Category: Ask The Board

How do you become a Board member?

20/5/2021

There are two ways to become a Board member, or Director of the Board.

The first way to become a Board member is to be nominated and then elected at the Shearwater annual general meeting. Each year at our AGM, company members review the nominations and vote for Board members to be elected for the next two-year term. If you’d like to be in the running to be a Board member, email us to request a nomination form. Our AGM is usually in May each year (in 2021, the AGM will be June 17) and there are usually one or more positions available. Nominees need to satisfy the following criteria:

25.1 A Member who has been a Member for at least 3 calendar months may nominate or second another Member to stand for election as a Director at an annual general meeting of the Company.

25.2 The nomination under clause 25.1 of a person to stand for election as a Director must:
(a) be in writing and signed by the proposed candidate to evidence that candidate’s consent to act as a Director of the Company if elected;
(b) include a statement of the qualifications and experience of the proposed candidate;
(c) be signed by 2 other Members, both of whom have been Members for at least 3 calendar months, as nominator and seconder;
(d) otherwise be in the form from time to time approved by the Board; and
(e) be delivered to the registered office of the Company marked for the attention of the Board no later than 31 March in the relevant calendar year, or any later date determined by the Board.

25.3 The Board may, at any time before the election of Directors is held at an annual general meeting, nominate any Member to stand for election as a Director at that annual general meeting.

The other way to become a Board member is if you have special experience or expertise that the Board needs and the Board makes a decision to appoint you. In this case, you don’t need to be nominated. In line with the Constitution, there will always be a higher percentage of elected Directors to appointed Directors.

Click here to find out what it takes to become a board member, including the current expertise areas the board is needing.

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.

What does it take to become a Board member?

5/5/2021

To be a Board member, an active interest in the wellbeing and future of our School and the School community is vital. Board members typically devote an average of 1-2 hours per week to their volunteer role, so some spare time is also key.

Professional expertise or experience that will benefit the Board is also important. Director roles are to be held by volunteers, not currently in employment at the School, with various professional backgrounds and expertise. This includes Waldorf/Steiner education, school management, law, planning, financial and business management, human resources and industrial relations management, building and project management or fundraising and marketing.

You can see the current Board make-up here. Currently, we hope to find one or more Board members with expertise in the areas of law, building and project management or fundraising and marketing. If you are interested in becoming part of the School Board and can support us in one of these areas, please get in touch.

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.

When and why should we contact the Board?

25/3/2021

As the Board assumes a governance role within the School, in most cases (for anything relating to operational matters) your first port of call will be your Class Teacher, your Faculty Coordinator or the Head of School (usually in that order).

Ideally, your questions, issues and/or concerns will be satisfactorily answered, addressed and/or resolved by these staff members. However, should you feel that these usual lines of communication do not result in a suitable outcome, this is the point at which you should contact the Board. The Board will then consider your questions, issues and/or concerns within the boundaries of its governance role.

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.

How do I get changes made?

9/3/2021

Board members after their last meeting for 2020 (absent Josh Rushton)

The Board frequently gets asked questions about how to get particular changes made within the School. For example, we were recently asked about establishing a bike/walking trail connecting Shearwater to Mullumbimby.

As the Board is responsible for the governance of the school, we refer operational questions like this to our Head of School or another relevant person from the school community.

The best way to get a change made within the School is to become involved. The Board has representatives on several School committees that you can become involved in, including the Parents and Friends or the Planning and Development committee. Please contact the Office of the Head of School at hos@shearwater.nsw.edu.au for more information about how to get involved.

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.

What happens at a Board meeting?

25/2/2021

Every six weeks or so, the Board meets with the Head of School and the School Business Manager. In this meeting, the Head of School and Business Manager give the Board an update on what is going on within the School. Policies, major decisions and challenges are discussed, and typically, the Board members ask questions and, where relevant, share any recommendations.

Sometimes the Head of School or Business Manager require the board to vote on a decision. In 2021, we are working toward there being a regular College of Teachers representative attending these meetings.

From time to time, the Board also meets on their own to discuss governance matters. To understand more about governance, refer to the previous Ask the Board, What does the School Board do?

Deputy Chair Olga Bruvel

Who are the people behind our Board?

11/2/2021

Cristina Rubsamen, Waldorf/Steiner education experienced Board member

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.

At the time of writing, the School Board consists of eight members, and we are actively looking for a ninth. Constitutionally, the Board may have five, seven or nine members and this year, we have chosen to work with nine.

The Board members are referred to as the Board of Directors. Director roles are to be held by volunteers, not currently in employment at the School, with various professional backgrounds and expertise. This includes Waldorf/Steiner education, school management, law, planning, financial and business management, human resources and industrial relations management, building and project management and communications, fund-raising and marketing.

At this point, our Board members cover the expertise areas which appear in bold above, and we hope to find a final Board member who can cover one or more of the other areas. You can see the current Board make-up here. If you are interested in becoming part of the School Board and can support in a missing expertise area, please let us know.

What does the School Board do?

10/12/2020

Board members after their last meeting for 2020 (absent Josh Rushton)

Ideally, if all is going well, the Board doesn’t need to actually DO all that much within the School. Instead, the Head of School and the Business Manager are responsible for orchestrating the doing within the School and it is the Board's responsibility to oversee that.

The Board’s main role is to employ the Head of School and the Business Manager, and then monitor the performance of both. This governance role ensures that what is happening within the School is in alignment with the school’s mission, strategic plan, values and objectives, and also that it is financially viable, and educationally and legally compliant in accordance with the various regulations incumbent upon all registered schools and not-for-profit organisations.

To fulfil this role, the Board meets with the Head of School and Business Manager regularly throughout the school year. The Board also has representatives on various school committees, including the Finance Committee and the Planning and Development Committee. In a practical sense, the Board also does a fair amount of reading, reviewing of financials and asking of questions, as all new and amended School policies, as well as all major decisions within the School, whether strategic or financial, need to be approved by the Board.

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.

Why do we have a School Board?

17/11/2020

Painting by Year 8 student Tex O'Donnell

Generally speaking, a school board is responsible for the Governance of the School. Basically, this means the board oversees the performance of the school including the school’s management and the school’s financial performance. A school board is also responsible for maintaining the school’s mission, values and objectives.

The Shearwater School Board guides the School management to ensure decisions made are aligned with the School’s mission, values and objectives, whilst ensuring financial viability, educational and legal compliance. Last but not least, as Shearwater is an incorporated not-for-profit organisation, it must by law have a constitution (aka rules) and the Shearwater Constitution requires our School to have a Board.

Have more questions about the School Board? Click here to see all Ask the Board questions to date.