Board Overview

VISION STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

The Board of Education's Vision is:

“We prepare our learners to think creatively and critically, communicate
skillfully, and demonstrate care for self and others"

We realize this vision through:

Supporting the design of engaging learning environments for all students.
Operational efficiencies that prioritize resources to directly support learning.
Relationships with community partners to broaden opportunities for students.
Advocacy for necessary facilities and resources.
Supporting schools and workplaces that are safe and caring for all.

The Board of Education

For more than a century, the Surrey Board of Education has been guiding public education for families in Surrey, White Rock and Barnston Island. Surrey School District is the largest and one of the most diverse of 60 school districts in British Columbia.

Making educational and operational policy decisions about such a large school system requires effective leadership at the local level. The Surrey Board of Education comprises seven members of the community who have been elected to make decisions about the best possible delivery of educational services to learners, while ensuring taxpayers’ dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. Each December, the board conducts an election for chairperson and vice-chairperson for the coming year at a public board meeting.

The main tasks of the school trustees are:

Determine educational goals and priorities.
Set district budgets according to those goals and priorities.
Establish policies.
Plan for the future of the district.
Communicate with the people of Surrey and White Rock about educational matters.

Governance Framework and Annual Work Plan

Effective Boards of Education have a governance structure that is designed to result in strong decisions that flow from a strategic direction, supported by quality information and public transparency.

This clear governance framework has been used to establish the board's annual work plan and is designed to demonstrate to the public how the work of the board supports these principals.

In our annual Governance Framework and Annual Work Plan, the activities of the board, both annual and emergent, are identified for the coming year as a way to communicate the work of the board and a way to operate on the basis of transparency.

The Role of District Administration

Day-to-day management of the school district is a major task. The Board of Education employs a team of skilled professionals and support staff to carry out this administrative responsibility under the leadership of the superintendent of schools. In the capacity of chief executive officer, the superintendent is responsible for the administration of all aspects of the school district’s operations.

With more than 130 schools, learning centers and district offices and 10,000 employees, the school district is Surrey’s biggest business and largest employer. Effective management of the district’s financial and business affairs is the responsibility of the secretary-treasurer.

The superintendent and the secretary-treasurer sit with trustees at board meetings. They and other senior members of administration may be called upon to assist the board during meetings.

Accountability to the Community

The Board of Education for the Surrey School District has been created under the School Act. Within the limitations of the Act, trustees are empowered to determine local policy for the effective and efficient operation of schools in the district.

School boards have been established in the belief that local people are in the best position to make decisions appropriate to the educational needs of their community. To this end, the trustees have been elected by the people of Surrey and White Rock to make educational decisions on their behalf.

In doing so, the trustees must act as a board, rather than as individuals. Only the board as a whole may make decisions; the chairperson, committees of the board, or individual trustees cannot decide board actions.

Actions requiring decisions by the board are debated at board meetings in accordance with “Robert’s Rules of Order,” then voted on by the trustees.