Each site's council has to hold meetings. Meetings are central to working on a council. How they are run and how often they are held can be different for each site (preschool/school).
Types of meetings
There are four types of meetings for councils:
To run each of these meetings you will need the site governance guidelines (PDF 353KB).
Ordinary meeting
This is the usual meeting of a council. It’s where the core business happens. You’ll have a chance to talk about any issues on the agenda and also talk about the site improvement plan and the site budget.
- who comes – all council members
- when – at least twice a term, but can be different for each site
- let people know – 7 days before, in writing
- what happens – normal business discussion and formal decision-making.
Annual general meeting (AGM)
- who comes – people from your site’s community and all council members
- when – once a year, only after the annual report and financial statements are released
- let people know – 14 days before, in writing
- what happens – hold the council election or announce the results, and a chance to talk about how well the council is doing.
See the annual general meeting page for more information.
General meeting
- who comes – people from your site’s community and all council members
- when – irregular and in response to a specific and unusual issue
- let people know – 14 days before, in writing
- what happens – a chance to talk about a specific problem and how to deal with it.
Extraordinary meeting
- who comes – all council members
- when – rare, irregular, and often in response to a special resolution
- let people know – 21 days for special resolutions, otherwise just reasonable notice (in writing)
- what happens – talking about and voting on the special resolution.
School councils – the difference
The key differences between school council and governing council meetings are:
- who must call and chair general meetings:
- school council – the site leader (principal/director)
- governing council – the council chairperson
- only governing councils can hold general meetings by teleconference (or online).
Contact
Site Governance, Partnerships, Schools and Preschools
Phone: 8226 9617
Email: Education.sitegovernance [at] sa.gov.au