HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix B to Report 24-082POLICY P.005.GOV
TITLE:BOARD MEMBER AND STUDENT TRUSTEE EXPENSES AND
SUPPORT SERVICES
Date Authorized:30 January 1998
Last Revised:06 September 2022
Last Reviewed:06 September 2022
COMMITMENT TO INDIGENOUS, EQUITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS
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
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
members or student trustees.
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2.2 The Board shall set aside annually a budget allocation for each member of the Board
and student trustee to cover expenses incurred by the member while carrying out
his/her duties as a member of the Board. This amount shall be equal for each member
of the Board and student trustee.
2.3 Each Board member and student trustee shall have the discretion to use these funds to
cover the reasonable costs of professional development, constituency communications,
business travel, office supplies, business services and hospitality expenses incurred by
the member while carrying out his or her duties as an elected representative.
2.4 Costs incurred by a Board member or student trustee for mileage, taxi, parking and for
long distance 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 OPSBA or where a student trustee sits as a
Director of 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 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 expense 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.
2.10 The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the Chair of the Board’s expense claim meets
the requirements of board policy 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.
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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 Board may authorize, before 31 August in any year, the carryforward of unspent
funds, not to exceed $2,500, in Board members’ individual accounts under this policy
upon submission of written requests from individual trustees outlining the rationale for
such carryforward, save that, in an election year, any such funds carried forward must
be used prior to the end of the Board’s term of office. Student trustees are not able to
incur a deficit and are not eligible to carry forward budget funds.
2.14 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.
2.15 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.
2.16 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 costs differential between the standard board issue and the equipment
requested will be funded through the individua budget allocation.
2.17 Board members and student trustees shall be reimbursed at the approved mileage rate
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.
2.18 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);
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2.19 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 wishing to purchase such furnishings and/or equipment would
be charged the fair market value costs as determined by the Director of Education.
2.20 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.
2.21 Any Board member or student trustee having specific accommodation needs to carry
out their duties may charge associated costs to meet those needs to the Board’s central
account.
2.22 No expenses related to a municipal or student election campaign or any electoral costs
shall be charged to any Board account.
2.23 Board members and student trustees shall not donate funds or gifts from their individual
budget allocations to community groups, charities, schools, school councils, political
campaigns or political parties.
2.24 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
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 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 to Policy P.005.GOV
POLICY DEFINITIONS
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.
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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