Student BOT Representative

Student BOT Representative • News • Reporoa College

Student Representative on the Board of Trustees (Student Trustee)

Boards of state and state integrated schools with students above Year 9 must hold an annual student trustee election in September each year (unless an approved alternative constitution under S105A of the Education Act 1989 provides otherwise). Details of this process are here.

Eligibility

Any student enrolled full time in Year 9 and above, under the age of 20, is eligible to stand for election and vote in the school election for a student representative. Student trustees have equal standing, voice, accountabilities and vote as other board members, but they can't be the board chair (and neither can the principal nor staff trustee).

They're not just there to be seen and not heard.Ensuring the students at your school have the opportunity to know what it's all about before they stand and vote is important. If they want to know more about the board of trustees system, or what a trustee does, they should know where to access information, and where to go to place their nomination and their vote.It is then up to students to make sure they use their democratic right to vote for someone they think would do the job well.Let students know that their vote counts - if they don't vote, they will miss an opportunity to have a say in the governance of their school.

The Election Process

The election process begins when the board of trustees sets an election date for the student election and appoints a Returning Officer (RO) to manage the election process. Boards must formally appoint an Returning Officer at least 37 days before the election date.

APPROXIMATE ELECTION TIMELINE

Nominations open:
Wednesday 12th August

Nominations close:
Friday 4th September

Voting papers distributed:
by Wednesday 9th September

Election Day:
Friday 18th September

New Student Representative takes office:
Wednesday 23rd September