Run a school council

School councils are a group that support parent and community involvement in their government schools.

School councils are also called school councils or school boards.

As a school council member, you have certain responsibilities to carry out.

This includes having good governance.

Good governance is about knowing rules, and following processes to make sure that:

• risks are managed
• resources are used responsibly and with accountability
• everyone makes honest decisions.

You may have received other types of board or governance training, but the focus of a school board is different to an executive board, such as a company or charity board.

Executive boards direct the operations of an organisation, but school councils work with the principal and school community for stronger educational outcomes for children.

Rules

To understand the rules you need to follow as a member, read your school councils constitution and code of conduct.

Your principal will give you a copy of these documents.

For more information, you can also read:

• your school's policies and guidelines
• the Department of Education’s policies and guidelines
• part 6 section 107 of the Education Act 2015 and part 5 of the Education Regulations.

Openness and fairness

When making decisions and running meetings, you must act professionally.

Everyone should work together to reach decisions. One member must not make decisions without talking to the other school council members at a meeting.

Read about rules on:

• meetings and decision-making
• annual general meeting and member elections.

Diversity

The body must represent all members of the school community.

When making decisions, you should consider the educational needs of all the different members of the school community.

Confidentiality

Information available to a body may be confidential. This means it shouldn't be available to everyone.

Confidentiality involves being careful with sensitive matters, so that personal or sensitive information needed to make good decisions isn't shared with people who shouldn't have that information.

There are many reasons why information could be confidential and shouldn't be shared widely.

Examples of confidential information that might be shared with bodies include:

• details about tender applications for things like school maintenance
• personal details about students or community members.

Confidentiality at meetings allows all members to speak freely. This helps stop gossip and it means the body can make good decisions together.

To understand the rules and how complying with confidentiality requirements can help your body to work together, read your school council's code of conduct.

Create a policy and agreement

You might like to develop a confidentiality policy and agreement to make sure everyone on your school council is on the same page.

You can find a template for this on the NT COGSO’s website.

Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest happens when you're involved in a decision where you, your family or friends might benefit financially from that decision.

For example, the decision about doing works on a school where the contractor is related to you.

In a small place like the Northern Territory, conflicts of interest come up quite frequently.

This is not a problem if they're managed honestly and openly.

Being honest about conflicts of interest means the school council can make good, fair decisions and helps to stop gossip.

Types of conflicts and how they're managed

There are 3 types of conflict of interest. Each are managed on a case by case basis.

• Perceived - when others think your personal relationships could affect your decisions.
  • For example, your wife manages the contract for the school cleaners, but you didn't participate in the decision and leave the meeting when this contract is discussed.
• Potential - when your personal relationships might cause you to make unfair decisions in the future.
  • For example, your son is going to apply for a job at the school and the position is funded by your school council. You shouldn’t be involved in any discussions or decisions about this position or its funding.
• Actual - when your personal relationships will cause you to make unfair decisions.
  • For example, you own a gardening business and the school council is discussing a new grounds keeping contract. You shouldn’t be involved in any discussions or decisions about this contract.

These examples aren’t the only conflicts of interest.

When you're thinking about conflicts of interest, ask yourself:

• How does this decision look to a reasonable person who is not a member of the school council?
• Does it look fair and in the best interests of the students and the school?

When and how to declare a conflict of interest

If your personal relationships or business are connected to decisions in the school council, you must declare it.

Record in the meeting notes:

• when someone declares a conflict of interest and how it's handled
• if someone with a conflict of interest steps out during discussions.

This allows the school council to manage any conflicts of interest honestly and openly.

Legal protections

School councils are a body corporate.

This means that the body acts as its own legal incorporated entity under the NT Education Act 2015.

As a member, you have protections under the law for any decisions you make on the school council if you:

• act honestly and follow the rules
• act in good faith and in the best interests of your school.

Constitution

Your body's constitution is an important document.

It sets out the body rules and how you'll use them to serve your school community.

Read more about your constitution and how to create or update it.

Code of conduct

Your body's code of conduct helps set out how you:

• will work together as a group
• expect to be treated and how you will treat others.

Read more about the code of conduct.

Sitting fees

Members must not be paid for attending meetings (sitting fees).

Sitting fees could affect fairness in decisions and cause conflicts of interest.