Governance
E raka te maui , e raka te katau - a community can use all the skills of its people
ORĀTIA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PRESIDING MEMBER: EDWARD COWLEY
DEPUTY PRESIDING MEMBER: SUSAN GILES
TREASURER: MATTHEW BARNETT
BOARD MEMBER: JOANNA MACFARLANE
BOARD MEMBER: CHRISTINE WANG
STAFF REPRESENTATIVE: BENJAMIN COENRADI
What are school Boards?
All of New Zealand's state and state-integrated schools have a school Board which is the Crown entity responsible for the governance of the school.
The Board:
● Ensures every student can reach their highest possible standard in student achievement.
● Is the employer of all staff in the school.
● Sets the school's strategic direction in consultation with parents, whānau, staff, students and the wider school community.
● Is responsible for overseeing the management of personnel, curriculum, property, finance and administration.
Board membership:
There are three types of representative members who are elected onto the Board. These ‘representative’ Board members are elected by the parent community, and staff members. A standard school board's membership includes:
● Parent elected (or selected) representatives (five).
● The Principal of the school.
● One staff-elected representative.
What do Board members do?
Members on a school Board of Trustees work together to make sure every student reaches their highest possible standard in educational achievement. Our Board meets together twice a term, and there may be other meetings you need to be part of, depending on what’s happening with property, finance, health and safety or personnel. As part of these key responsibilities, here are some of the things Boards do:
● Work with the Principal and consult with staff, students and the community.
● Set the educational goals and strategic direction of the school.
● Monitor progress and let parents know how the school is progressing against its annual targets and how well students are achieving (this Annual Report is on our website).
● Decide how the school's funding will be spent.
● Support the school's Principal and support the development of all staff.
● Oversee the management of staff, property, finances, curriculum and administration.
The Orātia District School is governed by the Board of Trustees (BOT) which is elected every three years by parents and staff. The board comprises of five trustees elected by the parent community, one trustee elected by the school staff and the school principal. Additional members may be co-opted during the term of the board. The last election was held in in September 2022 and the next election will be in 2025.
The governance role provides a framework for the strategic direction of the school. The Board aims to assure accountability, fairness and transparency in the governance of the school. There is a continual process to set and review school policies and procedures, monitor student achievement, oversee the financial management of the school, and employ and support staff. It works very much like shareholders - but in our case it's the parents and teachers of the school that vote for the Board of Trustees. Our school principal manages the day-to-day running of the school, and the board sets measurable goals alongside the principal based on student achievement requirements and community needs for learning.
If you would like to view the Orātia District School Board of Trustees Policies and Procedures these can be viewed at School Docs