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Professional Development Committee

Professional Development Frame of Reference

1. Name

The name of this committee shall be the Professional Development Committee of the Ft. Vermilion ATA Local #77.

2. Purpose

The Professional Development Committee shall assume general responsibility for the professional development activities undertaken in the jurisdiction. These activities will be undertaken in accordance with the professional development policies of the provincial association and the Ft. Vermilion ATA Local #77.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

A. In General:

  1. The Professional Development Committee will endeavor to build linkages between the various professional development opportunities for teachers – school based, local institutes, workshops, conventions, in-services, specialist councils, etc.
  2. The Professional Development Committee will generally exercise leadership in all matters pertaining to all professional development activities undertaken by the local.
  3. The Professional Development Committee is responsible to the local for a yearly financial statement and for a written annual report of its activities.

B. In Particular

The Professional Development Committee has the following duties:

  1. To plan one division wide Professional Development Day each year, using funds committed from each school.
  2. To send teachers out to conferences, funded by the ATA Local #77. Guidelines attached.
  3. To be responsible for the active promotion and organization of school-based professional development activities.
  4. To seek input and feedback from teachers and/or school staffs in regard to professional development needs and how these needs can best be met.
  5. To disseminate information about professional development activities.
  6. To consult with professional development staff officers, district representatives, consultants (as assigned) and members of the local.
  7. To attend, if possible, Professional Development Area Conferences and the Professional Development course at Summer Conference.
  8. To coordinate and develop local responses to professional development issues. To ensure that appropriate payments are made.
  9. To provide expertise and financial assistance, where possible, to school staffs and other teacher groups in the area of professional development.
  10. To develop and maintain a budget.
  11. To keep records of the minutes of the meetings.
  12. To establish operational policy and procedures for any subcommittee that may be formed for the Professional Development Committee.
  13. To recommend, where appropriate, changes in the policies of the school jurisdiction, collective agreement and/or the constitution of the local teachers’ association, which have an impact on the mandate of the Professional Development Committee.

4. Membership

4.1.1 The Professional Development Committee shall consist of the following voting members:

a. One representative from each school in the Ft. Vermilion School Division #52, elected by the teachers of the school they represent.

4.1.2 The Professional Development Committee shall include the following non-voting members:

b. One representative from Ft. Vermilion School Division #52 Central Office.

c. One representative from the local teachers’ association.

d. One representative from the teachers’ convention association.

e. The Ft. Vermilion School Division #52 Lead Teacher (s).

4.1 The district representative and those staff officers and consultants who may attend professional development meetings from time to time shall be non-voting members of the Professional Development Committee.

4.2 The president of the local or designate acting in an ex-officio capacity shall also be a member of the Professional Development Committee.

4.3 The members of the Professional Development Committee are expected to:

    1. Attend all meetings of the Professional Development Committee and if unable to attend, to ensure that a substitute representative is present.
    2. Be prepared to serve on a subcommittee of the Professional Development Committee.
    3. Provide full and effective communication for their constituency both to and from the Professional Development Committee.
    4. Elect annually from its members the following officers: a chair*, a vice-chair, and a secretary. These positions are called “the officers.”

*Selection of the chair subject to provisions within the local constitution.

5. Officers

5.1 The officers of the Professional Development Committee shall consist of a chair, a vice-chair, and a secretary.

5.2 These officers on the Professional Development Committee are expected to:

a. Chair

  • Prepare and circulate an agenda for each meeting
  • Chair Professional Development Committee meetings
  • Represent the Professional Development Committee in its relationship with the general membership
  • Provide leadership on planning, implementation, and evaluation of professional development programs
  • Attend local council meetings as required by the local constitution
  • Orientate new members to the committee

b. Vice Chair

  • Assist the chair in the discharge of duties
  • To act as chairperson in the absence of the chair
  • Assist the chair in making executive decisions

c. Secretary

  • Keep accurate business records of all professional development meetings
  • Keep minutes of each meeting and distribute a copy to each committee member after each meeting
  • Assist the chair in making executive decisions

d. School Representatives

  • Provide liaison between the committee and their respective school staffs
  • Ascertain school staff’s feelings, opinions, and concerns regarding professional development activities, as required
  • Assist in coordination of school level professional development activities
  • Collect own staff’s conference applications prior to each committee meeting, ensure they are filed out properly, and present them to the committee chairperson
  • Promote awareness of the Professional Development Committee’s activities
  • Attend the Professional Development Committee meetings

6. Term of Office

All Professional Development Committee members, officers, and subcommittees are deemed to be elected as per local constitution.

7. Committees

The Professional Development Committee shall establish subcommittees from time to time as required.

8. Emergency Replacements

Vacancies in any office or subcommittee shall be filled at the next properly called meeting of the Professional Development Committee.

9. Meetings of the Professional Development Committee

9.1 The Professional Development Committee shall meet once each month of the school year, generally on the first Tuesday of the month. December and June may be excluded if no urgent issues need to be dealt with.

9.2 Notice of intent to hold a meeting shall be given to members as soon as possible.

9.3 It is the duty of each elected member of the Professional Development Committee to attend meetings for the purposes of reporting and communicating.

9.4 Professional Development Committee meetings may be attended by any member of the ATA Local #77. However, only the P.D. Committee members (or their duly appointed substitutes) shall have the right to vote.

10. Quorum

A majority of the voting representatives on the Professional Development Committee shall constitute a quorum.

11. Rules of Procedure

The proceedings of all meetings shall be regulated by the official rules of procedure as published in the ATA Members’ Handbook.

12. Finances

12.1 The Professional Development Committee will be funded annually by the Local.

12.2 The Professional Development Committee shall prepare, and submit to the local, an annual budget.

12.3 The Professional Development Committee will reimburse members and disburse funds on the basis of attached schedule.

13. Ratification of this Frame of Reference

This frame of reference shall be approved in accordance with the terms of the local constitution.

14. Amendments to the Frame of Reference

Amendments to this frame of reference shall be made in accordance with the following procedure:

14.1.1 Notice of motion on extend to amend shall be given at a preceding Professional Development Committee meeting.

14.1.2 Except where time is of the essence, the text of the proposed amendments shall be made available in writing to the members prior to the meeting.

14.2 The amendment shall be approved by two-thirds vote of the Professional Development Committee members.

14.3 The amendment shall be approved by a majority of the teachers of the local council at a properly called meeting.