Our school boards make a number of decisions that affect our local kura, yet many people really don't know what a school board does and why its important to all parents and whanau.

Jonathan Brooks is the General Manager for Schooled Limited, a non-profit professional services firm that supports schools across Aotearoa and is the largest provider of election services for kura.

As well as working to support kura, Jonathan has been a board member at various schools for over 12 years and currently sits on two school boards in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

We often hear of the ‘school board’ as parents, whanau and members of the wider school community, but how does that impact on you?  And why does it matter more this year?

Every three years, and the next one is this year, all 2,424 New Zealand state and state integrated schools hold elections for their school boards, and most people don’t pay much attention to the whole process.

As people who care about the education of our students and ākonga, we should look at school board elections as an opportunity to ensure our schools are strong, diverse and reflect the values of our local community.

The school board has an important function in governing the school.  The Principal responsible for the day to day running of the school and ensuring the teachers deliver the learning and curriculum that is required, but the school board is free to set the strategic direction of the school, and the strategic direction will have a massive influence on the type of school and how it will respond to the needs of its community.

The way that our state schools are set up and governed is a bit unique in Aotearoa and this was done on purpose.  When the Tomorrows Schools reforms were implemented in 1989, a whopping 35 years ago, every school went from being run by the Department of Education to being governed by a Board of Trustees.  (When the Education Act 1989 was replaced by the Education and Training Act 2020 the change to School Board, but the responsibilities and role are effectivly the same).  Every school has its own school board, with a few limited exceptions where there might be a combined board, and the idea behind this was that the school is able to reflect the wishes of its local community, rather than just be a cookie cutter version of the school down the road. Every school board is made up of a number of ‘parent representatives’, the Tumuaki or Principal, a ‘staff representative’, and if your school has students at year 9 and above, then also a ‘student representative’, (there are a few small exceptions to this, but generally speaking this is how school boards are made up).

2,424 state schools in Aotearoa hold elections for people to join the board of each school. This group of people make some very big decisions about the school your children, Tamariki and rangatahi… The school board sets the broad direction of the school, makes sure it meets the needs of your local community, sets the budget, employs the Tumuaki/Principal when there is a vacancy, the board writes the policies that the school runs by,  and is responsible for the achievement of the students and ākonga.

I am a staunch believer that there is no such thing as a good school or a bad school, but there is the right school for the right student.  We know that some Tamariki do better in single sex education, while others will excel in a coeducational setting.  Some students will thrive in a more traditional school, while for others the flexibility of a school that offers more flexibility in how they deliver teaching and learning will allow these students to take off.  Some whanau want their akonga to learn in a Māori medium kura and other will prefer an English medium school.  None of these choices are better or worse in general but may be a better choice for your child.

And this is what our school boards give New Zealand families… choice and difference in education.  With school board elections coming up in 2025, don’t miss this opportunity to have a say in how your school is run, and how this can have a positive influence on your children’s education. There are two main ways you can get involved either by nominating yourself, or someone you know, to stand for election or by making an informed decision to vote in your school board election.  (It is perfectly fine to nominate yourself, as long as you are on the electoral roll for the school board election, but if you are going to nominate someone else please make sure they know you are nominating them, and that they want to be nominated!).

If you want to find more information about what is involved with being on a school board there are a lot of resources available from Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kuro O Aotearoa (the NZ School Boards Association) from www.schoolboardelections.org.nz. Also, fee free to get in touch with the Tumuaki/Principal at your school or with the current Presiding Member.  In my experience, the people involved in school boards are more than happy to talk to you about what is involved and answer any questions you have. 

Lots of different people from all sorts of different backgrounds sit on school boards around Aotearoa.  You don’t need to have any special skills or experience, as there is free professional development and training available to all board members.  The main thing to remember is that you are the to represent the whole school, not just one group or family.  Your job is to make decisions about what is best for the school and community as a whole and ensure the students have the best opportunities possible.  I have been involved with school boards since 2013, across primary, intermediate and secondary schools, and I am currently a board member on two school boards. I have met some amazing people in my time as almost everyone is there to support our schools and give their time to support their local school.  But, I might be a little biased.

I being on the school board isn’t something that appeals to you, that’s ok.  You can still get involved in the process by reading the candidate profiles that will be sent out to you, if your school or kura received enough nominations to require a vote, and voting for the people that you believe are the best fit for your school or kura.

Your vote is your voice on how your school will be governed.  It will have an effect on the direction of the school and how that might affect your child and the other children and ākonga at the school, so take a few minutes to vote later this year.