Effective meetings School Councils

Planning for effective meetings

• Planning  What do you want from the meeting?

 What do you need to achieve?

• Notifying people  Who is invited?  Set a date and time • Preparation  Make an agenda  Decide what needs to be decided, what needs to be discussed, what needs to be advised  Allow time for each agenda item

Effective meetings (continued)

• Meeting processes  Controlling the meeting  Understanding roles • Keeping a record  Keeping notes from the meeting  What to do with action items (decisions)

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Chairperson/convenor

Roles

 Prepares and runs the meeting  Ensures the meeting stays on track and on time •

Secretary/recorder

 Keeps notes (minutes) during the meeting and writes them up after the meeting •

Meeting participants

 Have a say, stay involved, listen to each other

Quorum

• A quorum is the number of people required to be present at a meeting before a valid decision can be made • A quorum is achieved at a school council meeting if not less than one half of the members of the school council currently holding office are present and a majority of the members present are not DEECD employees • A parent member who is also a DEECD employee is counted as a DEECD representative for quorum purposes • In the event of a tied vote, the presiding member has a second or a casting vote.

Members’ responsibilities

• Be on time or send an apology if you are unable to attend • Listen without interrupting • Listen to understand • Think before you speak • Don’t speak for the sake of it • Be fair in your criticism • Make sure you understand what’s been decided

More on the people side

• Set and agree on the rules of how the meeting is to work  What behaviour is allowed, what is not allowed  Open or closed meeting • Be clear on roles - especially the chairperson’s role • Manage time

The meeting itself

• Open the meeting  Welcome everyone  Ensure people have received their papers • Conduct the discussion 

See next slide

• Summarise the meeting  Point out main discussions and any decisions made • Close the meeting  Thank people for coming

Structure of a discussion

• State the issue or topic of discussion • Hear the facts • Listen to people’s arguments, experiences, opinions • Reach a conclusion on what’s wanted • Make a decision • Record the decision

Minutes of the meeting

The minutes of the meeting must record: • date, time, place of meeting, attendees and chairperson and apologies received • agenda items discussed • all decisions including the names of the movers, seconders and if decision carried or rejected • time the meeting ended • date, time and place of next meeting

Meeting checklist

• People notified - time, date, venue • Agenda set and sent in advance • Discussion papers sent in advance with a recommendation on what is required from the meeting – e.g.

 For information  For a decision- that is, a recommendation • Check any actions required following last meeting

For more information

• http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/ governance/schoolcouncils/role.htm

(What is a school council and what does it do?) • http://www.ourcommunity.com.au for Help Sheets on running a meeting