ETT Committees

Executive Liaison Guidelines

The Executive Liaison:

• will act as a resource to guide the standing committee;
• is responsible to ensure the activities of the standing committee adhere to the strategic priorities of ETT and the ETFO Code of Conduct;
• will ensure the standing committee adheres to the ETT Constitution;
• develop a tentative schedule of meeting dates for the year during the Spring of the previous school year, ensuring that every effort has been made to ensure that there is no overlap with days of significance;
• will ensure the committee adheres to the budget plan of the standing committee;
• will support the committee in submitting a proposal to the ETT Executive to approve the over-expenditure before the expense is incurred
• is responsible for informing the committee of the over-expenditure, and the deduction from the following year’s committee budget.

Standing Committee Protocols:

• Standing Committee must align their work with the ETT Strategic Goals
• The committee shall follow the guidelines of the budget procedures as laid out in the ETT Handbook; this includes approval of the tentative budget at an Executive Meeting.
• Each standing committee shall have an elected or an appointed Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. There is a limit of one member per elected or appointed role. 
• Standing committees shall use the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order as a basis for meetings. 
  • A training opportunity will be made available each year for Chairs on Robert’s Rules of Order, and how to effectively chair a meeting
• The ETFO Human Rights Statement and FNMI Statement will be read before every meeting.
• The minutes of each committee meeting must reflect the attendance of members.
• Registrations for Standing Committees must be available on the ETT website prior to October 1st of the Calendar year. After October 1st, members must directly contact the Executive Liaison assigned to the committee in order to join the committee.
• Accommodation needs must be communicated in a timely manner through the appropriate processes to ensure the committee chair, and Executive Liaison are able to make every effort to meet the need(s) of the member(s). 
• Each committee must produce an Annual Report which must include:
  • A summary of the Committee’s activities;
  • A finalized budget which is reflective of planned, and actual expenditure;
  • A list of committee members including their attendance record;
  • Recommendations for the upcoming year.

For the First Meeting:

• Each committee will review:
  • the constitutional guidelines for that committee
  • the conflict of interest guidelines
  • the standing committee protocols
  • any other relevant procedures and protocols from the ETT Handbook
  • the previous year’s Annual Report
  • the Accommodations process
  • the Guidelines for Member Participation (including attendance)
• Each committee shall:
  • develop meeting norms and protocols
  • the location and format of meetings (virtual and/or in-person options; ETT office, schools, and/or other locations)
  • Review the dates set by the Executive Liaison to the committee; if there are conflicts with Days of Significance to members of the committee or events of the Local, they must be raised at this meeting
  • co-create an introductory conflict resolution process for minor misunderstandings
  • elect or appoint a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer; interested members must be present at the meeting 

Guidelines for Member Participation:

• Actively participate in the work of the committee;
• Work within the scope of the committee’s mandate and the strategic priorities of ETT;
• Attend meetings regularly; 
• To conduct themselves in accordance with the ETFO Constitution and Human Rights Statement, and through the professional norms expected by OCTs;
• When conflict arise, members are expected to address conflicts outside of committee meetings with the support of the Executive Liaison;
• Work as part of a team toward fulfilling the committee’s goals;
• Agree to use Robert’s Rules when participating in committee meetings;
• Disclose conflicts of interest as defined and required by ETT policy.

Note: Each committee member understands that if they sign up for more than one committee, there is the possibility for conflicts in dates. This may preclude members from being able to attend all committee meetings. Members are strongly encouraged to focus on one committee to maximize their participation. 

In terms of attendance, members are well-advised that regular participation is necessary to ensure productive meetings. This means that:

• Members are encouraged to join a committee prior to December 1st, 2023 for optimal participation;
• Members who join a committee after the first meeting are required to attend one committee meeting as an observer, prior to gaining voting privileges;
• If a member is absent for three (3) meetings without timely communication with the Executive Liaison (prior to the meeting(s) being missed), the member will be presumed to have resigned from the committee.

Role of Chair:

• Chair each committee meeting;
• Ensure that meeting begins and ends on time;
• Ensure that the committee plan and budget is submitted to the ETT Executive prior to any use of allocated funds;
• Collaborate with the Executive Liaison when organising committee meetings;
• Prepare an annual report of the committee’s activities for submission to the June ETT General Meeting. The Annual Report must include:
  • A summary of the Committee’s activities;
  • A finalized budget which is reflective of planned, and actual expenditure;
  • A list of committee members including their attendance record;
  • Recommendations for the upcoming year.
• Participate in ongoing released meetings;
• Conduct themselves in a fair, and unbiased manner towards all members of the committee.

Role of Vice Chair: