In addition to schools having their own governing boards, the Western Québec School Board is itself governed by a council of 16 commissioners. These 16 commissioners are either elected every four years by eligible voters whose names are on the territory’s English Electors List, or appointed under the Education Act as parent-commissioners, respecting school-level elections (Parents’ Committee and governing boards). The person presiding this council become the chairperson of our school board.
On this page:
- Meet our Chairperson
- Meet your Commissioners
- Procedure to Attend or Participate
- Commissioners’ Role
- Become a Commissioner
- Board Elections
- Governing Boards at the School Level
- Parents’ Committee
- Special Education Advisory Committee
See also:
Meet Chair Wayne Daly
With his decades of experience in the regional education sector, Wayne Daly becomes the 6th chair to the Western Québec School Board.
Expand Bio In 1973 he started his career at D’Arcy McGee High School as a science lab technician, then took up the position of TOS (Technician for the organization of schools). He then transferred to École secondaire Mont-Bleu in 1986 and then moved to École secondaire de l’Ile. In 2000 he was promoted to an administrative position where he was responsible for scheduling and reporting systems, as well as administering the school’s sports and recreation programs. He retired from full-time employment in 2007. With his years of hands-on experience and dedication to school administration, it is really no surprise if, even after his retirement, he continues to offer his services to local secondary schools. Wayne was first elected to our school board’s Council in 2008 and has represented the people of Aylmer in Wards 9 and 10 until being acclaimed Chairman on January 17, 2022. Since sitting on Council, he has actively participated in various committees, including Ethics, Discipline, Communications and Executive. Mr. Daly’s chairmanship is focused on graduating students who can function in both official languages and are academically and socially prepared to meet the challenges that await them after graduation. We look forward to all our student becoming engaged citizens who will make valuable contributions to society. The Council of Commissioners regularly meets once a month. Since the elected officials represent their community, they must take the time to become familiar with the issues that concern their voters and to inform parents, electors, the governing boards and the community as a whole of the decisions taken. Council of Commissioner’s meetings are open to the public. As such, should you wish to attend and/or participate in the meeting, you are asked to send a request at least 24 hours prior, to George Singfield, Secretary General of the school board, by email at georgesingfield@wqsb.qc.ca. Those wishing to address the Council may do so during the Public Participation Period, which is normally between 7 and 7:15 PM. All individuals or groups wishing to ask questions or state their concerns during the Public Participation Period are asked to submit a request to the Secretary General at least 24 hours before to the meeting. In 2020, French-language school boards were abolished by the Québec government, and replaced with school services centres. English-language school boards, however, retain their governance model. School commissioners play a key role. Elected by the citizens, they determine the orientations of the school board, taking into consideration the interests of the students, parents and electors of their community. Since the school board is an autonomous local government, the commissioners, who together make up the council of commissioners, exercise responsibilities comparable to those of municipal councillors. Since 2014, the chairs of school boards are elected by universal suffrage, meaning that the electors choose the person who will chair their local school board. The commissioner decides on the following matters: Every person who is entitled to have his or her name entered on the list of electors and who, on polling day, has been domiciled on WQ territory for at least six months may be elected as a Commissioner. Notice will be given prior to the next elections. This notice will include all the information needed to file for nomination. For more information, refer to the Directeur Général des Élections du Québec. In 2020, French-language school boards were abolished by the Québec government, and replaced with school services centres. English-language school boards, however, retain their governance model. The WQ territory is divided into 11 electoral divisions. Each division elects one commissioner. School democracy concerns all Western Quebecers. Parents of children attending a school, adults attending an adult education centre or a vocational training centre, and citizens who care about the vitality of their neighbourhood all have an interest in participating in the election process. To be able to exercise your right to vote, you must first be registered on the permanent list of electors of the Directeur Général des Élections du Québec. If you have one or more children enrolled at the WQSB, you will be registered for its elections by default, as long as you reside on its territory. If you do not have children, or have children enrolled neither at the WQSB nor at the French-language school board serving your domicile, you will by default be entered on the list of electors of the French-language school board. However, you can always choose to enter the WQSB Electors list instead, by submitting a filled Opt-in Opt-out form to the General Directorate. Each of the 30 WQ schools has its own governing board. It is made up of an equal number of staff members and parents. The governing board plays a crucial role in determining a school’s direction and works in conjunction with the school principal. The governing board is responsible for approving and overseeing a variety of issues including educational projects and the implementation of school budgets, regulation and student supervision policies. The board is also involved in the choice of school textbooks and other instructional materials, school closures as well as the selection process for the appointment of the school principal and confessional status. For more information about a specific school’s governing board, contact it or visit its website. The Parents’ Committee is an advisory committee to the school board. Each school within the board’s territory has a representative on the committee chosen from the parent members sitting on each governing board. A representative from the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) also sits on the committee. Its primary role consists of representing parents’ interests within the school board. The main responsibilities are: Four Parent Commissioners, one for Elementary, one for Secondary, one for Kindergarten to 11 (K-11), and one from SEAC are elected from this committee to sit on the Council of Commissioners. One Parent Commissioner is also elected to sit on other committees of the school board, such as Executive, Transportation, SEAC, Governance & Ethics, Audit, and Human Resources. Representation at the standing committee level is very important. It is at this level that many issues are raised, policies worked out and decisions taken for recommendation to the Council of Commissioners. The Parents’ Committee is also to be consulted on the following matters: Every school board establishes an advisory committee on services for students with special needs and students with social or learning disabilities or difficulties. The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) on services for handicapped students and students with social maladjustments or learning disabilities has four functions: If you have a child in our school board who also has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and are interested in becoming a member of SEAC, please inquire at your child’s school for further information. Information may also be found on the SEAC website. The Council of Commissioners determines the number of representatives from each group with the representation of parents constituting a majority of the members. As per the Education Act (s. 185), parent members of SEAC will be designated by the Parents’ Committee. As determined by the council of commissioners (Sept 2018) the composition of our school board’s SEAC includes voting and non-voting members. Voting Members Non-Voting MemberMeet your Commissioners
Procedure to Attend or Participate
Commissioners’ Role
Become a Commissioner
Board Elections
Electors list
Governing Boards at the School Level
Parents’ Committee
Special Education Advisory Committee
Mandate
Membership
More information on SEAC