The role of the staff representative
All boards of state schools, state-integrated schools, and kura need an elected staff representative on their board.
The only exception is schools where the principal is the only staff member.
Section 119 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new covers the structure of school boards, and we're unpacking the role of the staff representative in this article.
What is a staff representative?
A staff representative is a full member of your school board.
They have the same standing, voice, vote, and accountability as any other member. However, they can't be the presiding member (neither can your principal or student representative – if you have one.)
Although appointed by a constituency (staff), they are elected to your board for the greater good of the school, not only for those who elected them.
Therefore, they act as representatives, not advocates, for the people who elected them (just like any other board member).
They bring a staff perspective to your board's discussions and decision-making. Much like how a parent-elected representative brings a parent/community view.
Like all board members, they should vote in a way that best suits the interests of the school, its students, and its staff.
How is a staff representative elected?
Your school staff elect a staff representative every three years (at the same time as the triennial parent election).
Candidates must be school staff members on the day the election roll closes.
A casual vacancy occurs if your staff representative resigns or can no longer fill the position.
If this occurs, your board will go through the steps to manage a vacancy for a staff representative.
Check out the School Board Electionsopen_in_new website for everything you need to know about staff board members.
Who can be a staff representative?
The requirements are set out in Schedule 22 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new, but the key points are:
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Your school's staff elect the staff representative.
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The principal is the only person who can't vote.
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On the day the election roll closes (or the supplementary roll, if you have one), your staff representative must be a school staff member.
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That means they have taken a permanent position before the roll closes or have been continuously employed (fixed-term) for at least two months before the roll closes.
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They cannot be a full-time student.
A permanent staff member can be on your board as the staff representative. However, permanent staff members are not eligible to be parent representatives.
Like any potential candidate, they must also meet the eligibility criteria for becoming a board member (when they sign the nomination form, they need to confirm that they are eligible).
Does your staff representative need to provide a report to the board?
Your staff representative doesn't need to present a staff report, just like parent representatives don't have to give community reports.
However, the staff representative may choose to provide an informal or formal update as part of the meeting agenda.
Your principal's report should contain any staff matters your board needs to know.
Should your staff representative bring concerns and complaints to your board?
No, not directly.
In the same way, parent representatives cannot bring a complaint from their community to your board, nor can a staff representative.
All board members must use the school's internal processes and tikanga if they have any concerns or complaints.
Can you exclude your staff representative from dealing with certain matters?
A staff representative has the same rights as any other board member.
They are entitled to attend all board meetings, including public-excluded discussions, provided they don't have a financial interest in or conflict of interest with the matter being discussed.
If they do, they only need to be excluded from that part of the meeting.
Ideally, they will make the board aware of their financial interest or conflict of interest before the meeting, but that's not always possible.
They may declare and exclude themselves during a discussion.
What is a staff representative’s relationship with the principal and other staff?
The relationship between a staff representative, their peers, and the principal is slightly unusual.
As a board member, a staff representative is a member of the employing body of the school. Therefore, when they have their "board hat" on, they act as the employer of all staff in your school.
For the rest of the time, they are a staff member working alongside their peers. They are under the principal's management the same as the rest of the school staff.
All parties need to recognise the two roles of a staff representative.
One way to avoid tension and clarify the role of the staff representative is to have a discussion at the board table based on the information covered in this article, the board member code of conduct, and legislation.
We recommend documenting the agreed expectations in a staff representative role description.
Your board should also ensure that all staff understand the role of the staff representative, so they do not put pressure on this person to advocate for them beyond the responsibilities of other board members.
Questions your board could ask
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Does our board understand the role of our staff representative?
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Do we have a staff representative role description?
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Do our school staff understand the role of our staff representative?
Templates, resources, and references
Click on the link(s) below to access the templates, resources, and references related to this topic.
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School board elections website
The Education and Training Act 2020