School Board

• Who is on the board?

  Boards typically have between 3 and 7 parent representatives, who are elected by parents of students at the school. This number depends on the size and structure of the school or kura. Boards also include:

  • The principal or tumuaki
  • A staff representative
  • A student representative for schools with students in Year 9 and above.

  The Ko Taku Reo - Deaf Education New Zealand Board shall be made up of the following members:
  

  • The Executive Principal
  • One staff representative
  • Two student representatives
  • Six parent representatives
  • Up to four members, co-opted based on particular experience, expertise, skill and/or leadership that in the opinion of the board will assist the board in advancing the students of Ko Taku Reo – Deaf Education
• What a school board does?

  A board is responsible for the governance (making the big decisions) of the school.
  The board:

  • Sets the strategic direction and targets for the school or kura
  • Develops policies and procedures
    
  • Consults with the community to make decisions
  • Oversees curriculum, finance, property, and health and safety of staff and students
  • Employs staff at the school or kura.

  The board must comply with the Education and Training Act 2020 (the Act) and all other legislative requirements.

  The Act sets out four key objectives for boards. These cover:
  

  • Educational achievement
  • Student safety
  • Being inclusive of, and catering for, students with differing needs
  • Giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

  The principal oversees the day-to-day management of the school and follows the direction of the board to make sure the school’s goals are met.
  

• Board meetings

  All board members are required to attend meetings where they must follow specific rules and procedures. These meetings are where the main work of the school board happens - reviewing policies, making important decisions, and keeping proper records. There are rules covering various aspects of meetings, such as letting the public know about meetings, managing agendas and minutes, handling confidential business, and other meeting requirements.

• About board elections

  School board elections are held every three years, allowing parents and the school community to have a say in how the school is run. The Ministry of Education provides guidelines and support for boards to help them govern effectively. This work is contracted to Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa - NZ School Boards Association.
  https://www.tewhakaroputanga.org.nz

• Strategic planning and reporting

  After consulting with their school communities, boards create strategic plans that outline what they aim to accomplish over the next three years. Each year, they make annual plans with specific actions and goals to work towards.

  Because boards are responsible for the performance of their school, they use regular reports to check if they're making progress on both their yearly and long-term plans. This is reported on through the monthly board meeting Principal's report.

• Student achievement and the curriculum

  Successful school boards work closely with school leaders to ensure that all ākonga receive fair and excellent learning opportunities. The board must ensure every student has the chance and support they need to do their best, recognising that what works for one student might be different for another.

  The board also needs to provide teachers with enough time, training opportunities, and physical resources so they can understand what each student is capable of learning and help them achieve it.

  School boards must choose to implement either the New Zealand Curriculum or Te Marautanga o Aotearoa through their principal and staff.

  The New Zealand Curriculum focuses on developing confident, lifelong learners through principles like high expectations, cultural diversity, and inclusion, while teaching values such as excellence, innovation, equity, and respect, and ensuring students master five key skills: thinking, using language, managing themselves, relating to others, and participating in community.

  Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is grounded in Māori educational values and principles, with a strong emphasis on Te Reo Māori and Māori knowledge systems. Schools with bilingual classes can use both curricula - Te Marautanga o Aotearoa for bilingual classes and the New Zealand Curriculum for other classes.

• Finance and Property

  The school board has overall responsibility for the school's financial management, but delegates day-to-day financial operations to the principal.

  Schools primarily receive quarterly operations grants from the Ministry of Education, based on factors such as school size and student numbers, which cover essential operational costs, including utilities, administration, property maintenance, ICT, curriculum delivery, support staff wages, relief teachers, and teacher aide hours.

  The board's specific financial responsibilities include:

  • Setting strategic direction and allocating funds to achieve school goals responsibly

  • Creating and maintaining finance policies and delegating authority to the principal

  • Setting, approving, and monitoring the annual budget

  • Ensuring annual financial statements are prepared and audited

  • Publishing the annual report online

  • Complying with the lease agreement conditions

  • Maintaining school property and implementing a 10-Year Property Plan to ensure safe, healthy learning environments

  • Acting ethically in all financial matters
• Health, safety and wellbeing

  School boards as employers must do whatever is reasonable and possible to keep everyone healthy and safe. This includes "workers" (teaching and non-teaching staff, contractors, regular volunteers, student teachers, and trainees) and "others" (students, board members, and visitors).

  The board's leadership must set the direction for health and safety management and ensure everyone can actively manage their health and wellbeing. Through strong policies and regular monitoring, boards must identify, assess, and manage hazards and risks before harm occurs, reducing or removing these risks as much as reasonably possible.

  Schools must adopt a comprehensive approach to health and safety that includes mental and emotional wellbeing, as failing to provide a safe working environment can cause severe financial, emotional, and physical harm to all parties involved.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Parent representative

  The parent representative is a full voting member of the school board with equal rights and responsibilities as other members. They bring a parent and community perspective to board discussions and decision-making, but they don't act as advocates pushing specifically for what parents want. Like all board members, they must make decisions based on what's best for the entire school, its students, and staff. Unlike student, staff, and principal representatives, a parent representative can be appointed as the presiding member of the board.

• Staff representative

  The staff representative is a full voting member of the school board, with the same rights and responsibilities as other members, except that they cannot serve as the presiding member. While elected by school staff, they represent the broader interests of the entire school, rather than acting solely as advocates for staff concerns. They bring a valuable staff perspective to board discussions and decision-making, much like parent representatives contribute community viewpoints. However, they ultimately must vote based on what best serves the school, students, and all staff, rather than the narrow specific group that elected them.

• Student representative

  The student representative is a current student elected by their peers to serve as a full voting member of the school board with equal rights and responsibilities to other members. They bring a valuable student perspective to board discussions and decision-making, but like all board members, they must make decisions based on what's best for the entire school rather than just pushing for what students want. While they cannot serve as presiding member, they have the same voice, vote, and accountability as other board members and should make decisions that benefit the school, its students, and staff as a whole.

• Principal representative

  The principal serves as both a full voting member of the school board, with equal standing to other members, and as the board's chief executive, responsible for day-to-day school administration. While the board sets strategic goals and policies to govern the school, the principal has complete discretion to manage operations within legal boundaries and established policies, regularly reporting back to the board on progress.

  This creates a collaborative relationship where the board focuses on governance and strategic direction, entrusting the principal to implement these decisions and manage daily operations. The board then monitors progress, rather than getting involved in day-to-day management. The principal cannot serve as presiding member but maintains full participation in board decision-making that serves the best interests of the school, students, and staff.

• Board secretary

  The board secretary can be anyone with the right skills and doesn't need to work at the school, but they must understand their role and have the board's trust. Each board decides what support it needs and who is best for the job. Some boards employ a minute secretary who attends meetings and takes notes, while the school secretary handles other administrative tasks. Other boards have the principal's assistant or school secretary perform all functions related to supporting the board.