Step Two is about the different roles and responsibilities of members of the governing body. It makes suggestions about ways you can work together to achieve your goals.
Who does what on the governing body?
All members should make up their own minds about issues, but you must support the decisions taken by your governing body (even if you don’t agree). As a member of a governing body you should:
participate in the work of the governing body.
get to know the school
try to improve your abilities
help new members to understand their role
promote the best interests of the school
not use your position to get something for yourself or your own children only.
Electing office bearers
Why do we have office bearers?
Not all the members of a governing body can do all the work. The law recognises that different members can play different roles. Office bearers are elected from the whole governing body at its first meeting. A member can serve as an office bearer for one year only. The South African Schools Act says at least three people must be elected as office bearers: a chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer. Only elected members of the governing body can be office bearers. The principal and co-opted members cannot be office bearers.
How do we appoint office bearers?
It is important that each member of the governing body introduces himself or herself. Members can say what they do and can explain how they see the future of the school. Members are then nominated and a vote is taken.
What do different office bearers do?
Chairperson
Controls meetings and is the representative of the governing body. She or he:
authorises meetings
calls the meeting to order and leads it
follows the agenda
ensures decisions are reached and recorded
facilitates meetings and decides who speaks
informs the body of any urgent action taken
ensures information for meetings is available
confirms minutes of previous meetings
represents the governing body at school functions
works out the dates for the next meeting.
Secretary
Concerned with the running of meetings and needs to work with the chairperson and principal. He or she:
arranges meetings
prepares the agenda
During the meeting:
writes down the names of members at the meeting and those who have sent apologies
checks everything on the agenda is covered
takes minutes
records who has taken responsibility for what.
After the meeting:
collates the minutes
gives each member a copy.
Treasurer
In charge of all financial matters and should have some bookkeeping skills. She or he:
takes charge of finances of the school
controls the school budget
keeps an accurate record of what is spent by whom
should be informed about money donated or raised
compiles a balanced financial report.
If an office bearer is absent, can the meeting continue?
Yes. You need to elect someone to stand in. Usually, at least half the members must be at the meeting to take a major decision.
What is the executive committee?
The committee is made up of at least the three office bearers. It is responsible for the everyday decisions of the governing body and must meet once a month.
How do we share our workload?
Everyone in the governing body has to make a meaningful contribution. One way of sharing work is to form committees. For example, a committee may deal with staffing or sport. Committees report back to the governing body. These committees have no authority to make binding decisions. They can only make recommendations.
You can appoint outside people to the committee if they are experts.
The committee must be chaired by a member of the governing body.
The appointed or co-opted person may not have voting rights.
At a school for learners with special education needs, a committee on special education needs must be established.
How do we work as a team?
One of the challenges for governing bodies is to find ways of working together. The governing body team needs to trust and respect each other. Trust is built when you get to know each other’s beliefs, values, interests and strengths. As trust develops, members will be more open to sharing opinions, taking risks and resolving conflict in a positive way. Members of a good team value and respect each other; look ahead and share their goals, values and principles, share work; accept and welcome new members; take responsibility when things go wrong, communicate, co-operate, support and encourage each other; are led by a good chairperson.
How do we deal with conflict?
With so many different people in the governing body, all with their own issues and personalities, there will be some conflict in the group. Not all conflict is bad (negative). It can have good (positive) things about it.
How can conflict be managed?
There are many ways of dealing with conflict.
acknowledge the conflict – admit there is a problem
define the conflict – agree on what the problem is
deal with the conflict
discuss the problems openly
work out a way of solving the problem.
Meetings
Meetings that are badly handled are a waste of time. Meetings have to be organised and properly chaired. The governing body can call the following types of meetings:
Ordinary meetings once every school term. The secretary tells members about the meeting seven days in advance
The chairperson can call an urgent meeting with 24 hours’ notice.
The chairperson can call an extraordinary meeting if a certain percentage of parents requests it. This percentage is different in each province, so consult your provincial regulations.
The annual general meeting takes place once a year. Notices of this meeting must be sent out 30 days in advance. All parents are invited to attend. Reports include audited annual financial statements, budgets for the following year.
How do we prepare for a meeting?
Prepare all documents needed, including the agenda (item, person to lead the discussion; time; type of issue), minutes (record of the previous meeting,usually read in the meeting), and any other reports that may be needed.
Pick a time and place for the meeting. Avoid times when most people can’t attend.
Arrange the venue in advance. Make sure it is comfortable and that there are pens, paper and something to drink.
Give enough warning of the meeting. You can send members the agenda, minutes of the previous meeting, and any other reports that members need to prepare for the meeting. You can even set the dates and times for meetings for the year.
Check matters arising from previous meetings
Set time limits for the meeting
How do we make a record of the meeting?
Minutes are a record of the meeting. Not everything that is said has to be written down, only the most important things. Write down items as they appear on the agenda, write what was discussed under the heading ”noted” and write decisions under the heading ”agreed”. The minutes of a meeting should show the date, the time, the type of meeting, and members present or absent. At the next meeting, members are asked if they accept the minutes as an accurate record. If nobody challenges the minutes, somebody must move that the minutes be accepted and the chairperson formally accepts the minutes. If somebody thinks they are inaccurate, corrections must be made. All the documents of the governing body belong to the Department of Education.
What is the role of the members at a meeting?
The chairperson must focus the meeting, making sure that people discuss what is on the agenda and by making sure that decisions are made. Members can either agree to decisions, or they can vote. As members of the governing body, you have ”the right to listen and to be heard”, so speak up! Try to keep to the point, keep a note of how many times you speak and check the time you take. People who come late to meetings show no respect for those kept waiting. Late-coming means that the meeting will end late; the business of the meeting will not be finished; and matters will be discussed in a hurry. Of course, there may be good reasons for members being late.
The decision-making process
The governing body will need to make decisions about different things. In South Africa, we emphasise democratic decision making which is a participatory process.
What is the problem?
What are the possible solutions?
What are the pros and cons of each of the possible solutions?
Which is the best option and why?
How can we implement this solution?
Democratic decision-making means that decisions must be taken by agreement (consensus) or by a majority vote. Members must try to reach consensus around decisions so that differing views are heard and everyone supports that final decision. If you choose majority vote, you should all be well informed about an issue and as a group you should discuss the problem fully before voting. Once a decision has been made, then all members should support it – even if you do not agree with it. An important job of the members of the governing body is to report back to the people they represent. After reporting back, the members should inform the governing body of the feelings and thoughts of the people they represent. You need to be accountable to your community for the decision you make.
– The Teacher/M&G Media, July 2001.
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