The School Council President - tips to increase your effectiveness

Objectives of school council Assist in the efficient governance of the school Ensure students’ best interests are primary Enhance the educational opportunities for students Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, Ministerial Orders, directions, guidelines and Department policy

What is the function of school council? Establish the broad direction and vision of the school within the school's community Participate in the development and monitoring of the School Strategic Plan Develop, review and update school policies Raise funds for school-related purposes Approve the annual budget and monitor expenditure Maintain the school’s grounds and facilities Enter into contracts (e.g. cleaning, construction work) Report annually to the school community and to DEECD Generally stimulate interest in the school in the wider community

Role of president Chairs all school council meetings With the principal, acts as school council spokesperson and official representative Signs school strategic plan Upholds all council decisions and works in partnership with the principal Ensures council stays focused on improving student outcomes

Role of principal Overall educational leader and manager of the school Establishes and manages the school financial system Executive officer of school council Accountable for the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the School Strategic Plan The senior DEECD representative for the school

Role of school council members All school councillors need to respect other members’ opinions AND support and uphold all council decisions Parent members bring expertise and views to council on behalf of the whole school community DEECD members bring educational expertise and views to council on behalf of the whole school community Community representatives tend to bring individual expertise to assist council in specific decisions

Specific skills needed by school council presidents Leadership Relationship management Meeting skills Team development Conflict management

Leadership of school council president Model behaviours expected of councillors Clarify roles and responsibilities Set agenda Ensure there are no conflicts of interest Welcome new councillors Ensure all councillors have an opportunity to participate Manage the annual evaluation of the council

Key partnerships Principal and school council president President and subcommittee convenors Council members Staff and parents and school council School council and DEECD

Chairing school council meetings Conduct business efficiently  on track  on time Ensure meeting protocols are followed Enable full and open discussion Ensure decisions are understood and correctly recorded Ensure a quorum of members is present when decisions are made

Example meeting protocols Everyone is listened to - this does not mean agreement, but it does mean trying to understand Keep to the issues under discussion Keep the focus on improving learning outcomes for all students Discussion should focus on issues, not people or their personalities

Example meeting protocols One conversation at a time Present information, opinions or feelings clearly and succinctly – don’t hog the meeting time No question is too trivial Avoid jargon Represent the entire community

Quorum A quorum is the number of people required to be present at a school council meeting before a valid decision can be made To achieve a quorum at a meeting, there must be not less than one half of the school council members currently holding office present with a majority of members present who are not DEECD employees Any parent members on school council who also work for the Department are counted as DEECD employees for the purpose of a quorum A member of the school council may be present at a meeting in person or by videoconferencing or teleconferencing A quorum must be maintained throughout the meeting

Conducting the meeting Open the meeting  Welcome everyone  Ensure people have received their papers  Table correspondence – in and out Conduct the discussion  See next slide Summarise the meeting  Point out main discussions and any decisions made Close the meeting  Thank people for coming

Structure of a discussion State the issue or topic of discussion Hear the facts Listen to people’s arguments, experiences, opinions Reach a conclusion on what’s wanted Make a decision Record the decision

Team development School council meets to make decisions It mainly does this collectively but it does not meet often This makes team development a challenge Groups operate in two distinct streams – task and emotional

The Team Development Wheel STAGE 1 TESTING Polite Impersonal Watchful Guarded STAGE 2 INFIGHTING Controlling conflicts Confronting people Opting out Difficulties Feeling Stuck STAGE 3 GETTING ORGANISED Developing skills Confronting issues STAGE 4 MATURE CLOSENESS Resourceful, Open Flexible, Supportive Effective, Close

What is conflict? A normal part of decision-making Individuals / groups of people may differ in their opinions without anyone being wrong Conflict does not go away by itself Conflict can and should be dealt with

Managing Conflict Recognise there is a conflict Hear all views, with a view to understanding Seek common ground Avoid inflammatory language Focus on the problem, not the person Break it into smaller parts Ensure clear agreement forward

A few more thoughts on managing conflict Get rid of General Business Have an agreed Code of Conduct Use tools to surface differences in opinion Follow up with individuals as needed Remember task AND emotion

A final thought… “ The perfect human being is all human beings put together, it is a collective, it is all of us together that make perfection.” Socrates

For more information Association of School Councils in Victoria (ASCIV) Victorian Council of School Organisations (VICCS State Services Authority (SSA)