REGI0lVAC BOARDS
4. MEMBERSHIP OF REGIONAL BOARDS
OF EDUCATION
4.1 This Government is committed to the establishment of regional boards whose membership reflects the broad range of interests and needs in the regions. Every regional board will consist of elected, nominated and co-opted members. Its mem- bership should fulfil the following criteria:
(a) the structure ofinembership of regional boards should take into account the statutory requirements as stated in the State Board of Education Act 1983 that a system of public education . provides for parents, students, teachers and administrators to participate in decisions in relation to the provision of public education (and) ... provides for the special needs of any group of persons who may be disadvantaged in relation to education by reason of social conditions, economic conditions, location, ethnic background, culture, sex, disability or otherwise;
(b) the majority of a board will consist of elected members, elected from school councils in the region;
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(c) each board will include nominated representatives from statewide parent, school council, teacher and principal organi- sations;
(d) all elected and nominated board members will live and/or work in the region, or in the case of elected parent members have children who attend schools in the region. While it is not necessary for co-opted members to live in the region, it is necessary that they have a demonstrable interest or involve- ment with the region; and
(e) the size of a board will be no fewer than 20, and no more than 30 members.
4.2 Elected Members
In the election of members of school councils to regional boards, regions will work within the following guidelines:
(a) a board is to have a maximum of 18 elected representa- tives;
(b) the number of representatives elected by each electorate may vary between regions. Each electorate is to have from two to five representatives, the number determined in the light of the size and number of electorates;
(c) voting procedures will be such that each electorate will elect at least one parent and one member of the schools' teach- ing staffs (including principals) as representatives;
(d) only members of school councils are eligible for nomina- tion as candidates for election to a regional board. A school council may nominate one or more of its members; and (e) elected members are expected to present the views of the school councils in their electorates and to communicate and to liaise regularly with these councils about issues raised for dis- cussion by the board.
4.3 Electorate
As the majority of board members are to be elected by school councils, regions will be required to identify electorates through which such members may be elected. In the identification of electorates, these guidelines should be taken into considera- tion:
(a) the number of electorates in each region may vary from 3 to 8. In determining the number of electorates in a region every effort should be made to ensure that the size of electorates does not inhibit the ability of representatives to communicate and to liaise regularly with their school councils;
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(b) electorates should be groupings of schools which are mean- ingful to the schools involved, that is, they should not be totally artificial creations for the purposes of regional board elections;
(c) each electorate shall consist of a group of schools which have common needs/characteristics, which share a local/geo- graphical affinity and, wherever possible, should contain all types of schools, such as primary, secondary, technical and special schools;
(d) in defining electorates, consideration shall also be given to the relationship between post-primary schools and their feeder schools;
(e) as a general rule in drawing up electoral boundaries, each electorate in a region shall be approximately equal in terms of number of schools; there should be no more than a 20% varia- tion from the average number of schools in electorates. For example, if a region has 80 schools and decides to establish four electorates, the average number of schools in each electo- rate would be 20 schools. Therefore, the range within which a region should give consideration would be 24 (i.e. 20 + 20% of 20) to 16 (i.e. 20 — 20% of 20).
ibis Government believes that there is sufficient flexibility in this guideline to cater for most circumstances. However, where a region wishes to modify this guideline because of character- istics particular to the region, then the Minister will give con- sideration to alternative proposals prior to elections taking place; and
(f) the size of electorates may vary between regions.
4.4 Electoral Processes
4.4.1 The success of regional boards will depend largely upon their ability to reflect the range of educational perspectives in the region. It is important, therefore, that a broad repre- sentation is achieved with school council members elected from different types of schools and from among parents and teaching staff.
4.4.2 For each election, each electorate will establish an elec- toral college which will consist of two delegates-1 parent, 1 teaching staff (including principals)—from each school council in the electorate. The members of that college will elect the representatives of the electorate to the regional board.
4.4.3 A meeting of the electoral college shall be called wnere members should address issues concerning the representa- tion needs of the electorate.
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4.4.4 Prior to the holding of this meeting school councils shall receive written documentation about the role and responsi- bility of regional boards and of elected members, and nomi- nation forms.
4.4.5 Apart from its delegates, a school council may also send to the meeting other members who intend to stand as candi- dates. However, these individuals do not have voting rights.
4.4.6 After discussions are held, a call for nominations from the floor is made. Candidates are to be given an opportunity to present background information about themselves such as their experience, relevant affiliations and objectives in standing for a position on the board.
4.4.7 Elections shall follow. The voting procedure to be used is optional preferential. That is, each voter must indicate their first preference and may choose to indicate a preference for any of the other candidates. The results of the election shall be announced at the end of the meeting.
4.4.8 Meetings of electoral colleges will be convened by re- gional directors or their nominees, who shall also act as returning officers. Meetings shall elect their own chairper- sons.
4.5 Nominated Members
On every regional board there will be individuals nominated by statewide organisations. This Government believes that re- gional boards should encompass both regional concerns and statewide perspectives. For this reason on every regional board there will be a representative from each of the Victorian Fed- eration of State School Parent Clubs, the Victorian Council of School Organisations, the Victorian Teachers' Union, the Vic- torian Secondary Teachers' Association, the Technical Teach- ers' Union of Victoria and the Federation of Victorian School Administrators. Such representatives shall be members of their organisations and shall live and/or work in the region. It is expected that organisations will give serious consideration to the Government's policy of equal opportunity in the selection of their nominees.
4.6 Co-opted Members
4.6.1 The Government is committed to collaborative deci- sion-making processes which involve major sectors of the educational community. To implement this principle each regional board will be asked to co-opt two students on to the board. It is hoped that, in future, student representation will
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be assured through election as members of school councils.
In the co-option of students, regional boards are to give serious consideration to the Government's policy of equal opportunity.
4.6.2 Apart from two student representatives, regional boards will have the power to co-opt up to four other individuals.
4.6.3 The Government is pledged to actively redress discrim- ination and disadvantage. It believes that efforts should be made to ensure that decision-making processes involve as broad a representation of the community as is possible.
4.6.4 If elected board representation does not include appro- priate coverage of ethnic communities then consideration should be given to consulting the Ethnic Affairs Commission with a view to co-opting further members to a regional board.
Similarly, the Victorian Aboriginal Education Consultative Group should be consulted when regional boards are seeking Aboriginal representation.
4.6.5 Individuals could also be co-opted in order to introduce an area of otherwise unavailable expertise, to develop a re- lationship with post-secondary educational institutions, to develop a relationship with local government authorities, or to broaden the representation of regional boards in terms of women, men, disabled persons, or school type.
4.7 Membership of the Regional Director
The regional director will be a voting member of a regional board.
4.8 Chairperson
Every regional board will elect one of its members, other than an Education Department employee for nomination to the Minister as its chairperson. Where elections take place, op- tional preferential voting is to be used.
5. ESTABLISHING A