22 January 2010

Mid-term (staggered) election option for parent representatives to be considered at December 7th 2009 Board of Trustees meeting

Currently all 7 parent representatives on the WSC Board of Trustees are elected for 3-year terms in an election year (previous election April 2007, next election May 2010).

To assist schools and trustees in Board succession planning (including the transfer of information and experience from board to board), there is an option to have half the trustees elected for 3-year terms in an election year and half for a 3-year term in a mid-term election – this is also known as staggered elections. The WSC Board will discuss this option at its 7 December 2009 meeting, and consider whether to adopt the mid-term election option or not.  The option was discussed at the Board’s 5 November meeting but a decision deferred to give more time for any parent feedback on the proposal.

If the mid-term election option is adopted, it will affect the number of parent representatives to be elected in subsequent elections as follows:

• May 2010 election: 4 parent representative positions will be available for a 3-year term. The remaining 3 parent representative positions will be for a shortened term until the mid-term election date (September 2011).
• September 2011 mid-term election: 3 parent representative positions will be available for a 3-year term.
• 2013 election:  4 parent representative positions will be available for a 3-year term.
• 2014 mid-term election: 3 parent representative positions will be available for a 3-year term.

(Note: this change would not affect the Rumaki and Maori Mainstream trustee positions which are filled by co-option on the nomination of the Rumaki whanau and Mainstream Maori parents group.)

Any parents interested in whether or not the staggered election option should be adopted are invited to attend this meeting and to have your views considered. Parents are also welcome to submit views by email by 5pm on 4 December  to admin@westernsprings.school.nz and these will be considered by the Board before a decision is made.

The meeting is at 6pm, 7 December at the meeting room in the WSC school office block. 

Trevor Crosby
(BoT chairperson)