Buckland Mills Elementary School Advisory Council Bylaws (Last updated September 16, 2025)
The Advisory Council shall represent and consider the needs of the Buckland Mills Elementary School community and staff to support the development of the annual school plan consistent with the division’s School Strategic Plan.
Membership
Membership in the Advisory Council will be voluntary. Active solicitation for volunteers will seek participation from community and staff members to represent all grade levels and programs within the school. The member demographics shall reflect the community demographics. The membership of the school Advisory Council shall be balanced between school staff and parents.
Selection Process
Each term of membership shall be two years. Terms of membership shall run from September to June. New members will be selected before the first Advisory Council Meeting. When a vacancy occurs during the year, a volunteer replacement shall be selected for the remainder of the two-year term based on the received interest forms. Only one member of a family may serve on the Advisory Council at any time.
Leadership
A Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Recording Secretary, and Timekeeper shall be elected each year at the first meeting. Each officer will serve a term of two years. The duties of these officers are listed below:
Chairperson
Work with the outgoing chairperson to ensure a clean transfer of duties
Preside over all meetings
Develop the agenda with the Principal in advance of the next scheduled meeting
Vice-Chairperson
Perform all functions in the absence of the Chairperson
Remind members of upcoming meetings
Recording Secretary
Provide copy of minutes to the Principal for posting on the school website so that all community members can view.
Timekeeper
Notify the Chairperson of the start and finish of each meeting • Monitor the time allotted for each item on the agenda
Meetings
The Advisory Council will meet once per month 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. via zoom
Open Chair
15 minutes of each meeting will be designated “open chair” to allow any Buckland Mills school community members to speak to the council about school issues. Those community members desiring to speak during “Open Chair” must contact the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson at least two days prior to the upcoming meeting. Speakers will limit their remarks to no more than five minutes.
Agenda
Members may propose agenda items during the last 5 minutes of each meeting. Members of the council shall suggest additional items to be added to the next agenda prior to the next meeting. The Chairperson and Principal shall meet one week before the meeting to finalize the agenda.
Decision Making
All decisions and recommendations will be made by consensus. The Principal has the responsibility for making final decisions and recommendations.
Bylaws
Bylaws will be reviewed at the start of each school year and amended as needed.
