YUKON+SCHOOL+COUNCILS

=Yukon School Councils ~ Silke Wissner=

In the Yukon, we operate directly under the Yukon Territorial Government. There is only one school board in the territory, the French school board which operates one school in Whitehorse. The rest of the schools have a School Council. The School Council is comprised of elected representatives and the other half are guaranteed representatives appointed through their First Nation by the Minister of Education. The only requirement for members of a School Council is they are of voting age and live within the catchment area of the school. Many of the School Councils operate without their full complement of members, and in many communities there are never any elections as people tend to get in by acclamation.

There does not really seem to be a standard way of operating for School Councils as there are varying levels of capacity amongst members. The Education Act is vague in stipulating what School Councils do, with various interpretations of “shall” and “may” when describing their duties. Another common problem is the lack of accountability for School Councils. Members are often not held accountable, as there is no regulatory framework or body for them. As some are appointed, and others are often acclaimed; individuals with personal agendas are often on School Councils.

There has been a move towards increasing the capacity of School Councils within the territory with a newly created framework for School Council growth. Principals in each school are going to be expected to work with their School Council in developing their capacity with this new framework as a guide.

The file found below is a draft document entitled "Leadership Practices Framework for Yukon School Councils" (March 2012) produced by the Yukon Department of Education. It outlines specific duties of School Councils in accordance with the Yukon Education Act.

