Many schools are run by the government, or by particular churches or denominations. However, Chairo is governed by our parents! Christian parents are eligible and encouraged to become members of the company that operates the school, with some being elected to serve as company directors.
As a large and complex independent school operated by a not-for-profit public company, good governance is vitally important at Chairo. Christian parents and guardians who are committed to Chairo, and to Christ-centred education, are encouraged to apply to become members of the company. Company members are expected to take an active interest in the affairs of the company and attend one or two general meetings each year (whether in person or online), where they are able to vote in relation to key decisions about future direction and development.
The majority of our Directors are parents or guardians of children currently attending the school, because we believe that parents need to be actively involved in the education of their children. The most critical task for the Directors is to determine the vision and mission for the school. This provides a picture of the future and guides our strategic planning, measures existing programs, determines the basis for the appointment of staff, and generally shapes all that happens at Chairo.
Our Directors are very aware of the need to separate the strategic and goal-setting functions of leadership from the day-to-day operational aspects of the school. The Board therefore establishes policies that govern the operations of the school, which are then implemented by the Executive Principal, Business Manager and other members of Chairo’s executive leadership team.
Directors are well-informed about all areas of Chairo’s operations via information provided regularly by executive staff, other members of the Chairo community, and various committees. They take their responsibility very seriously to govern wisely and to make prayerful and informed decisions from a biblical and Christian worldview perspective.
Anyone who needs to contact the Board about a governance-related matter can do so by emailing the Company Secretary at board@chairo.vic.edu.au.
Current Directors are as follows:
Rob is married to Jemima and they have four daughters. He works as a Principal Network Architect (IT) and attends Community Church Warragul. He was co-opted onto the Chairo Board in 2017 and then elected to serve from January 2018. Rob became Chairman of the Board in 2020.
Justin is married to Elise. They have two adult children and attend Berwick Church of Christ. Justin previously served as Chairo’s HR Manager and is now the HR Manager for Mercy Education Ltd. He joined the Chairo Board in January 2020 and is currently serving as an appointed director.
Sam is married to Lisa and they have one son and two daughters. An electrician by trade, Sam has been a firefighter with Fire Rescue Victoria since 2015. He attends Rope Factory Church in Warragul with his family and was elected to serve on the Chairo Board from January 2021.
Gavin is married to Michelle. They have two daughters and a son, and they attend Pakenham Baptist Church. Gavin has bachelor degrees in both Computer Science and Information Technology and works as an IT consultant. He was appointed to fill a Board vacancy in February 2023 and subsequently elected to serve from June 2023.
Aven is married to Laura and they have two children. He works as Team Leader People Experience at Casey City Council and attends Drouin Presbyterian Church. Aven was appointed to fill an elected director vacancy on the Chairo Board in August 2023 and then elected to serve from May 2024 onwards.
Warwick is married to Natalie and they have four children. He has an agricultural degree and served for 14 years with SIM in Niger. The family attends Leongatha Presbyterian Church. Warwick was appointed to fill a Board vacancy in June 2024 and then elected to serve from June 2025.
Heather has three children and attends St Mark's Anglican Church in Camberwell with her family. She works in the human resources field and has experience within tertiary education, and also corporate and Christian settings. Heather served as an appointed director in 2025 and was subsequently appointed to continue in 2026.
All campuses of Chairo Christian School are operated by Chairo Parent Governed Christian Education Limited, a company limited by guarantee, in accordance with the Constitution. The Constitution includes the Statement of Faith and other important information about how the company operates.
Constitution
Statement of Faith
Our Strategic Statement (Growing Stronger), for the ten years from 2023 to 2032, elaborates on the foundations that Chairo has been built upon and is the starting point for the creation of a strategic plan of future goals. In turn, the strategic plan enables the development of operational plans that ‘flesh out’ how the strategic plan will be implemented over the next time period, with key milestones along the way.