Frequently Asked School Council Questions And Answers

Listed below are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions that WACSSO receives from P&Cs and parent representatives on School Councils. Further information about School Councils can be accessed from your Education Department District Office or through WACSSO.

QUESTIONS

• How many representatives can the P&C have on a School Council?


• If I am a P&C member, but not the elected P&C representative, can I still nominate for one of the parent positions on the School Council?


• How are the parent representatives chosen for a School Council?


• What happens if there are more nominations than there are positions available for parent representatives?


• Our school has a limited student population and a small number of parents to call on to fill vacancies on committees and councils. Do we have other options for our School Council?


• Can we have students under the age of 15 on the School Council?


• Our principal has suggested we have 11 members on the School Council including himself. Is this appropriate?


• What happens if we can't get any community members on our School Council?


• Can the school registrar be a member of the School Council?


• I have children attending the school and I am also a teacher at the school. Can I be a parent representative on the School Council?


• For how long will I be a School Councillor?


• Can I re-nominate at the end of my term as a Councillor?


• What happens if a position becomes vacant before the term of office ceases?


• Can a person's membership be terminated if they miss a meeting?


• Can the principal terminate a Councillor's membership?


• I am the P&C representative on the School Council and the P&C has asked that I bring up the subject of homework in relation to a P&C member's complaint about a particular teacher. Is it okay to do this?


• Can the School Council run the canteen?


• I am not a member of the School Council but would like to go to the meetings. Is this allowed?


• How many times a year does the School Council meet?


• Can I request a special meeting of the School Council to be held because I have a particular issue I wish to see discussed?


• Who can vote on the School Council?


• How does the Council reach a decision?


• What is an absolute majority?


• Will School Councillors have to pay a membership fee?


• Do we need to keep minutes of our Council meetings?


• Who will chair the Council meetings?


• Are there guidelines for conducting elections?

ANSWERS

Question: How many representatives can the P&C have on a School Council?

Answer: If a P&C Association exists at the school, it is entitled to have at least one representative on the School Council.

Question: If I am a P&C member, but not the elected P&C representative, can I still nominate for one of the parent positions on the School Council?

Answer: Yes. Remember that as a parent representative you are representing the views of all of the parents of students enrolled at the school. As a P&C representative you represent the view of the P&C Association members. Essentially, these two views should be the same as the P&C is the autonomous parent group in the school.

Question: How are the parent representatives chosen for a School Council?

Answer: The principal must call for nominations from all parents who have students enrolled at the school.

Question: What happens if there are more nominations than there are positions available for parent representatives?

Answer: If the number of nominations exceeds the number of positions available then the principal must organise an election. All the parents of students enrolled in the school are eligible to vote.

Question: Our school has a limited student population and a small number of parents to call on to fill vacancies on committees and councils. Do we have other options for our School Council?

Answer: The Minister may give approval for two or more schools to have a joint council. The Minister will also determine the number of members to be on a joint council. Discuss this option with your principal if you believe that it is appropriate for your school community.

Question: Can we have students under the age of 15 on the School Council?

Answer: Students must be 15 years of age or reach 15 during the year to be eligible to be a voting member of an unincorporated School Council. If the Council is incorporated then the students must be 18 years of age. However, it is advisable to include members of your student council when the School Council is addressing issues that directly concern them. You may co-opt students to the Council for this purpose.

Question: Our principal has suggested we have 11 members on the School Council including himself. Is this appropriate?

Answer: An unincorporated School Council must have at least 5 members and not more than 15 members. For an incorporated Council the minimum number is 10. It is up to the School Council in consultation with parents and staff, and after taking into consideration any cultural, lingual or social factors that may be relevant, to determine the number that will suit your school.

Question: What happens if we can't get any community members on our School Council?

Answer: A School Council does not have to have community members on it, although you must give some thought to doing so. Remember that parents and community members combined must make up the majority on the Council - if there are no community members, then parents alone must make up the majority of the Council.

Question: Can the school registrar be a member of the School Council?

Answer: Yes. The registrar may represent the staff at the school. The principal must call for nominations from all staff for the staff positions on the School Council. This is not limited to teaching staff. If there are more nominations than positions available then the principal must organise an election amongst the staff members.

Question: I have children attending the school and I am also a teacher at the school. Can I be a parent representative on the School Council?

Answer: No. Section 127(3) of the Act states that a person who is the principal of, or on the staff of, a school and who also fits the category of parent or community member "can only be a member of the Council in his or her capacity as the principal or staff member".

Question: For how long will I be a School Councillor?

Answer: The Council will determine the length of office of each position, but it may not exceed 3 years.

Question: Can I re-nominate at the end of my term as a Councillor?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What happens if a position becomes vacant before the term of office ceases?

Answer: The Principal must call for nominations from suitably qualified people to fill the position on a casual basis. "Suitably qualified" means people who fit the category of vacancy eg parent, staff etc. "Casual basis" means for the residual period of the predecessor's term of office, ie if the person who leaves has one year left of a three year term, then the new person serves one year.

Question: Can a person's membership be terminated if they miss a meeting?

Answer: No. Membership can only be terminated if the Councillor has been absent, without leave or reasonable excuse, from 3 consecutive meetings of which they have had notice.

Question: Can the principal terminate a Councillor's membership?

Answer: No. The decision to remove a member must be made by a resolution of at least 2/3 of the total membership of School Council.

Question: I am the P&C representative on the School Council and the P&C has asked that I bring up the subject of homework in relation to a P&C member's complaint about a particular teacher. Is it okay to do this?

Answer: Any complaint against a teacher must be directed to the principal by the individual making the complaint. Neither the P&C nor the School Council should be discussing individual teachers. As a result of questions to the principal, the School Council may be directed to review the school's homework policy.

Question: Can the School Council run the canteen?

Answer: Yes, but only if it is an incorporated Council. Only the Minister can approve the incorporation of a Council and he/she must be convinced that such a move will be beneficial to the students or improve the management of the facilities. If the P&C runs the canteen there would have to be a very good reason for the School Council to take over the management.

Question: I am not a member of the School Council but would like to go to the meetings. Is this allowed?

Answer: Yes. Council meetings must generally be open to the public. However, the Council may decide to close part or all of a meeting to members of the public. Grounds for closure of a meeting are listed in Regulation 116 of the School Education Regulations 2000.

Question: How many times a year does the School Council meet?

Answer: The Council will determine the number of times it will meet. However, it must hold at least one meeting that is open to the public and in which a report is presented on the performance of the Council's functions. A special meeting of the Council may be called for by parents of students, or by students themselves if over 18 years of age.

Question: Can I request a special meeting of the School Council to be held because I have a particular issue I wish to see discussed?

Answer: Yes. However you must follow a specific process before a special meeting can take place.

• The Chairperson must be advised in writing of the purposes of the proposed meeting.
• The meeting must be requested by at least 20 families of students at the school or at least half the number of families of students at the school; whichever is the lesser number.
• Only matters set out in the notice to the Chairperson may be discussed at the meeting.

Question: Who can vote on the School Council?

Answer: Each Council member (including the chairperson) is entitled to one vote.

Question: How does the Council reach a decision?

Answer: The Council reaches a decision by voting on a motion put to it. A decision of a Council does not have effect unless it has been made by an absolute majority.

Question: What is an absolute majority?

Answer: An absolute majority means a majority comprising enough of the members for their number to be more than 50% of the number of offices of members of the Council. This is easier to explain using an example. If your Council has 10 members who are all present and voting, then the absolute majority is 6. If you hold a meeting and only 7 members attend and a motion is voted on with 5 in favour and 2 against, then the motion would be lost. At least 6 people must vote in favour for a motion to pass.

If your Council has 7 members the absolute majority is 4, if you have 8 members the absolute majority is 5 and so on.

Question: Do School Councillors have to pay a membership fee?

Answer: No fees or subscriptions are to be charged against members.

Question: Do we need to keep minutes of our Council meetings?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Who will chair the Council meetings?

Answer: The Council will elect a Chairperson by and from its members. You may choose to rotate this position.

Question: Are there guidelines for conducting elections?

Answer: No, but Councils will need to document the process they use, remembering that they are accountable to the wider school community.

NB: All references to the 'Act', refer to the School Education Act 1999