for your - Meadowridge School

20 DeSIGn the next 25 years
Report from the
goveRnAnCe Committee
The Governance Committee is a standing Committee of the
Board, and takes a role in ensuring the correct and healthy
operation of the Board according to appropriate regulations
and rules. Specific responsibilities include:
• Facilitating a review of Board structure, Committee
structure and mandates, including the examination of
ways to include others in the work of the Board.
• Facilitating discussion on the best method of governance
to achieve the Board’s goals.
• Advising the Board regarding constitutional and legal
matters, using appropriate external legal resources as
needed.
• Carrying out the annual Board evaluation process.
• Proposing for discussion, the policies relating to Board of
Governors issues.
The policy work is performed largely in the Policy Sub-
Committee, with responsibilities including:
• Assisting the Board with understanding of different policy
types, and on the differentiation between Board policies
and School operating policies.
• Undertaking project work to construct, or draft revisions
to the Board Policy Manual, and bringing those policies
to the Board for adoption.
• Advising the Board on the process for drafting, reviewing
and adopting new Policy, or changes to existing Policy;
this includes advising on whether drafting can be done
within the Policy Sub-Committee, or is best performed by
the specialist Committee.
This year, the Governance Committee refined its mandate,
and revised an annual calendar to pre-plan recurring
governance activities. The Committee refreshed the overall
Board Committee membership procedure, and worked
on clarification of the distinct roles of the Governance,
Executive and Nominations Committees in the evaluation and
nomination processes.
Supporting the overall strategic Board activities, the
Governance Committee contributed to the review of the
draft constitution and bylaws for the proposed foundation,
and also reviewed from a governance perspective, the goals
crafted in the draft Strategic Plan.
Gareth Mason
Chair, Governance Committee
The members of the Governance Committee are Gareth Mason (Committee Chair), Daniel
Gouws, Hugh Burke, Jessie Hill, Bob Gill and Gordon MacIntyre. In the Policy Sub-Committee,
we are grateful for the help of Steve Olah, and for the Administration’s ongoing work drafting
school policy enhancements.