Procedures for Incorporated Management Committee Meetings

6.5 Agenda

(a) The supervisor will draw up the agenda in consultation with the principal. Individual managers, or groups of managers, may request items to be placed on the agenda. It is for the supervisor to decide whether the items should be placed on the agenda for that meeting or a later meeting. An example of an agenda for an IMC meeting is at Appendix IV. The IMC can discuss any issues relating to the management and running of the school.

(b) The agenda should be available to all members before the meeting. It is to be circulated to all managers, preferably seven days prior to the meeting, along with any relevant information papers or reports. Other supplementary papers can be tabled at the time of the meeting.

6.6 Quorum

The quorum for a meeting will normally be one half (rounded up to a whole number) of the IMC membership. For instance, if there are 17 managers, the quorum will be nine. Before the meeting starts, the supervisor should ensure that there are sufficient members to meet the quorum. If no quorum is formed eventually, the meeting shall stand adjourned and will be held at such time and place as the supervisor may specify in accordance with the IMC constitution.

6.7 Attendance

Any manager who cannot be present at a meeting has to inform the secretary/supervisor as early as possible and give reasons for his/her absence. According to the Education Ordinance, school managers who has been absent without the consent of the committee from all meetings in a school year will be required by the IMC to resign from office. If resignation is not received, the IMC will be able to seek the

cancellation of the manager’s registration from the Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower.

6.8 Withdrawal from Meetings

(a) Managers may be required by the supervisor to withdraw from a meeting when the discussion and decision involve a conflict of interest. The general principle is that no member should be involved in a decision where his/her personal interests may come into conflict with those of the IMC. This member must not be present when a vote is taken on the matter, but may be included in the quorum for that meeting.

(b) Withdrawal from a meeting is also necessary to ensure a fair hearing. For instance, when the IMC is discussing disciplinary action against a pupil or a teacher, managers who are involved in the event or who may be biased should withdraw from taking part in the discussion of this item. However, the IMC may call upon such managers to give evidence.

(c) The IMC can decide what constitutes a personal and pecuniary interest requiring withdrawal from meetings. For instance, a manager employed as a member of staff in the school, including the principal, will need to withdraw from a meeting that considers his/her appraisal, promotion, or a complaint against him/her.

6.9 Motions

The supervisor has to decide if a motion is to be a written submission or a verbal notification. Managers should inform the supervisor or secretary of a motion well before the meeting. The procedures for raising, amending or removing a motion should be clearly documented, including details such as whether the motion will be

Section 6 Procedures for Incorporated Management Committee Meetings

6.10 Casting of Votes

(a) A formal decision of the IMC requires the support of a majority of votes of the managers present. When the IMC has achieved consensus on the issues before them, formal voting is not required.

(b) When votes are tied, except for an election, the item can be deferred to the next meeting to enable further examination of the issue. Alternatively, the manager who presides over the meeting can have a casting vote on items with equal votes on each side.

(c) Certain critical circumstances require a majority of votes of all the members of the IMC. These include matters relating to the appointment and dismissal of any member of the teaching staff, as stipulated in regulation 76 of the Education Regulations.

(d) The IMC may, at its own discretion, require an outsider or any person serving as an advisor to be present at a meeting, to assist or provide related information. However, it is important that these persons or advisors should not have voting rights.

6.11 Resolution by Circulation

Between meetings, at the discretion of the supervisor resolutions can be achieved by circulation of papers to all members of the IMC. This may be for issues which require urgent decisions or recommendations and cannot wait for the next meeting. The resolutions will be decided by a majority of members on the IMC. The IMC can also stipulate that nil replies will be regarded as abstentions.

6.12 Minutes of Meetings

(a) The names of everyone present at the IMC meeting should be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The minutes will record briefly the main points made in the discussion, the decisions of the IMC and the persons responsible for follow-up actions. Any manager can ask for his/her views to be recorded in the minutes.

This includes any dissenting votes and views.

(b) The minutes of all proceedings at IMC meetings will be drafted by the secretary. The draft minutes will be checked by the supervisor before being circulated among managers for comments and endorsement, preferably within one month of each meeting.

The minutes should be marked as ‘DRAFT’ until passed at the next meeting. The supervisor will announce any amendments to the minutes during the next meeting and sign the minutes to indicate formal acceptance. Any minutes so confirmed and signed will be prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated.

(c) The agenda of every meeting of the IMC, together with the signed minutes of every meeting, will be entered in books kept and made available for inspection if required. However, the minutes of any part of a meeting deemed confidential, or any papers/reports considered confidential, should be kept separate. The IMC can decide which items of discussion are confidential and managers should respect the confidentiality of these items. The general principles of confidentiality should be observed by each manager.

The procedures for IMC meetings should have been laid down in the IMC constitution. Each manager should have a copy of the

Section 7