The title ‘extraordinary general meeting’ certainly lived up to its adjectival sense on Tuesday night, as a lively meeting called to vote on the future of Maryborough’s Highview College board took place.
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Motions to remove four members of the school’s board were set to be considered, as concerns about the school’s governance came to a head after a group of Highview College company members forced the spill.
However, prior to the vote Victorian Ecumenical Systems of Schools (VESS) executive general manager Stephen Higgs put forward a proposal which would see the four members – Gillian Tattersall, Jackie Dellavedova, Samatha Meerbach and Eddie Ostarcevic – resign ‘forthwith… in the expectation that motions for dismissal would not be passed.’
The proposal, which had not been canvassed with the members prior to the meeting, caused confusion, with questions about the timeframe and motivation behind the proposal coming thick and fast from the floor.
Mr Higgs said that since the dispute between members of the Highview College company had been made public in the media, the Victorian Regulation and Qualification Authority had conducted an assessment of the school.
While the teaching curriculum was found to be in good order, Mr Higgs told the meeting the VRQA review found issues with the school’s governance.
In particular, he said the school’s articles of association had been formed under legislation which had since been repealed.
The members accepted the proposal after debate, with the four board positions declared vacant at 9am Wednesday. A meeting following the EGM appointed two staff representatives as new board members. A new chair will now be sought.
