School Council
School Council News
It's that time of year again when we begin preparing for the upcoming School Council membership. We have 4 vacancies to fill for the 2025 and 2026 school years.
If you're interested in joining the School Council, please feel free to reach out and schedule a time to meet with either myself or Paul. We are especially looking for someone with an interest in finance or a finance background, as Bal Singh recently retired from the Council following the start of his youngest child's secondary school journey. Nomination forms can be collected from the office.
MPS 2025 SCHOOL COUNCIL | |
| EVENT | DATE |
| Notice of election and call for nominations | Friday, 14th February 2025 |
| Closing date for nominations | 4pm Friday, 21st February 2025 |
| Date by which the list of candidates will be posted | Thursday, 6th March 2025 |
| IF AN ELECTION IS REQUIRED: | |
| Date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed | On or before Thursday, 6th March 2025 |
| Close of ballot | Wednesday, 19th March 2025 at 4.00 pm |
| Vote count | Thursday, 20th March, 2025 |
| Declaration of poll | Friday, 21st March 2025 via the Newsletter |
| First council meeting to elect office bearers | Wednesday, 26th March 2025 following Annual General Meeting |
Who is on the School Council?
There are three possible categories of membership:
A mandated elected parent category
More than one third of the total members are from this category. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DE) employees can be Parent Members at their child’s school as long as they are not employed at the school.
A mandated elected DE employee 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 one of these members.
An optional community member category
This member is appointed by a decision of the Council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DE employees are not eligible to be Community members.
If there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on Council, an election ballot will be conducted.
What Does School Council Do?
The School Council has a key role in supporting the Principal and assisting in the effective governance of the school. There are a range of specific functions of the Council, along with its general responsibilities around setting strategy and governance. The Council has between 8 -10 meetings annually. Meetings are held on a Wednesday evening, in a mixture of face-to-face and online formats.
The role of School Council is outlined in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. In essence, the role of School Council is one of helping to set the long-term future for the school and maintaining oversight (not management) of the school's operation. It is not about running the school – that is the job of the Principal.
Responsibilities of School Council Members include:
· Regularly attending meetings of School Council
· Thoroughly reading reports before each meeting
· Maintaining confidentialities as required
· Having a prime responsibility to the interests of Council above that of any part of the school community
· Placing on the School Council meeting agenda items of a policy nature that cannot be addressed by normal management procedures i.e. Principal