Responsibilities of a School Board

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The purpose of an elected school board, its members and its staff, is to serve students.

A School Board is responsible to:

• ensure that the necessary policies are in place that support education goals/ initiatives consistent with the Department of Education;
• establish goals and priorities for their region;
• manage, maintain, repair and keep safe all real and personal property owned, leased or used by the board;
• provide for the effective and efficient management of the financial affairs of the board;
• promote its schools as safe, quality learning environments and as community resources;
• manage and protect the public’s investment and is directly accountable to the public;
• follow the rules of governance and regulations contained in the Education Act of Nova Scotia.

Annapolis Valley Regional School Board operates on a modern governance/ administration structure. Members of the Board set policy, do long-term planning, and hold the Superintendent of Schools accountable. The Superintendent of Schools and staff provide the day-to-day administration of the region and implementation of policy.

The 15 Board members of the AVRSB meet as a full board to consider reports and recommendations from committees and the Superintendent on the first Wednesday of each month.  Special Board meetings may be held throughout the year if required and in July and August, meetings are held only as required.)  Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room, Regional Office, 121 Orchard Street, Berwick.  In accordance to the Board’s By-law 5.01 a), “…meetings scheduled for May and October may be held off site, at the Board’s discretion, if invited.  Members of the public are always welcome and a public forum is held at the close of each meeting.  Click here to view the school board members list.

Board members are expected to serve on Committees of the Board.  Committees include:  Education, Finance & Audit, Human Resources, Operations, Planning & Priorities, and Race Relations Cross Cultural Understanding and Human Rights (RCH). Each meets on a regular basis and makes reports/recommendations to the full board.  Click here to view the committees

Each November, at its annual meeting, the members elect a chair and a vice chair and choose members for a nominating committee who recommend to the Board the committees’ membership for the year.

To provide effective management of the day-to-day administration, the core business functions of Programs and Services, Finance & Operations, Human Resources each form a department headed by a director.  Senior Administration (Superintendent’s Office) is headed by the Superintendent of Schools who is the chief executive officer for the Board and the directors report to her/him. 

Each director manages her/his department and works with the corresponding committee. For example, the Director of Finance & Operations manages the day-to-day operation of buildings and properties, transportation and finance. S/he reports to both the Operations Committee and the Finance & Audit Committee. Similarly, the Director of Programs and Services reports to the Education Committee; the Director of Human Resources to the Human Resources Committee and the Superintendent of Schools reports to the Planning & Priorities Committee.

Because the Superintendent of Schools is directly responsible to the School Board for the overall administration of the region, it is imperative that s/he and the Chair of the Board work closely and communicate and consult with one another continuously to ensure that the administration/governance link is strong.