The board of MACS has responsibility for the strategic direction and oversight of the operation and management of MACS schools, including Cana Primary School. Clear lines of authority, reporting and delegation from the MACS board through the Executive Director delegate the day-to-day operational management of Cana Primary School to its principal.
In keeping with the objects of the MACS Constitution, which states ‘The good work of educating the young, undertaken in the light of the Gospel, is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community’ (p. 3), the School Advisory Council provides a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders. While the School Advisory Council does not have governance responsibility or decision-making authority, it supports the principal and school leadership and provides an important connection to the parish.
The School Advisory Council is not a governing body, but is part of the broader governance framework of MACS. Its role, as determined by the MACS board through this Terms of Reference, supports the overall governance of the MACS system as it ‘is to give consideration to, and advice on, important school matters in order to support the principal and the strategic interest of the school’ (Working Together in Mission p. 18).