School Council

School Council News

It’s that time of year again, where we are setting up for a year of School Council membership. This year, there are 5 vacancies to be filled.

Please make a time to see me if you are interested in being on School Council for the 2023 and 2024 school years.

MPS 2023 SCHOOL COUNCIL
EVENT	DATE
Notice of election and call for nominations	Friday, 17th February 2023
Closing date for nominations	4pm Friday, 24th February 2023
Date by which the list of candidates will be posted	Friday, 3rd March 2023
IN THE EVENT OF AN ELECTION:
Date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed	On, or before, Friday, 3rd March 2023
Close of ballot	Friday, 10th March 2023 at 4.00 pm
Vote count	Tuesday, 14th March 2023
Declaration of poll	Tuesday, 14th March via Compass Newsfeed
First Council meeting to elect office bearers	Tuesday, 21st March 2023 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.

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