SAASSO is the parent body for public education in South Australia
A volunteer organisation, SAASSO has been supporting the role and right of parents in the education of their children since 1923.
SAASSO is the Governing Council Association for SA’s public schools
SAASSO supports and advocates for parent-led Governing Councils in their role as the governing body in public schools.
The foundation of Local Governance is that the local community – parents, principals, teachers and members of the local community are best equipped to determine the needs of their children and the strategic future of their local school.
SAASSO’s Vision
All schools are different, with different needs. Local Governance is your school community – not the education department – making the decisions at your school, in the best interests of your children. Research shows that Local Governance is superior to bureaucracies, because parents and the local school community:
are more committed to their members than a central bureaucracies are to their clients- understand their problems better than a bureaucracy
- are more flexible and creative than large bureaucracies
- are cheaper than bureaucrats, leaving more dollars for actual services delivery.
The OECD states that the benefits of Local Governance include:
- increased efficiency
- improved financial control
- reduction of bureaucracy
- increased responsiveness to local communities
- creative management of human resources
- improved potential for innovation
- creation of conditions that improve education quality.