AISV : Governance guidelines : 17. The key roles of the chair

The Chair is responsible for leadership of the Board and for the efficient organisation and conduct of the Board’s functioning. The Chair should facilitate the effective contribution of all directors and promote constructive and respectful relations between board members and between board and management.

17. The key roles of the chair

It is the responsibility of the Chair to:

Effectively lead the Board and Chair all Board Meetings
Recruit the right people to the Board ensuring they have a mix of skills, knowledge and experience to do their job
Ensure that new Board Members match the culture of the Board but not to the point of hindering diversity
Manage the Board in the discharge of its duties
Manage the frequency and agenda of Board Meetings
Act as a facilitator of relationships within the Board
Create an appropriate environment for robust Board discussion and facilitate constructive debate by effectively managing different views
Act as motivator and energise the Board when necessary
Ensure a comprehensive flow of relevant information to the Board – this should be achieved by implementing and overseeing efficient reporting systems
Ensure that the Board is kept properly informed about the school’s financial affairs
Provide stakeholders with sufficient information to allow them to make informed decisions about issues
Ensure that the management of the School is running effectively and act as the Board’s primary channel of communication with the School Principal
Ensure that the balance of responsibilities and duties between the Board and the Principal is appropriate
Actively assist in supporting a new Principal to the School, including facilitating domestic and personal arrangements
Provide ongoing support and mentoring to the Principal
Ensure that adequate committees are in place to assess the general standards of performance of both management and finances
Lead the Board in creating the governance structure for the company and take a leadership role on corporate governance issues
Respond promptly and comprehensively to concerns raised by other Board Members
Commit sufficient time to the job and not overburden him or her self with other roles

“As chairman, the most important thing is to give every member of your boards or councils the opportunity to express their views and have them considered, without allowing the discussion to become rambling and unproductive. You must keep focus on a coherent discussion, and you may need to construct an outcome everyone can live with.”

Michael Robinson
Former Chair of Scotch College

It is vital that the Chair of the Board gives an appropriate commitment to the job and allocates sufficient time to doing the job well. The Chair should be conscious of not overburdening him or herself with other duties that are likely to hinder effective performance of the Chair’s role. The Chair has an ongoing duty to ensure that he or she is adequately informed about the activities of the School and its financial situation.

A good Chair should possess the following skills additional to the skills required of all Board Members:

Meeting management skills
Time management skills
Leadership skills
Ability to bring the Board and management together to work effectively as a team
Ability to ensure stakeholders are adequately informed
Ability to manage and construct agendas.

A list of sample behavioural questions that may be useful for the selection process of the Chair can be found at Appendix 1.

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