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Governance
"We quickly found that the School was everything people told us and more. The quality of our programs is acknowledged across the country. Our faculty is tremendous and our graduating students are top-notch young women. The right facilities put our overall program offerings over the top.
The School that we have jointly built is a tremendous place. People love it and get really excited about advancing it. The enthusiasm is infectious."
Greg Taylor
Chair of the Board
The ultimate responsibility for the governance of SMLS resides with the SMLS Board of Governors. The Board of Governors serves as the trustee of the mission, vision and values of the School and provides oversight of the implementation of the School's strategic plan. Board members are volunteers who commit time, energy and resources to the support of our independent school. The Board functions at arm's length from the School's administration.
The Board currently comprises eighteen members, three of whom are voting ex-officio members. The Head of School serves as a non-voting ex-officio member. Board members are drawn from the SMLS community and it is they who exercise a fiduciary responsibility, oversee the implementation of the School's strategic plan, and ensure adequate resources are in place to support the realization of the school's mission and program goals.
Board members are recruited with reference to criteria including their ability to contribute time, willingness to provide financial support and resources, skills required, respect for traditions, and diversity reflective of our community to best support the goals and vision of the School. Board meetings are held a minimum of six times per year, and additional meetings are convened on an as-needed basis. A quorum of seven voting members must be present for the meeting to be duly constituted.
Members may be appointed for two or three year terms in such a cycle to ensure continuity of membership. An orientation session is provided for new members on appointment to the Board of Governors. Directors may be re-appointed to additional terms and may serve a maximum of ten consecutive years, although the Board is empowered to extend the terms of the directors of the Board beyond ten years if deemed necessary.
The Head of School is appointed by the Board of Governors and is accountable to them. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the School and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the School in an effective, prudent and ethical manner. The Head is responsible to ensure that the Board is supplied with all of the information necessary to make productive and informed decisions.
The Board generally meets monthly (except during the months of July and August) with committees of the Board meeting in advance of the Board meeting. The Board meets annually for a full day to devote sufficient time for discussion of matters related to governance and strategic direction.
The work of the Board of Governors is conducted through committees, which consider and bring forward matters of policy for recommendation of their approval to the Board and allowing for deliberation by the full Board. Currently, the standing committees of the Board are as follows, with sub-committees thereto denoted in parentheses: Governance (Head Evaluation), Finance (Investment), Foundation, Planning, Audit, Risk Management, and Strategic Planning Task Force. Committees are chaired by members of the Board and their composition may include non-Board members in addition to members of the Board of Governors.
Each Board member makes a written commitment to follow the principles of the Board's Code of Conduct and abide by the Board of Governors' Conflict of Interest Policy.
The Board of Governors regularly evaluates its own effectiveness. In addition, The Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI), as part of its overall accreditation review of the School, evaluates the Board with reference to its Standard 8 on Governance and corresponding indicators of effectiveness.