Beyond PMSA July Process Update
Welcome to the Beyond PMSA July Process Update.
1. AICD Report due this Month
Consultations occurred between the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and members of all School representative groups in late June in the lead up to the finalisation of the AICD’s report to the PMSA which is due to be delivered later this month. We do not have details of the outcome of those consultations, nor of any subsequent discussions and follow-up dialogue between the AICD and the PMSA itself (because they are, as always, conducted in private).
Despite concerns over the scope limitations of the AICD report (which we have previously provided extensive commentary on) we hope that the tone of the final deliberations with stakeholder representative bodies will nevertheless have guided some bold recommendations from the AICD to the PMSA. And let’s be frank, bold changes DO need to be implemented in order to change the PMSA from continuing as an administrative cliché that is a laughing stock amongst ‘tier-one’ schools across Australia. The PMSA’s own reputational challenges continue to have significant ongoing impacts on our schools. It simply can’t be allowed to continue.
It is possible for the PMSA to re-write its own legacy and to become a leading example of positive transformational change in the educational sector. All it takes is the courage to do what is right. (More will be said about “courage” later in this update).
2. Reform Trajectory
Despite the recent respite over the school holidays, the community is still very focused on the issue of governance reform in our schools. Tensions and concerns are still high, and Beyond PMSA has been inundated in recent weeks with questions from many supporters about what may occur in the post-AICD report period.
We have all been reminded in a recent PMSA communique on 18/19 July 2018 that the full AICD report and recommendations will not be disclosed, and instead we will all be provided with a “summary” report. As we have previously reported, the collective fear (and quite frankly expectation) of the school communities is that:
the PMSA Council will not be able to function properly to deliver a majority decision that will bring the full Council across the threshold of aspirational reform; and
the summary of the AICD report released by the PMSA (and identifying the selected reforms that may be adopted by the PMSA) will simply roll out bland reform masquerading as significant change.
If that is true, then we may all continue to be held hostage to influences who see root and branch reform as a threat. The greatest injustice of all would be for the thousands of people calling for reform to be rebuffed by a meagre few who continue to hide behind that archaic, unaccountable legal structure called Letters Patent.
Having said that, Beyond PMSA has noted the following statement by the PMSA in its 18 July communique: “The PMSA is well aware of the community’s interest in the PMSA’s governance structure and financial reporting. In addition to the AICD governance review, we would like to reassure you that the PMSA Council and the PMSA’s Constitutional Working Group are carefully considering the best possible model to commence the next hundred years of the PMSA. We will communicate outcomes from these considerations in the coming months.” [Emphasis added]
This statement appears to hold some promise that the PMSA might finally turn its focus to the issues which are of the greatest concern to the school communities. This remains to be seen and the community rightly holds considerable scepticism at this point.
3. Next PMSA Council Meeting in August
The PMSA Council will hold its next meeting in August, and the PMSA should be under no illusions that there are exceptionally high expectations from the community about the next steps in the reform process that may be announced following that meeting. We hope that the PMSA’s statement that it will be looking at other matters “in addition to the AICD governance review” is a precursor to a positive future announcement about constitutional reform and the basis of its incorporation.
In the opinion of Beyond PMSA and its supporters, the PMSA’s August Council meeting will be one of the most important meetings in the PMSA’s 100 year history. The quality of the outcomes from that meeting will be examined by the community very, very closely indeed. There can be no better time than for the PMSA to clearly set a trajectory for comprehensive reform than before the end of Term 3 (which is an important period for enrolment decisions). This timing and all of the inherent responsibility to PMSA Schools that it entails coming into 2019, must be foremost in the PMSA’s mind when considering the sufficiency of their response to the community. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is meeting stakeholder expectations.
4. So what do Stakeholders expect?
Beyond PMSA suggests that Stakeholder expectations are simple:
(a) Don’t get stuck in the weeds – get the compass points set first: People are interested in the detailed aspects of governance reform, but at this point, the community is far more concerned that the PMSA could be trying to come up with a detailed solution before it gets the structural foundations for reform right. At this point in the process, the community is much more interested in knowing in which direction the compass of reform is pointing than whether the PMSA has all of the answers to the minute details and complexities of implementation.
(b) If you build it, we will come: If the community thinks that the trajectory of reform (ie. the compass points) are set correctly and are clearly and unambiguously explained, then broad endorsement will follow. If not, then anything that follows will be a wasted exercise in terms of time and money.
(c) You will be given time: If the reform trajectory is unambiguously and publicly set and ticks the required boxes, then we believe that the community will give the PMSA leeway to implement the required reforms over a reasonable but not unduly extended timeframe.
(d) Don’t underwhelm us: Don’t underwhelm us – exceed our expectations and see community support flourish. We all know that if the menu isn’t right, people won’t order from the restaurant. So don’t’ compromise the overall flavour of the meal by introducing poor ingredients or withholding or substituting necessary ones. (Yes, people can tell the difference between salt and sugar in their cake).
5. PMSA Values
The recent PMSA communique on 18 July 2018 highlighted a student art competition that invites submissions of works which will provide a “bold and bright interpretation of one or more of the PMSA values”. Two of the stated PMSA values are “relationships” and “excellence”. As submissions are due by 8 October, the PMSA could certainly use the opportunity following its August meeting to deliver “bold and bright” inspiration to the whole community.
However, we suggest that another value ought to be incorporated into the PMSA itself and reflected in all PMSA Schools - “courage”.
To quote C.S. Lewis: “Courage is not one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky.”
What Lewis meant was that doing and pursuing good, is not something to do simply when it is easy. What really counts is when you continue being merciful or generous or justice-seeking or truth-affirming even when it is risky, dangerous, and possibly to your own disadvantage. To be merciful or loving or generous only when it is easy is not to be merciful or loving or generous at all. But courage is not the whole of virtue, it may be that courage must always be present if another virtue such as prudence or humility is to be displayed in a person’s life. So we believe that courage in that context applies equally to the values we wish to instil in our children as it does to the behaviours and examples set by those to whom our children look up to – not least, their governing body and its actions in this current debate.
6. Next Town Hall Meeting - September
Beyond PMSA will be holding its next Town Hall meeting in mid-September.
The purpose of the next Town Hall meeting will be to:
discuss and dissect the outcome and implications of the AICD summary report and the PMSA’s announcements about its reform trajectory; and
discuss whether the outcomes and announcements are broadly capable of being supported; or
discuss options and timing for further responses in line with the last Town Hall meeting in February.
Regardless of any PMSA announcements in the meantime, we expect a high turn-out based on recent feedback and the importance of the topics for discussion. If it transpires that significant progress on these important issues is not apparent by the Town Hall meeting then the community can be in no doubt that a very significant response from Beyond PMSA on behalf of the community will and must follow.
A further calendar reminder will be sent out closer to the time.
Thank you for your continuing support. Rest assured, we are not going away until the job is done!
Beyond PMSA
