News and Events > News > Council Report September 2010

ST MARGARET'S SCHOOL COUNCIL LIMITED

COUNCIL MEETING REPORT

Wednesday 15th September 2010

Annette Quayle was welcomed to the Council Meeting and was presented with her badge of office. As has recently become a tradition, Sister Gillian blessed the badge before handing it to Annette to wear with pride.

The September Council Meeting included the sharing of a meal with members of the School's newly formed Staff Forum Committee. The discussions between the Council and the staff were very useful in giving the Council an idea of some of the issues that are important to the staff. One of the areas that was discussed was the feeling that St Margaret's girls are better prepared to face the world than students from some of our major competitors. This can be evidenced by a much easier and more successful transition to university, where some students from other schools that focus very heavily on academic excellence at the expense of a holistic education sometimes struggle.

The Council discussed the upcoming budget, which the School's Business Manager and Acting Principal will prepare for review in October. The procedure is that the School commences preparation of a draft budget in July, for presentation to the Audit and Finance Committee in early October. A further meeting of the Audit and Finance Committee a week later reviews the final budget, which is put to the Council for approval or revision at their October meeting. When the budget is accepted by the Council, it is recommended to the Trust at their November meeting. Once approved by the Trust, this budget becomes the benchmark for the School's operations for the following year. The key variables which impact heavily on the preparation of the budget are:

Number of enrolments

Staff Student ratios (the number of teachers and support staff employed per student)

Interest on Building loans

Capital expenditure

The Council is required to report quarterly to the Trust on the financial performance of the School in relation to the budget, and also on its compliance with a range of other governance issues that have been agreed between the Council and the Trust. The figures below show the break up of budgeted income and expenses for the calendar year 2010.

The Business Manager put a proposal to Council regarding the appointment of a catering contractor for the Boarding House for the next three years. This was accepted unanimously. We are very confident that the new arrangements will be well accepted by the Boarding Community, and the Sisters and Tuck Shop customers, who will also be served by the proposed caterer.

The Principal's report included information on the opening and dedication of the new primary buildings by Archbishop Phillip Aspinall on 23rd November. The Atrium is complete and the new playground will be given the two weeks holiday period for the grass to consolidate before the primary children begin to enjoy it. She also mentioned in her report that the School has applied for the Foundation's Educational Fund to be recognised for tax deductibility purposes. The Principal will be visiting past, current and potential future parents and community members in Goondiwindi, Roma, Longreach and the Gold Coast during Term 4.

The Building and Planning report covered the plans for the September holidays and the Christmas holidays. The decision was made to apply for several grants which are available to assist with the costs of upcoming projects. A preliminary Master Plan document prepared by our Architects Brand and Slater was considered. It showed several options for both a new boarding facility and a second stage of the Arts Centre. It also highlighted 50 meter pool access, possible future redevelopment of the Pre Prep, future use of Petrie Street and future building development sites on the campus. The final summary page, reproduced below, gives an overall view of the campus, showing various different precincts. This should be considered as preliminary only and further development of the Master Plan will take place over the coming months.

Mr Joe Gibson
Chair of Council

Full Council Report can be viewed here.