Participatory Transparency: Board of Trustees

Last week, we attended our very first Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting. This has been a fundamental part of school life in Aotearoa New Zealand since the Labour Government of 1989 brought in Tomorrow’s Schools.

We found 12 things interesting and share them here with you. They are listed below in no particular order.

1. Having a good grasp of the English language is essential in order to understand what is being said and discussed during the board meeting. That’s not to say if you are not fluent or comfortable in it, that you will be in limbo. However, what is discussed in the meeting requires a certain fluency, which can put non-native English speakers off. So maybe bring a friend who can interpret for you.
2. If you are not a board member, it’s best not to expect an agenda to be presented to you.
3. Be prepared to say nothing. We were present as observers, as we weren’t board members, so were required to be silent. What we realised is in observation, you focus on other things like the room, ambience, both in the meeting and what’s happening outside the room. To be silent is actually quite soothing, although we’re not ready to join the monastery yet!
4. The meeting is open to the public. How it differs from a “public meeting” is of interest to us. So email us your thoughts.
5. This meeting took place in the school principal’s office at 7.30am in the morning. We were the only non-board members present.
6. It was 2 hours long with no breaks.
7. There was 100% attendance from the board itself.
8. The trustees have a national and annual conference in the middle of the year, where they learn from other school boards and take part in workshops and meet and greet.
9. A lot of the paperwork that was discussed is available on the school’s website, which you have to log into. However, we found the option of being at the meeting in person and listening through silent engagement was invaluable.
10. No food was prepared or offered. Tea, coffee and water were the options available.
11. Financial information on how the school was doing and where it was being spent was disclosed, which we found surprising and helpful. Other documents were emailed to each other so were for private study.
12. This is the most important note: a lot of the extensive and hard work that the board does is invisible, so spare a thought for your local board, ask them to celebrate their mahi, read the meeting notes (ours are available directly through the school office and principal in hard copy, not online). Finally, if you want to get up early or late, depending on the board meeting time, look on the school website, ask the office and ATTEND! You will learn so much.

Have you ever attended a school board of trustees meeting? Please let us know your experiences.