School Council Elections 2020

School Council elections 2020: Would you like to be a member of our School Council?

Nominations are now open for 4 parent vacancies on our School Council.

If you are an enthusiastic parent interested in getting more involved and having a say in what our school is doing, or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for people who are committed to improving the educational outcomes for all our students.

Effective councils have a broad range of experience, skills and expertise. Parents find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

Nominations close at 4pm on Wednesday 12 February 2020 and forms are available from school reception.

School councils

A Victorian government School Council is comprised of parents, the principal, staff and sometimes community members. The School Council assists in setting the educational policy of a school. Councils can have between 6 and 15 members.

To be a part of the council you don’t need any particular qualifications or experience – schools look for enthusiastic parents who want to help improve the learning outcomes for all students.

Elections to School Council positions are completed by the end of March each year. All parents or guardians of students enrolled at the school are eligible to vote for candidates wanting to participate on the school council.

School Council Elections 2020

Schedule 4: Notice of Election and Call for Nominations

An election is to be conducted for members of the School Council of Carranballac P-9 College.

Nomination forms can be obtained from the school and must be lodged by 4.00 pm on Wednesday 12 February 2020.

The ballot will close at 4.00 pm on Tuesday 25 February 2020.

Following the closing of nominations a list of the nominations received will be posted at the school. The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows:

Membership category	Term of office	Number of positions
Parent member	From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2020 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2022	4
Student Member	From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2020 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2022	1
DET employee member	From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2020 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2022	2

If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted in a prominent position at the school.

Brendan O’Brien

College Director

School Council Election Process and Timetable 2019

Event	Date
Notice of election and call for nominations	Wednesday 5 February 2020
Closing date for nominations	Wednesday 12 February 2020 – 4pm
The date by which the list of candidates and nominators will be displayed	Thursday 13 February 2020
The date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed	On or before Wednesday 19 February 2020
Close of ballot	Tuesday 25 February – 4pm
Vote Count	Wednesday 26 February 2020
Declaration of ballot	Wednesday 26 February 2020
Special council meeting to co-opt Community members (the College Director will preside)	Tuesday 17 March 2020
First council meeting to elect office bearers (the College Director will preside)	Tuesday 17 March 2020

School Council Elections - Information for Parents

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 co-opted by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. Department 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 and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

DO I NEED SPECIAL EXPERIENCE TO BE ON SCHOOL COUNCIL?

Each member brings their own valuable life skills and knowledge to the role. Councillors may need to develop skills and acquire knowledge in areas that are unfamiliar to them. 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.

HOW CAN YOU BECOME INVOLVED?

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

In view of this, you might consider

standing for election as a member of the school council
encouraging another person to stand for election.

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 one 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.

Department 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. You will receive a Nomination Form Receipt in the mail following the receipt of your completed nomination.

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.

Contact the principal for further information.