Parents’ term to be 3yrs?

Press, 8 March 1989, Page 7

Parents’ term to be 3yrs?

Parent representatives on the new boards of trustees for schools will have a three-year term rather than two as earlier suggested, if legislation before Parliament is passed. The School Trustees Bill is back in Parliament after changes were made by the select committee considering it. Once the bill becomes law, which is expected early next week, it will provide the framework for all the changes to be made to the running of schools after October 1. All State and integrated schools will be run by boards of trustees, consisting of the principal, parents and a staff representative. Secondary schools will be able to have a pupil representative. All parents (and immediate caregivers) are eligible to vote in the postal elections, which will be held in April. People appointing trustees, or co-opting trustees, should have regard to the

ethnic and socio-economic composition of the school’s students, and also remember that “approximately half the population of New Zeland is male and half female,” the bill said. The main changes are: • Trustees to have a three-year term. • The pupil representative to be a full-time pupil in Form 4 or above, at the school (previously Form one), elected by pupils in Form 4 or above. • An integrated school is now to have not more than four trustees appointed by its proprietors (previously this was two). • Adult students are' now defined as age 20 or over, and are to vote for the parent representatives at their school. • Parents whose children are in Standard 4 and are likely to be enrolled at the intermediate next year, are now eligible to stand for election to the intermediate school board. This is in addition to those parents whose children are enrolled.