trustees of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
Board Member means a member of the Board elected or appointed in accordance with the
Municipal Elections Act and the Education Act.
District means the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB).
Student trustee means an elected student representative to the Board.Student trustees are
elected by the Student Senate and Student Presidents’Council to represent the interests of
students on the Board.Student Trustees means the three elected student representatives to
the Board,including one Indigenous Student Trustee and two Student Trustees who represent
all pupils of the District.
Trustee means a member of the Board elected or appointed in accordance with the Ontario
Municipal Elections Act and the Ontario Education Act.
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