Principals, like puppies, are not just for Christmas

By Chris Humphrey, President of Beyond PMSA

The Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association (PMSA) is at it again. Despite a vocal outcry from parents wanting a stay on appointing a new Principal for Somerville House (and many wanting the previous Principal Flo Kearney reinstated) the floundering PMSA has publicly advertised the position last week.

Outrageously, this has been done while an “Independent Inquiry” in to the PMSA is being conducted by Mr Richard Chesterman – the findings of which are not even known.

Parent advocacy group, Beyond PMSA believes that recruiting a permanent principal at this time is wholly unsound, inappropriate, and lacking in any common sense or judgment. It guarantees an unsuccessful appointment with many adverse consequences for a leading girls' school and potentially invites disaster (including for the PMSA itself).

We are calling on, indeed pleading with, the Moderators of the Uniting and Presbyterian Churches to intervene and insist on a stay of any permanent Principal appointments in the PMSA schools.

The timing of the recruitment advertisement in itself is breathtakingly insensitive, incompetent and inflammatory in the current context - the day after the deadline for submissions to Mr Chesterman aimed at resolving this governance crisis, a week before Christmas (a classic technique for burying unavoidable publication), and at a time in the school year when all suitable candidates will have made decisions about their employment in 2018.

Leaving the timing and nature of the appointment process aside, the fact is that no suitable, let alone outstanding, candidate would put themselves forward in the current situation. Only someone with limited prospects, or a high risk taker, might. Even those types of candidates will think long and hard before putting their names forward if they do any due diligence at all.

The comprehensive failings of the PMSA, and the toxic working environment it has created, have been widely publicised in recent months as a result of the culpable behaviour of senior officeholders. Indeed, the PMSA already had a bad reputation in senior educational circles in Australia for past transgressions in senior personnel matters. This self-inflicted reputational damage is now ingrained and has spread into senior governance circles in the private and public sector.

Candidates of high ability and integrity will want to know who they are working for and that they have a clear mandate and a reasonable degree of autonomy to implement plans agreed with a stable, well-run governing body of qualified people who have the support and trust of their stakeholders.

The PMSA cannot provide any of this and we must not be fooled into thinking that because Somerville House is a leading girls’ school, it will somehow attract a good panel of outstanding candidates. It will attract second-tier candidates at best, and third-tier at worst.

Top-tier candidates will not put themselves into a toxic, dysfunctional, unstable and risky employment situation with deeply divided stakeholders, a litigious environment, and looming regulatory investigations. This offers them little prospect for making a mark and building their careers as great educators or senior school executives.

The appointment of a second- or third-tier candidate will do no credit to anyone and will have adverse short- and long-term consequences across the board - for the education of many thousands of girls, for the teachers who teach them, and the parents and taxpayers who fund the school, as well as other staff, Old Girls, and the wider community - and the Churches represented by the PMSA.

Beyond PMSA's position is that the next permanent Principal of Somerville House (and of any other PMSA school) should be made only under a reformed governance regime after a global search commissioned by a properly constituted, skills-based, autonomous school council as part of a transparent shortlisting, interview, selection and contractual appointment process.

There is no good reason or need to rush a permanent appointment. If the interim Principal, Dr Ness Goodwin, is unwilling or unable to stay in her role for the 6-12 months it could take to reform governance in the PMSA schools, another interim appointment can be made. This would be a far wiser and less risky approach.

Puppies are not just for Christmas and neither are Principals. We don't want or need one at Somerville House this year.