School Council 

TIMELINE FOR OUR 2021 SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS: 

1. Notice of Election and call for nominations: Monday 15th February 2021. 

2. Close of nominations: Monday 22nd February at 4 p.m. 

3. List of Candidates Posted: Friday 26th February.

4. Send out SC ballot papers if needed

4. March 5th- CLose of Ballot-SC

March 9th-Declare Poll-SC

If you have any questions please come and see us for a chat. 

Nomination forms are available from the office.   

Our first School Council meeting for 2021 will be held next Monday 22nd February. This meeting will be the final meeting for the existing School Council and therefore the final meeting for some of our hard working School Council members.  We are now looking at forming our new SC – at present we require parent members (either new or present members re-electing).  Please take the time to look at the election procedures and timeline below.  If you require more information, please speak to one of our school councillors or contact the office. 

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 centrally provided 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?

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 employed 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. Its members are appointed by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be Community members.

The term of office for all members is two years. Half the members must retire each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

Why is Parent membership so important?

Parents on School Council 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.