Association of School Councils in Victoria

Independently pursuing excellence in educational governance since 1914

A Message from Minister for Education Martin Dixon

Education is at the heart of everything we do in Victoria and the parents and community members that make up governing School Councils are at the heart of our education system. The Coalition Government is committed to working with the community and with School Councils to find new and better ways to allow each school to grow and develop. 

The Coalition has always believed that, where possible, decisions about each school should be made at the school level. As we look to drive Victorian education from the best in Australia to one of the best in the world, research shows that the real drive must come from schools themselves. School vision, school management and school governance are essential to that work, placing School Councils at the centre of the Coalition’s vision for education in Victoria. 

To help me in my work, I look to School Council members to speak with a clear voice. Representative groups like the Association of School Councils in Victoria (ASCIV) give School Councils the ability to advocate on a range of positions as well as providing enormous benefit to individual schools. Because of the dedication and commitment of people like Stephen Franzi-Ford and all of the staff at ASCIV, School Councils have the support they need and all School Councils have a voice in setting policy. 

I thank the team at ASCIV and all School Council members for their dedicated service and look forward to many years of cooperation to drive improvement in education in Victoria.

Minister for Education
Martin Dixon



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Important news for Victorian BER Schools
ASCIV has for some time been acting on behalf of its member schools to address issues raised regarding the BER projects currently being undertaken in Victoria.

Stephen Franzi-Ford has been advised by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD), that the Utility Supply issue ASCIV has highlighted, has been successful.

All schools where builders have utilized the Utility Supply services at the schools where they have contracts to build, can nowINVOICE the Building Companies to recoup what has been substantial usage by builders on site and a significant cost to that school’s SRP budget.

Many of the projects have been underway for long periods and some have extended their duration due to labour shortages, economic and weather conditions. All building contracts had amounts allocated in the contracts for utility services and therefore are not able to utilize the Utility Supply Services at the school for free.

ASCIV has drafted a template for schools to use and is in pdf format.

The school will need to compare a similar period of usage from a previous year to gage against current usage levels during building work to ascertain the difference. Please ensure that your Tax Invoice is on school letterhead and is signed by the School Council President and the Principal. Keep a copy on file for reference.

Should any schools wish to discuss the Utilities issue with ASCIVplease contact the office on 9808 2499 or Stephen Franzi-Ford 0417 156 546

Download the Tax invoice template.

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Community Surveys – Yes you can!

Recently, ASCIV was contacted by a member school seeking advice regarding their proposal to send out a community survey, to assist the school in making a long-term decision about the strategic direction the School Council wished to take.

The School Council had received conflicting poor information and indeed direction from their region, that this was not the role of the School Council and that they could not undertake a survey of their community. So as a member school contacting ASCIV…..was a good decision, as they were unsure of what to do next.

ASCIV is very clear in this matter, governing bodies must take all reasonable steps to ensure that it is indeed representing the local community as their elected body. If the need to send a survey is deemed warranted, then the School Council or Board may draft such a survey and request that this be circulated to all parents and/or a mailout to the wider community for their views, will depend on the nature of the prospective decisions to be made, as to who receives the survey. Surveys will be returned to the President or Committee Chair for analysis and reporting to the whole School Council.

Under Education and Training Reform Act 2006; Part 2, Sec 2.3.5 - The functions of a School Council with regard to any school in relation to which it is constituted are
a)             to establish the broad direction and vision of the school within the school’s community
i)               to inform itself and take into account any views of the school community for the purpose of making decisions in regard to the school and the students at the school

ASCIV has met with the school, the region and DEECD central office to assure all parties that informing yourself as the decision making body, is critical to understanding and pursuing the role of an effective governing body.

If your school has any similar issues and you would like advice on this or any other matter, please contact ASCIV at;
Office 9808 2499 info@asciv.org.au
CEO Stephen Franzi-Ford 0417 156 546 stephen@asciv.org.au
President Bill Gordon 0402 695 214 exec@asciv.org.au

News

Minister's Media Releases
The latest Media Releases for Education from Minister Martin Dixon can be accessed quickly and seamlessly by simply clicking on this link. Give it a try.

More Media Releases
Likewise, Media Releases from the Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Peter Hall, can be found here.

School Councillor Magazine
The latest issue of our magazine is now available for immediate download.

Inspire Magazine
Missed an issue of the DEECD magazine, Inspire, or chasing a back issue? This link will take you straight to the Inspire Magazine Catalogue where all issues including the current one are available for download as .pdf files.

This month's hot tip
If anyone tries to counsel you against contacting ASCIV, take that as a very clear signal that you really do need to seek our advice and support. Quickly. Call 03 9808 2499 or email us directly at members@asciv.org.au.

ASCIV's Resource Centre
Looking for ideas? Searching for inspiration? Like to know more about School Councils and governance in general. Visit our Resource Centre.

Become a member
ASCIV welcomed over 80 schools as its newest members during 2010. Make 2011 your year to join. Find out more.

This website is part of a suite of resources designed to assist Victorian School Councils/Boards raise the standard of school governance and help them contribute to improved student outcomes. Material from third parties used with permission. Views expressed are those of individual authors and may not necessarily be those of the Association. All material is published to inform a wider debate of School Council issues. Member contributions and feedback are always welcome. ASCIV members may use any of the material on this site for legitimate Council/Board purposes. Others wishing to use material can email ASCIV (see About Us page) to seek permission. Products and services featured on this site are endorsed by ASCIV to the extent that we simply ask that you consider them in terms of your particular needs and make your own judgement as to what is best for your school.

Copyright © 2011 - Association of School Councils in Victoria Incorporated.

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