Consultative School Council

If the school has a parent-teacher organization and/or a consultative school council, those involved are advised that these bodies exist to support the school and are important for the school’s viability, but they have very different functions. Parent, parent-teacher organizations, consultative school councils and their members do not have any authority to act independently on behalf of the school or parish.  They are not “agents” of the school or parish and any actions taken must receive the official written approval of the pastor and/or the principal as the case may be.

The general responsibilities of the consultative school council are in the following areas:  strategic planning; policy development; resource development; institutional advancement; advice and counsel with regard to financial planning, management and reporting; marketing of the school and evaluation of the council's goals and activities. The membership of the consultative school council should include the pastor, principal, parents (no more than one-third of the total membership), alumni parents, parishioners, members of the civic and local business community, and area educators.  Under Canon Law and Archdiocesan guidelines, the members advise the administrative team (pastor and principal) and cannot make decisions binding for the parish education program without the approval of the administrative team (A Primer on Educational Governance in the Catholic Church, the CACE/NABE Governance Task Force, NCEA, 1998).

The regional supervisor at the Department of Catholic Schools is available to assist and guide schools in the implementation of a consultative school council.