Board of Governors

The ultimate responsibility for the governance of SMLS resides with the Board of Governors. The Board manages the long-term sustainability of the school and serves as the trustee of the mission, vision and values, providing oversight of the development and implementation of the school’s strategic plan. The Board functions at arm’s length from the school’s administration, though it is accountable for the evaluation of the Head of School role.

The overall mandate of the Board of Governors, along with mandates for each of the Board Committees, are included below. 

Structure

The Board is currently comprised of sixteen members, three of whom are voting ex-officio members (including the Sister Provincial of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, a representative from the Sisters of the Church, and the Bishop of Niagara’s designate). The Head of School is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school and serves as a non-voting ex-officio member. Board members are drawn from the SMLS and external community and exercise a fiduciary responsibility, oversee the management of the business and affairs of the school, and ensure that adequate resources are in place to support the realization of the school’s mission, strategic plan and program goals.

Members may be appointed for two or three year terms in such a cycle to ensure continuity of membership. Governors 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 Governors beyond ten years if deemed appropriate. A quorum of seven voting members must be present for a meeting of the full Board to be duly constituted.

In addition to various short-term Task Forces that may be struck to focus on particular key issues, there are five standing committees of the Board as follows: Governance, Finance/Audit, Advancement, Strategic Planning and Facilities, and Risk Management. Committees are chaired by members of the Board and their composition may include non-Board members, such as SMLS parents, alumnae and school staff, in addition to members of the Board of Governors.

Each Governor makes an annual 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 evaluates its own effectiveness on an annual basis. In addition, Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS), as part of its periodic review regarding the accreditation of the school, evaluates the Board with reference to its Standard 8 on Governance and corresponding indicators of effectiveness. Board members are recruited with reference to criteria including their skills, experience, ability to contribute time, willingness to provide financial support and resources, respect for traditions, and diversity reflective of our community, to best support the goals and vision of the school.

Interested members of the community who wish to be considered as Board candidates are encouraged to complete the Confidential Board Profile including resume and submit both by email to Catharine Scott at cscott@smls.on.ca for consideration by the Board’s Governance Committee.