SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2020

 

Our school council has an important role to play in our community and we welcome interested parents to join us on council each year.

What is a school council and what does it do?

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally constituted bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within statewide guidelines. 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 most school councils, there are three possible categories of membership:

·           A mandated elected Parent category - more than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be Parent members at their child's school as long as they are not engaged in work at the school.

·           A mandated elected DET 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 - members are coopted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be Community 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 Parent membership so important?

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school.

Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

How can you become involved?

The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in Term 1 each year. However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant.

In view of this, you might seriously consider

·           standing for election as a member of the school council

·           encouraging another person to stand for election.

Do I need special experience to be on school council?

No. What you do need is an interest in your child's school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school's future.

 What do you need to do to stand for election?

The principal will issue a Notice of Election and Call for Nominations following the commencement of Term 1 each year. All school council elections must be completed by the end of March unless the usual time line has been varied by the Minister.

If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself in the Parent category.

DET employees whose child is enrolled in a school in which they are not engaged in work are eligible to nominate for parent membership of the school council at that school.

Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the principal within the time stated on the Notice of Election.

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.

  Remember

· Ask at the school for help if you would like to stand for election and are not sure what to do

· Consider standing for election to council this year   

· Be sure to vote in the elections.

 The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions at PPPS are as follows: 

Parent member                     7 members. Each member holds the position for a 2 year term

DET employee member       4 members. Three of these are for a 2 year term and 1 ongoing position is held by the principal

Community or

co opted members                    To be determined by the council

Monday 10th  February:            Call for nominations

Friday 21st February:                Nominations close at 4.00pm

Monday 24th February:             List of candidates to be displayed

Monday 2nd March:                   Distribution of ballot papers if necessary

Tuesday 10th March:                 Close of ballot at 4.00 pm

Wednesday 11th March:           Counting of votes

Friday 13th  March:                   Declaration of the poll

Tuesday 24th  March:                First School Council meeting to elect office bearers and            coopt community members

 As a school we are incredibly lucky to have members of the community who so willingly give their time to ensure we have a dedicated and enthusiastic school council.  While we take our responsibilities seriously, we also enjoy a laugh or two.

 This year we have THREE Parent member vacancies due to the end of term for Anna Caio, Neela Konara and Rajini Nolan.   I would like to thank Anna, Neela and Rajini as our School Council Treasurer and for their time and commitment to the council and our school. Any parent  of the PPPS community is eligible to stand for election.

 This means that for 2020 Roger Baker (President), Elan Balasubramanian, Fiona Taylor and Vlatko Miseki will continue for the second year of their term.

School Council nomination form

School Council self nominating form