St Columba’s School Advisory Council Guidelines

Vision:

The St Columba’s school is a learning community that is: Engaging, inspiring, empowering

Mission:

Our vision is underpinned by our commitment to promoting, sharing and celebrating our Catholic faith with an educational community that is inclusive and honours the teaching of St Columba. Through engaging, contemporary and inspiring educational practice all children will be challenged to achieve personal excellence thus experiencing our core belief that ‘The whole of life belongs to God’.

These guidelines set out the context, purpose, composition, roles and functionsof St Columba’s School, BallaratSchool Advisory Council.

  1. Context:

The school fulfils its educational and legal responsibilities in accordance with:

  • Canon Law
  • Government Legislation
  • Industrial Awards and Agreements

and takes into account the policies and advice of

  • Catholic Education System Authorities

The school also acts with full regard of the Awakenings Religious Education Curriculum, as mandated by the Bishop for use in the schools of the Diocese.

The School Advisory Council must have regard for the role and authority of the Canonical Administrator. Under Canon Law, the Canonical Administrator is the legitimate authority in a Parish and the Council acts as an advisory body to him and those delegated by him in all matters.

While these guidelines provide direction for most aspects of School Advisory Council operation, it is intended that matters which arise that are not addressed be dealt with at the discretion of the Canonical Administrator, on advice from the council.

  1. Purpose:

The St Columba’s School Advisory Council brings together in a formal and functional way parties connected with the work of St Columba’s School - a Catholic primary school that is part of the St Columba’s Parish to bring the school’s Vision and Mission to life. The representative structure of the Council provides a way for informed advice to be given to the Canonical Administrator and Principal on matters related to developing and sustaining an effective school.

The work of School Advisory Council Members is a ministry of the Church.

  1. Composition
  1. Council members are members of the school community
  1. The Council shall comprise ex-officio, elected and appointed members:

Ex-officio members:

Non-voting

  • Canonical Administrator (or nominee)

Voting

  • Principal or Acting Principal of the school.

Elected members(All elected members have voting rights)

  • one staff representative to be elected by the staff
  • not more than 10parents
  1. Term of membership:
  • ex-officio members and the staff representative: unrestricted
  • other elected members: two years, with a maximum of two successive terms
  • appointed members: as specified at the time of appointment
  1. The Council elects the following office bearers at the first general meeting of Council following the AGM.
  • Chairperson (the principal is not eligible for this position)
  • Secretary
  • Persons to serve as liaison with each of the Working Groups / Committees / Parents and Friends Committee
  1. New and returning council members would normally take part in an induction/renewal programme to be conducted by the principal and an experienced Council Member. (see Appendix E)
  1. If required, casual vacancies of elected parent representatives are to be filled by a vote of Council,following nomination by the community.
  1. If an elected or appointed member is deemed to be acting contrary to the role and function of the Council, he/she may be removed from office by a formal motion and private ballot passed by a simple majority at a properly convened meeting of the Council. In the event of a tied vote, the matter is to be determined by the Canonical Administrator.
  1. Roles
  1. Members are asked to:
  • Provide advice that always has the welfare of the students as their primary basis
  • be mindful that the implementation of school policies and overall management of the school is the function of the principal and staff of the school
  • give the necessary time, thought and study to the work of the Council
  • work with fellow Council members in a spirit of harmony, co-operation and honesty
  • provide advice on issues based on all available facts and consistent with the school’s stated vision and mission
  • abide by and uphold the final majority decision of the Council
  • only act on behalf of the Council when specifically authorised to do so by the Council.
  • refer to the appropriate person any issues or concerns that are not necessarily the concern of the Council
  • respect matters of confidentiality
  • abide by the meeting procedures and standing orders of the Council’s guidelines
  • read all necessary documentation prior to attending Council meetings
  • take part in the School Advisory Council member induction/renewal programme (Appendixsee E)
  1. Role of the Chairperson includes:
  • work with the principal in setting an agenda for each Council meeting
  • chair the meetings of council
  • ensure all members have the opportunity to contribute to the deliberations of Council
  • ensure that members of Council avoid conflicts of interest
  • assist the principal with the induction/renewal of Council members
  1. Role of the Secretary includes:
  • Receive and respond to all council correspondence
  • Other duties as directed by council
  • To record, distribute and file the minutes of council meetings
  1. Functions

1.The work of the Council includes:

  • planning for the present and future operation of the school
  • disseminating information about the School and about Catholic Education generally to the School and Parish Community and, where applicable, the wider local community
  • formulating, monitoring and revising school policy
  • staying informed about the finances associated with the school
  • maintaining theconfidentiality of all Council deliberations
  • assisting the Canonical Administrator in the selection and appointment of the principal
  • Working in collaboration with other school groups
  • in the event of a grievance, the Council will adhere to its Grievance Procedure as set out in Appendix F

The professional area of curriculum development, teaching and internal management of the school are the responsibility of the Principal.

2. Meetings of the Council:

  • Meeting are held on the Wednesday evening of the third and eighth week of each term.
  • A simple majority of elected members plus either the principal / principal’s representative or the canonical administrator constitutes a quorum. No meeting may be held without a quorum.
  • Meetings of the Council follow the agreed procedures set out in Appendix A to these guidelines.
  • Normally decisions are reached by consensus. However, at the discretion of the Chair, a vote may be called to determine the Council’s position on a given issue. All decisions of the Council are presented as advice to the Canonical Administrator.
  • Special meetings of the Council may be called by the chair or the principal, with the approval of the Canonical Administrator.
  • Minutes are recorded, distributed and filed by the Secretary.

3.Annual General Meeting

  • The Annual General Meeting of Council is normally held in November
  • All members of the School and Parish Community are invited to attend
  • Arrangements for the conduct of the AGM are outlined on Appendix D of these Guidelines

4.School Community Working Groups/ Sub Committees:

  • The Council has the authority to establish Working Groups/ Sub Committees as appropriate to assist the school /Council. Council will elect/appoint a liaison person from its membership who will work with each Working Group and report back to Council.

5.Financial Management:

  • The Council assists with the formulation and ongoing review the school’s annual budget
  • The Principal or nominee will present a twice-yearly statement of Income and Expenditure to the Council
  • During term four of each year, the Principal, in consultation with the School Advisory Council, makes recommendation to the Canonical Administrator as to the rate of School Fees and Levies for the following year.
  • An annual summary statement of the school's Income and Expenditure is made available to the school community.

6.Alteration to These Guidelines:

  • These guidelines (including the appendices) can be altered, after due consideration, and upon a resolution of the Council passed by a simple majority. Any such alteration must have the approval of the Canonical Administrator.
  • These guidelines are to be reviewed as a whole every 3 years.

Appendix A:
Meeting Procedure

This appendix sets out the meeting procedure to be used for ordinary meetings of the School Advisory Council

  1. The format of the Agenda is to be as follows:

1.Chairperson’s welcome
2.Prayer
3.Present
4.Apologies
5.Confirmation of Minutes of Previous Meeting
6.General Business(including policies for discussion
and approval)
8.Updates:
Principal
Parish Priest
Committee Reports (as required)
9.Other business
10.Meeting Closure

2.Meetings should start on time, usually at 7.30 pm and must not exceed two hours in duration.

3.All documentation must be circulated with the agenda prior to the meeting so that they may be studied before the meeting and thoughts formulated

4.General Business is only to include those items listed on the agenda.


Appendix B:
Meeting Dates

This appendix sets out the formula to be used for determining dates for School Advisory Council meetings.

  1. Normally, the Council will meet on the Wednesday of Week 3 and Week 8 of each school term.
  1. All meeting dates will be distributed as an electronic calendar reminder prior to the start of the school year.
  1. The Council may reschedule (by motion) any meeting date, should special circumstances arise.
  1. Other than in extreme circumstances, scheduled meetings of the Council should not be cancelled.
Appendix C:
Annual General Meeting

This appendix outlines arrangements governing the Annual General Meeting

1.The Annual General Meeting is to be held in November each year.

2.The agenda of the Annual General Meeting is to include the following:

a.the suspension of normal business of the School Advisory Council

b.a guest speaker, if deemed appropriate by the organising committee

c.annual reports of the principal, Canonical Administrator, the Council Chair and representatives of Committees

d.financial reports

e.election of parent representatives to the Council

f.open forum, without discussion, inviting members of the school community to make suggestions and to list issues for the parties to consider as part of their work over the coming year

greceipt of written submissions, without discussion, for the council’s consideration over the coming twelve months

3.The Annual General Meeting is to be no longer than one hour in duration.


Appendix D:
School Advisory Council Member Induction
  • All new and returning members of the School Advisory Council are take part in the following induction programme prior to taking their place on the Council
  • This programme is to be conducted by the principal assisted by experienced members of the Council. Normally, this would be the Council Chair
  • The programme is to include discussion and review of the following:
  • the role of the school in relation to the parish
  • School Advisory Council guidelines and member role
  • School in relation to the Catholic Education System:

-NCECNational Catholic Education Commission

-CECVCatholic Education Commission of Victoria

-BDSB Diocesan Schools Board (Ballarat)

-CEOCatholic Education Office: Ballarat

  • School vision and mission statements & school policy statements
  • School financial management
  • Sub committees / working groups of the Council
  • Major business of the past year and forward thinking
  • Personal skills & talents
  • Names of other Council members
  • Meeting dates, time and venue
Appendix E:
Procedure For Settling Grievances

It is inappropriate to raise matters of grievance involving parents, students, staff and/or principal at a School Advisory Council meeting. It is beyond the jurisdiction of the Council to arbitrate on such matters.

The following is a set of procedures for the settlement of such grievances which avoids using Council meetings for this purpose.

Grievance Procedure:

1.The School Advisory Council should be aware of the difference between policy and operations and also be sensitive to the fact that it is the role of the Principal and Staff to select the means by which School policy is implemented.

2.The role of the School Advisory Council is not to arbitrate over questions of grievance. However, positive recommendations, within the guidelines, may be channelled through a Council member to a meeting of the Council.

3.Where there is difficulty, dispute or grievance involving a student or parent with a teacher, the following procedures should be adopted:

3.1The issue should not be raised at a Council meeting.

3.2The parent should request an interview with the teacher.

3.3 If no resolution, the parents should consult with the Principal.

3.4If no resolution, the parents should consult the Parish Priest.

1.5The Parish Priest may wish to involve the Chairperson of the School Advisory Council

1.6Should the matter still not be resolved, the Catholic Education Officemay become involved through the use of the Diocesan Complaints Handling Procedure

4.Where there is a difficulty, a dispute or grievance between the Principal and a student, parent, teacher and/or Council member, the following procedures will be adopted:

4.1The issue should not be raised at a Council meeting.

4.2In the case of an individual, the issue should be raised privately withthe Principal.

4.3If the issue concerns one or more persons, resolution should be sought by consultation between the Parish Priest and the Principal.

4.4The Parish Priest may wish to involve the Chairperson of the Council

4.5Should the matter still not be resolved, the Catholic Education Office may become involved through the use of the Diocesan Complaints Handling Procedure.

School Advisory Council Guidelines Page 1