Information for parents of children seeking election to school council

What is a school council and what does it do?

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. School councils are legal entities that are given powers to set the broad directions of a school in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

Who is on the school council?

For all schools with a student cohort of Year 7 and above, there are several possible categories of school council membership:

a mandated elected parent member category –members of this category generally comprise more than one third of the council’s total membership. Parents and guardians of children attending the school are eligible for membership in this category.
a mandated elected school employee member category – members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically a member of this category.
a mandated elected student member category (two positions) – members of this category are enrolled at the school and in Year 7 or above.
an optional community member category – members are co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or expertise. Department employees are not eligible to be a community member.
a small number of school councils have nominee members.

How long is the term of office?

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Why is student membership so important?

Students have a unique perspective on education, teaching and schooling. Electing student members onto school council allows all students to have a say in the future direction of their school and ensures student input into decision-making.

Student representation on secondary school councils assists in the development of students’ skills, including leadership and communication.

Does my child need special experience to be on school council?

Each member brings their own valuable skills and knowledge to the role, however, in order to successfully perform their duties, councillors may need to gain some new skills and knowledge.

Student members are encouraged to attend the department’s free virtual live or face-to-face school council training, using the Improving School Governance modules and mini modules to support them to undertake their role. Interactive online training is also available.

For more information about training and access to interactive online modules, refer to the School Council – Training and Good Governance, policy (https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/school-council-training/policy).

What does my child need to do to stand for election?

The principal will issue a Notice of Election and Call for Nominations following the start of Term 1 each year.

If your child decides to stand for election, they can arrange for a student in Year 7 or above to nominate them as a candidate or they can nominate themselves for the student member category.

Once the Nomination Form is completed, it should be returned to the principal within the time stated on the Notice of Election. A Nomination Form Receipt will be issued following the receipt of the completed nomination.

If one student vacancy is available and one student nominates, then the student is duly elected.

Unlike the parent or school employee member categories, if two student member positions are available and in the first call for nominations only one nomination is received, the student is not automatically declared elected. The principal will immediately post, in a prominent place in the school, a notice calling for further nominations. These nominations are to be received within three school days from the closing of the first call for nominations.

If after the second call for nominations one other nomination is received, then both students are appointed to council.

If there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on council, a ballot will be conducted during the two weeks after the call for nominations has closed.

The principal will distribute ballot papers and will provide clear instructions to the voters and candidates. Voters may only vote once in a ballot. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will be elected to council.

School council meetings

School councils must meet at least eight times a year and at least once per school term. The president chairs all meetings and all members of the council are expected to attend.

Councillors can attend meetings in person or by videoconferencing or teleconferencing.

Following the school council elections, council members will determine an appropriate time and location to hold meetings throughout the year. For example, council may agree that meetings will take place on the first Wednesday of each month in the school library.

For most school councils, meetings are located at the school and are held in the evening to ensure the majority of members can attend. Meetings typically last for around 2.5 hours.

You will need to discuss and arrange transport options to and from the meeting with your child. The school council does not provide transport.

The principal, in consultation with the school council president, will ensure an agenda is prepared for each regular meeting and will distribute the agenda, draft minutes from the previous meeting and meeting papers such as subcommittee reports, principal’s and president’s report to school council members. These documents will be distributed approximately five days before the meeting. All members, including student members are expected to read all documents and prepare in advance of each meeting.

Conflict of interest

If your child, as a member of council, or their immediate family has a direct conflict of interest, including a pecuniary* interest, in a matter under discussion at a school council meeting, they must declare the conflict of interest and must not be present during the discussion unless invited to do so by the chairperson at the meeting. The member will not be involved in any voting associated with the matter at hand. *For this purpose, pecuniary is defined as: relating to or consisting of money.

Can I attend council meetings with my child?

School council meetings are ordinarily open to the school community. Visitors or observers can be present at a council meeting with the prior agreement of the principal and a decision of council. A request to attend must be forwarded either to the principal or president.

There may be times when, for the purpose of confidentiality or other reasons, a council meeting needs to be closed and only the appointed members can attend.

I am a parent member of the council. Can I be a member of the same council as my child(ren)?

Yes, relatives are allowed to be members of the same council.

What if my child cannot attend a council meeting?

If a member is unable to attend a meeting, an apology should be submitted to the principal prior to the meeting.

A member of the school council may apply in writing to the president for extended leave of up to three consecutive meetings.

What if my child decides they no longer want to be a member of council?

The department strongly encourages students to consider the time commitment of being on council prior to running for election.

Your child should discuss resigning from council with the principal or school council president.

A school councillor is required to submit their resignation from council in writing to the principal for it to be formally accepted.

Code of conduct for school councillors

School councils in Victoria are public entities as defined by the Public Administration Act 2004.

School councillors must comply with the Code of Conduct issued by the Victorian Public Sector Commission. The Code of Conduct is based on the Victorian public sector values and requires councillors to:

act with honesty and integrity – be truthful, open and clear about their motives and declare any real, potential or perceived conflict of interest and duty
act in good faith in the best interests of the school
work cooperatively with other councillors and the school community, be reasonable, and make all decisions with the best interests of students foremost in their minds
act fairly and impartially – consider all relevant facts of an issue before making a decision, seek to have a balanced view, never give special treatment to a person or group and never act from self-interest
use information appropriately – respect confidentiality and use information for the purpose for which it was made available
use the position appropriately – not use the position as a councillor to gain an advantage
act in a financially responsible manner – observe all the above principles when making financial decisions
exercise due care, diligence and skill – accept responsibility for decisions and do what is best for the school
comply with relevant legislation and policies – know what legislation and policies are relevant for which decisions and obey the law
demonstrate leadership and stewardship – set a good example, encourage a culture of accountability, manage risks effectively, exercise care and responsibility to keep the school strong and sustainable.

Indemnity for school council members

School councillors are indemnified against any liability in respect of any loss or damage suffered by the council or any other person in respect of anything necessarily or reasonably done, or omitted to be done by the councillor in good faith in:

the exercise of a power or the performance of a function of a councillor, or
the reasonable belief that the act or omission was in the exercise of a power or the performance of a function of a council.

In other words, school councillors are not legally liable for any loss or damage suffered by council or others as a result of reasonable actions taken in good faith.

For further information please contact the school principal.

Nominating and voting others to the student member category

What is a school council and what does it do?

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. School councils are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the broad directions of a school in accordance with Ministerial Order 1280 Constitution of Government School Councils, and the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

What are some of the duties of a school councillor?

The school council has particular functions in setting and monitoring the school’s direction.

School councils have key responsibilities:

Finance: overseeing the development and expenditure of the school’s annual budget and ensuring proper records are kept of the school’s financial operation.
Strategic planning: participating in the development and monitoring of the school strategic plan.
Policy development and review: developing, reviewing and updating selected policies that reflect the school’s values and support school’s broad direction outlined in its strategic plan.
Community engagement: informing itself of community views and stimulating community interest in the school.

Other key functions of school councils may include:

raising funds for school related purposes
maintaining school grounds and facilities
entering into contracts
reporting annually to the school community and the department
creating interest in the school in the wider community
representing and taking the views of the community into account
regulating and facilitating after-hours use of school premises and grounds
operating a children’s service at the school.

Who is on the school council?

For all schools with a student cohort of Year 7 and above, there are several possible categories of school council membership:

a mandated elected parent member category
a mandated elected school employee member category
a mandated elected student member category (two positions) – members of this category are enrolled at the school in Year 7 or above
Many school councils have an optional community member category, and a small number of school councils have nominee members.

Generally, the term of office for all members is two years. The term of office of half the members expires each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Why is student membership so important?

Students have a unique perspective on education, teaching and schooling and having student members on school council allows students to have a say in the future direction of their school and ensures student input into decision making.

Student representation on secondary school councils will assist in the development of students’ skills, including leadership and communication.

Do candidates need special experience to be on school council?

Each member brings their own valuable skills and knowledge to the role, however, in order to successfully perform their duties, councillors may need to gain some new skills and knowledge.

Student members are encouraged to acquire this knowledge by attending the department’s free school council training using the Improving School Governance modules to support them to undertake their role. Interactive online training is also available .

For more information about training options for school councillors, refer to the School Council – Training and Good Governance, policy (https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/school-council-training/policy).

How do I nominate a candidate for a position on council?

The principal will issue a Notice of Election and Call for Nominations following the start of Term 1 each year. That is the purpose of this notification.

Once the nomination form is completed, it should be returned to the principal within the time stated on the Notice of Election. A Nomination Form Receipt will be issued following receipt of the completed nomination.

Generally, if there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on council, a ballot will be conducted during the two weeks after the call for nominations has closed.

How do I vote?

Voting occurs in the circumstances when more people nominate than there are positions. If voting is required, then this process will be followed.

At least seven days before the date fixed for the closure of the ballot, the principal will arrange delivery of the ballot papers.

A secure ballot box or boxes, in the case of multiple school campuses, will be available for the casting of votes at the school between the hours of 8.00am and 4.00pm on every school day up to and including the day of the closure of the ballot.

A voter must not vote more than once in a ballot and may either post the vote back to the school or deliver the completed ballot paper to the school.

The principal or school staff will provide advice on how to return the completed ballot paper.

For further information, please contact the school principal.

Nominations are now open for the Wangaratta High School Council and will close at 4:00pm on Friday 16th of February.

Nomination forms are available on our website at https://www.whs.vic.edu.au/about/school-council/

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