Episode 10: Working with your school board

As a new tumuaki, your relationship with your school board is one of your most important because it impacts directly on what you and the kura can achieve. In this episode we’ll talk about the board's role in the school, how tumuaki can get the most out of the relationship, and what you can do if issues arise.

 

My guests this week are:

• Belinda Weber, chief advisor governance at Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa (NZSBA)
• Jason Miles, tumuaki of Kaiapoi North School, Christchurch
• Regan Orr, tumuaki of Central Normal School, Palmerston North and leadership advisor for Te Mahau.
• Susan Jennison, tumuaki of Westburn Te Kura o Hereora, Christchurch

 

This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.

 

You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz

 

Show notes

Episode themes:

• Role and powers of a school board
• Responsibilities of a school board to a principal
• Responsibilities of a principal to a school board
• Key relationships
• What the board and a tumuaki work on together
• Importance of the principal-board relationship
• Kinds of issues that can arise between a board and a tumuaki
• How to build relationships with your school board
• What a difficult relationship between a principal and a board can mean for a school
• How to improve a difficult relationship
• What to do if the relationship between the principal and a school board is unworkable
• What a good relationship between a board and a tumuaki can achieve
• Board induction for a principal

 

Additional information

• Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa New Zealand School Boards Association https://www.tewhakaroputanga.org.nz

 

Questions

2:13 [to Belinda] Can you please tell me about the role of a school board?

4:37 [to Belinda] What powers does the school board have? 

5:31 [to Belinda] What powers doesn’t the board have?

6:00 [to Belinda] What responsibilities does a school board have to a principal?

6:51 [to Jason] What responsibilities does a principal have to the school board?

7:19 [to Jason] What’s the key relationship to get right?

8:33 [to Jason] What does the tumuaki and the board work together on?

9:39 [to Jason] Can you give me an example of when things go wrong around a complaints policy?

10:28 [to Jason] Why is it so important for a principal to build a good relationship with the school board? 

11:10 [to Belinda] If the board's primary role is governance and obviously, the aim is to work in partnership with the principal in the board, but are there times when it becomes less of a partnership by necessity?

12:24 [to Belinda] What kinds of issues can arise between a school board and a tumuaki?

13:22 [to Belinda] What other scenarios do you see most often in terms of issues?

14:18 [to Susan] In your experience, when you first start as a principal or when the board changes, what's the best way to start building a relationship with that board?

17:25 [to Susan] In your experience, if a principal has a difficult relationship with a school board, what can it mean for the kura, and for you as tumuaki?

19:45 [to Susan] If a tumuaki doesn't have the best relationships with the board, what kinds of things would you advise that they do to try and improve that relationship?

20:43 [to Belinda] If a relationship between a principal and the board of a school is completely unworkable, what should a tumuaki do?

22:21 [to Regan] What can a good relationship between a principal and a board mean for a school?

23:35 [to Regan] What was your vision for your kura when you first started, and how did you take the board along for the ride with you?

26:19 [to all] How can a board be involved in onboarding a principal?