The role of the School Council is to support the Principal in the running of the school.
All government schools in Victoria have a School Council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing this a School Council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.
School Council does not manage the day-to-day running of the school. For example, it does not employ teaching staff, decide which classes students will be assigned to, or sort out issues relating to individual teachers and students and/or parents. Nor does it discuss individual issues relating to teachers or staff or parents – these are very clearly management roles, and therefore the principal’s job. School Councillors are not appointed to represent specific interest groups or permit special interests to dominate the agenda of the council.
Meeting Dates:
The School Council meets once a month. For exact dates please check the Monny Mag or call the office.
Membership of School Council:
There are 9 current members of the School Council at Monbulk Primary School, however, we can have up to 12 members. Within this, there are three categories of members:
- A mandated elected parent category.
- A mandated elected DET employee category.
- An optional community member category who is co-opted for a period of two years.
The Principal is an ongoing member of the School Council.
The term of office for all elected members is two years. Half the members must withdraw each year and may stand for re-election, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections. Parents on school councils help shape the direction of the school through their input to debate issues within Council’s responsibility. You can become involved by voting in the elections, which are held in Term 1 each year, or standing for election, or encouraging others to stand for election. Meetings are generally held monthly.
The 2023 Monbulk Primary School School Council
Parent Member Category:
Daniel Jansen (President), Jo Heap (Vice President/Treasurer), Rhiannon Williams(Secretary), Louise Thorp and Louise Spence.
DET Member Category:
Estelle Alder, Danielle Lamport and Emily Tan Sing
Monbulk Primary School also has 4 sub-committees that run alongside the school council. These are; Education, Finance, Maintenance and Fundraising. For more information on these committees please contact the office.