The role of the principal
The principal of any state school, state-integrated school, or kura is automatically on their school's board.
It is a unique position, as they are a board member and are employed as the school's chief executive.
Sections 119open_in_new and 130open_in_new of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new address this, and we will unpack the role of the principal on the board in this article.
What is the role of the principal on your board?
As stated above, anyone who is employed as the principal or tumuaki in your school or kura will automatically be a member of your school board.
In this role, they have the same standing, voice, vote, and accountability as any other board member.
All school board members should make decisions in the best interest of the school community, its students, and its staff.
The principal has a dual role on the board. Not only are they a board member, but they are also the board's chief executive, managing the day-to-day administration of your school or kura.
In this role, they have complete discretion to manage the school’s day-to-day operation as they see fit, providing they operate within the law and the general policy direction of the board.
In setting these general policy directions, the board consults widely to ensure that the vision, values, tikanga, and kawa (rules and ways of doing things) reflect the school community.
The principal reports to the board on how they have implemented the board’s policies and the overall performance of the school or kura.
Note: the principal cannot preside over board meetings.
How do the principal and your board work together?
Your board governs the school by setting strategic goals and policies.
Your principal uses these to manage the school.
Once your board has set its policies and strategic goals, you entrust the principal with implementing them.
Your principal will regularly report to your board on the school's progress.
Your board's role is to monitor and discuss the school's progress based on the principal's report.
Your principal (possibly together with school management) ensures that school processes, procedures, tikanga and kawa align with your board's policies.
Your board does not get involved in the day-to-day running of the school. This is the role of your principal.
You can read more about governing through policy in our article, An introduction to governing through policy on our Resource Centre. You can find a link to our sample policy suite in this article.
What is the principal's relationship with the presiding member (board chair)?
Your principal or tumuaki should have a positive, professional, and productive relationship with all board members.
This is especially important with the presiding member.
The relationship between the principal and the presiding member should be based on trust, integrity, and mutual respect – tika, pono, and manaakitanga.
Both the presiding member and the principal must develop and nurture this working relationship to ensure the board’s work gets done.
The presiding member is also often delegated the role of representing the employing body (the board) when interacting with the principal in their capacity as CEO (the employee).
In this role, they may act as sounding boards for each other, supporting one another to complete the board's work.
The key to this relationship is to be clear about their roles and responsibilities.
We also recommend that your presiding member and principal have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to clarify how they will work together.
Questions your board could ask
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Do we understand that our principal is both a board member and our board's chief executive?
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Do we know the difference between governance and management?
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Do we have documents that outline these different roles and responsibilities?
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Do our presiding member and principal have a good working relationship?
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How are board members and the board policies and expectations supporting this relationship?
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Are there clear written delegations and expectations for our principal in place?
Templates, resources, and references
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Links from us
Education and Training Act 2020