Recorded Webinar: First Principals: The Relationship Between the Board and the School Head

Good governance requires the board of a school and the principal having a successful and productive relationship to achieve the best decisions and outcomes. When this relationship breaks down, its impact can profoundly affect the school and the greater community of stakeholders. This session will explore some key elements of the board/principal relationship and highlight strategies for successfully pre-empting and managing relationship tensions and breakdowns, including:

• What does a successful relationship between a board and the principal look like?
• The importance of recruitment and due diligence on getting the right person
• Setting out the parameters through position description, delegations and authorisations
• Key contract terms for effective relationship management - performance indicators and annual review requirements, termination provisions and dispute resolution processes
• Should the principal be a member of the Board? Drawing a line between governance and management
• When is it time for the principal to go? Effective board strategies for termination
• Lessons from the past and what they can teach us - some high-profile cases discussed
• A best practice toolkit for managing a breakdown:

• early signs and intervention
• collective decision-making and responsibility
• dispute resolution options
• minimising reputational and other damage through effective crisis management.