The Role of Council
The Teachers’ Federation Act, 2006 is the starting point in understanding the role of Council. This provincial statute establishes the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) as a corporation with three major parts: the Council, the provincial Executive and a chief executive officer (more commonly known as the General Secretary). These three roughly correspond to the policy-making, executive and administrative functions of the STF, and together they are responsible for accomplishing the 14 purposes that the Act articulates for the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
The role of Council in accomplishing the multiple purposes of the STF that is laid out in Sections 9 and 14 of The Teachers’ Federation Act, 2006. Council has the power to adopt policies that guide the Federation, approve key financial and organizational decisions, elect an Executive to manage and regulate the activities of the STF, and pass bylaws establishing the structures and authorities necessary to carry out the work of the Federation.
The Council represents the collective voice of Saskatchewan teachers on all matters that come before it. When the Council adopts a policy or position, the teachers of Saskatchewan are considered to have spoken in one voice on the issue in question, no matter how heated the debate was leading up to the decision. Used and communicated judiciously, the voice of Council has often had a significant influence on education in our province.
Councillors should be aware that it is not accurate to think of the Council as a legislative body enacting laws to be implemented by the Executive of the STF. Although the Council is sometimes referred to as the teachers’ parliament, it is parliamentary primarily in the sense that its members are elected on a regional basis to provide representation for all teachers in the province. Council does not have the committee structures, consultative processes and levels of decision-making that are associated with a parliament. Within the body corporate established by The Teachers’ Federation Act, 2006, Council is a policy-making rather than a law-making body. While a law typically sets out a rule or position that may not be disputed, a policy guides decisions and actions within an organization.
The STF is different from some other teachers’ organizations in that it has a unitary organizational structure designed to accomplish multiple, diverse purposes. Council, therefore, provides guidance as necessary for a wide variety of decisions and activities that address the full range of STF purposes. As a member of Council, you are not only called on to consider matters related to collective bargaining and the provision of benefit plans. It is also important for you to:
- be familiar with the many other STF services and supports for teachers;
- understand how the STF works to further the cause and quality of education; and
- know how STF disciplinary processes deal with complaints of teacher misconduct or incompetence.
You do not need a detailed knowledge of all facets of the STF, since the Council is always assisted in its role by a well-informed provincial Executive and Administrative Staff. Nevertheless, the ability of Council to provide sound guidance for the STF depends at least in part on the extent to which individual councillors have a comprehensive, balanced view of its purposes.