Effective meetings School Councils

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Effective meetingsSchool Councils

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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

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Effective meetings (cont.)

• 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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Roles

• Chairperson / Convenor
• Prepares and runs the meeting
• Ensures the meeting stays on track and on time
• Secretary / recorder
• Keeps notes during the meeting and writes them up
  after the meeting
• Meeting participants
• Have a say, stay involved, listen to each other

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Quorum

• A quorum is the number of people required before
  decisions can be made
• A quorum is not less than one half of the total
  members of the school council, where total
  members means the maximum number of members that
  could be appointed under the schools
  constituting order
• Also, the majority of members present cannot be
  DEECD employees
• A parent member who is also a DEECD employee is
  counted as a DEECD representative for quorum
  purposes
• A quorum must be maintained throughout the
  meeting
• In the event of a tied vote, the Chairperson has
  the casting vote.

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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
• Dont speak for the sake of it
• Be fair in your criticism
• Make sure you understand whats been decided

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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 Chairpersons
  role
• Manage time

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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

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Structure of a discussion

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

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Keeping notes

• Time and date of meeting, where held, who came,
  who chaired
• All agenda items discussed
• Main ideas put forward and any actions agreed on
• Time the meeting ended
• Date, time, place of next meeting

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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 needed since last meeting

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For more information

• http//www.education.vic.gov.au/management/governa
  nce/schoolcouncils/role.htm
• (What is a school council and what does it do?)
• http//www.ourcommunity.com for Help Sheets on
  running a meeting