Parents Focus On Crucial Milestones For CGHS Future

Friday 26 April 2013 Media Release

Parents Focus On Crucial Milestones For CGHS Future

Getting the process right in the recruitment of a new principal is the key focus of a group of Christchurch Girls’ High parents.

The school Board of Trustees election is now underway, and a new board will be in place by early June. Selection of a new principal will chart a leadership course for Girls’ High over the next 10 years. This important strategic decision will be one of the defining responsibilities of the new CGHS board.

Spokesman for a group of concerned CGHS families, Dr Mark Smith, says he is hopeful the recruitment process will not be rushed through by the outgoing board. The process should involve clear and effective consultation with the wider school community, including school parents.

Within the next term Christchurch Girls’ High will have new governance, with a different Board of Trustees and the prospect of a new principal. Dr Smith says this provides a positive opportunity to move forward to ensure a more stable educational environment for the students and staff.

“As we saw last year, there were problems with the current Board of Trustee’s poor communication and lack of process. This has damaged the reputation of Girls’ High. They lost sight of the school community and the bigger picture, which is all about the future of our daughters’ education and the school itself,” he says.

Dr Smith says the single most important decision for the new Board of Trustees will be the appointment of a new principal. He says achieving effective engagement with the wider school community in the lead-up to and during the recruitment process will require strong consultative skills.

“The current board election process provides parent stakeholders with an important opportunity to select a new board and, in doing so, create a mandate for improved governance at Girls’ High, as the selection process for the new principal begins”

The parents group has requested speaking rights at the next BoT meeting at Girls’ High on Monday 29 April.

Timeline:

16 May BoT nominations close

22 May Meet the candidates.7.30pm,CGHS staffroom

30 May Last voting day for BoT elections

5 June Votes counted

6 June New BoT takes office

12 July (end of Term 2) Prue Taylor retires

ENDS

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