Material provided to new Board Members should include:

14. Orientation and ongoing education for board members

• A letter of welcome from the Chair
• The terms of appointment
• The School’s founding document
• The Board Charter
• A copy of the school’s mission and values statement
• A plan of the organisation’s structure
• A physical plan of the school
• A background history of the school
• A statement of the Board Member’s roles, rights and responsibilities (usually from the Charter)
• A statement of expectations of Board Members (including commitment envisaged)
• Relevant policies
• The School’s latest Annual Report
• Board Minutes and papers from recent Meetings
• Legal and governance obligations – dependent upon the School’s legal structure, funding agreement and other School policy
• Deed of Access, Indemnity and Insurance
• Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Policy (where relevant)
• Director's Confidentiality Agreement

New Board Members must be given adequate time to learn the fundamentals of Board operations.  On an ongoing basis, new Board Members should be provided with updates and forthcoming major initiatives and their implications, and should also be apprised of appropriate relationships between Board Members and the Principal, staff and students.

It is the responsibility of new Board Members to:

• Undertake a due diligence of the school’s Charter documents

• Undertake a due diligence of the school’s financial position

• Understand the legal structure of the school

• Obtain copies of all documentation relevant to Board Members undertaking the particular role

• Undertake a sufficient due diligence to know what they are getting into before taking on the role

Governance Guidelines

Across the Board

Purpose

Governance

Applying principles of good governance to schools

Legal status of schools

Primary legislation governing schools

Ancillary legislation

Funding and operating agreement

Structure of the school and delegation of powers

The key roles of the school board and its members

Legal obligations and potential liability of board members

Conflicts of interest

Charter for the school board

Constitution of the board and selection of board members

Orientation and ongoing education for board members

Retention of board members

Succession planning

The key roles of the chair

Legal obligations of the chair

The key roles of the principal

Relationship management

Performance management

Compliance and risk management

Board meetings

Establishing committees on the board

Whistle blowers

Additional resources

Appendix 1 – selection process

Appendix 2 – board skills matrix

Appendix 3 – performance management