Parent Advisory
Board

The Parent Advisory Board exists to act as a critical friend to the school to ensure that Verita does not stray from its mission and vision or from the needs of the school’s communities.

The Parent Advisory Board is appointed by a panel from the existing Advisory Board who interview and scrutinise those who apply to join the board.  Members of the Liaison Committee are offered the option to join the Parent Advisory Board and if case, the community is invited to apply.

Normally Board members will be appointed for a two-year term for a maximum of three consecutive terms.

In general, the Parent Advisory Board will advise on matters in the following domains:

  • The Generative Domain:  The Parent Advisory Board will participate in the generation of ideas and strategic plans focused on academic and financial self-improvement to ensure the quality of practices, facilities, programmes, and policies are consistent with international best-practice.
  • The Fiduciary Domain: The Parent Advisory Board will provide financial advice to ensure that the Senior Leadership Team are allocating funds responsibly and efficiently and that the school is sustainable in both the short and the long term.
  • The Academic Domain: The Parent Advisory Board will assist and advise the Dean and the Divisional Principals to ensure that Verita provides a rich and rigorous education for Verita’s students.  The board will seek data/feedback/reports on the academic progress of the school.
  • The Physical Domain: The Parent Advisory Board will provide guidance to ensure that the school’s facilities are upgraded to deliver the school’s mission and vision.

Specifically, the Parent Advisory Board will:

  1. Advise on revisions to the school’s mission and vision
  2. Advise on the development of the school’s strategic plan
  3. Advise the leadership on the appointment and/or dismissal of the Dean/CEO
  4. Advise on proposed major changes or developments in curriculum
  5. Advise on the development and financing of the school’s facilities
  6. Advise on tuition fees, salary scales/bands, and reviews and advises on the school’s draft budget
  7. Be present to ensure that the appointment of staff practices are correct, current and fair. The Dean/CEO is responsible for the appointment of staff through agreed recruitment practices and with the advice/recommendations of the Divisional Principals. 

Please note that an important responsibility of the Parent Advisory Board is to ensure that all stakeholders are listened to and that they have a meaningful impact on Verita’s decision-making.

3.1 Terms of Reference

In addition to the Roles and Responsibilities laid out above, the Parent Advisory Board of Verita International School will have the following terms of reference:

  • Members of the Parent Advisory Board will be appointed to two-year renewable terms by the Board of Directors of the Verita 4 All Foundation upon the recommendation of the Founder.  The Board will not have more than seven members nor less than five members.  Board members will be selected to provide the advice and expertise that Verita needs at the time of the members’ appointment.  This expertise will include areas such as legal advice, financial advice, parent relations advice, HR advice, etc.  There may be a member of staff invited to a Board meeting to provide staff input on Verita’s development. Normally, members of the Advisory Board will not serve more than three consecutive term.
  • The Founder and the Dean will be ex-officio members of the Board and of all standing Committees.  The Founder and the Dean will not be counted in the Board size (i.e. the 5-7 members).
  • The Parent Advisory Board will normally meet three to four times per academic year.  More frequent meetings may be called but the Board shall not, under any circumstances, meet less than twice in any academic year.
  • Minutes will be kept of all meetings of the Parent Advisory Board and will be available to the accreditation agencies and the relevant Romanian authorities if needed.
  • Notice of meetings and an agenda are to be given to committee members at least 5 working days in advance of a meeting.
  • To facilitate its work, the Parent Advisory Board may choose to implement an appropriate liaison committee structure, approving the format of Committees and appointing a Chair for each.
  • Liaison Committees may co-opt non-Board members as needed to provide expertise and advice.
  • Liaison Committee terms of reference are to be reviewed annually by the Parent Advisory Board and each Liaison  Committee is responsible for ensuring the strategic development and monitoring of the areas of school activity and life which fall within its delegated remit (as outlined in its terms of reference).
  • In their role as employers, the Founder and the Dean have the final responsibility for the appointment of staff through agreed recruitment practices. The Parent Advisory Board should ensure that those practices are correct, current, and fair.

3.2 Confidentiality 

The content of Board discussions is strictly confidential. Board members, and others, involved in any of its functions from time to time, agree as a condition of their participation to keep such discussions strictly confidential unless otherwise expressly agreed by the school’s Founder and the Dean. This condition applies both during and after their service term, provided that disclosure is not legally required or required, as above, for accreditation and authorisation purposes. All Parent Advisory Board Members have signed a NDA.