School Council

School Councils play a key role in providing the best possible educational outcomes for students

School councils are groups who make decisions that set the direction of the school.

They:

help create and check the school's budget,
contribute to the school strategic plan,
make decisions on policies like investments, payments by parents, dress code.

Councils usually have between 6 and 15 members and include:

the principal, who is the executive officer,
parents who are chosen through an election,
a school or Department of Education staff member,
a student, if the school has Year 7 students and above.

Some councils also have community members who are chosen by the council. These members have special knowledge or experience in the local community.

Members 2024

Category Members Requirements

Mario Panaccio

Anna Hacker (President)

Kim Wiley (Vice President)

Kevin Picton

Paul Starmans

Michelle Wallis

Donna Morante

Simone Hale

April Stock

Principal

Parent Representatives

DET Representatives

Community - Convenor of Finance

Parent members must make up more than one-third of the total membership. Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be parent members at their child’s school as long as they are not employed at the school.

DET employee members make up no more than one-third of the total membership. The principal is automatically one of the DET employee members.

Members of this category are appointed by a school council decision based on their special skills, interests and experience. DET employees are ineligible for this category.

How to join

Being a school council member means taking part in shaping the future of the school. You will need to attend meetings and may need to develop new skills.

In most cases you need to be elected to become a council member. Elections happen by March each year and all parents and guardians from the school can vote.

If you're elected, you're a council member for two years.

The process is:

The principal will announce an election in late February or early March. They will provide a form or other way to nominate.
Complete the form or reply to the principal by the deadline.
If there are more nominations than vacant positions, a vote will happen.
The principal will run the vote and announce the outcome.

To find out more about joining the School Council contact:

Joan Cave macleod.co@education.vic.gov.au

You can also read the guidelines given to schools on council elections.

Working groups and Sub-committees

In addition to School Council, parents and carers are encouraged to join our working groups and sub-committees. These groups and committees are formed to meet specific school needs and requirements.