The primary purpose of the School Advisory Council (SACs) is to influence the quality
of teaching and learning in schools. To that end, data about student achievement,
discipline and other student outcomes is routinely provided to schools, and it is
anticipated that this data will serve as a basis for decision-making about instruction,
school organization and
strategies to enhance student learning and citizenship. As these issues are discussed, it
is likely that other school issues will also be identified.
The School Advisory Council meets the first Wednesday of each month during the school year.
SAC Roles and Responsibilities
As a governance unit, the SAC shall:
1.Assist in the development and implementation of the School
Improvement Plan.
2.Decide on the expenditure of the School Improvement Funds to support the School
Improvement Plan.
3.Facilitate improvement of all school efforts.
4.Operate through consensus to the extent possible, but must have a fallback
decision-making option in place.
5.Gather input from
the school faculty.
6.Keep the school staff and community informed of its activities and decisions.
7.Monitor subcommittees or task forces through agreed-upon
procedures.
8.Conduct an assessment of school needs, including an analysis of all available data.
9.Monitor the implementation of the School Improvement Plan.
10.Determine whether adequate progress is made by the school in the areas addressed in the
School Improvement Plan.
SAC members shall:
1.Attend SAC meetings on a regular basis.
2.Serve on task forces or subcommittees formed by the SAC.
3.Keep fully informed of school activities and operations.
4.Assist in designing needs assessment.
5.Make sure that communication is open and honest among Council members and between the
SAC and the school staff and community.
6.Conduct Council business as members of the school team rather than simply representing
the interests of the constituency they represent.
7.Make decisions that reflect continuous improvement of schools.
The School Advisory Councils Enrolled Act (House
Bill 2689) mandates the establishment of procedures for the election and appointment of
new School Advisory Council members, effective July 1,1993. Committee Substitute
Senate Bill 1992 states...."a majority of members of each school advisory council
must be persons who are not
employed by the school board."
Guidelines
General Guidelines
The principal of the school, by law, is a member of the School
Advisory Council (SAC). High schools and vocational/technical schools are required to have
voting student members.
Middle and elementary schools are encouraged to have student
members.
All members, with the exception of the business and community
members, will be elected by the constituents they represent.
Each SAC shall maintain a record of all decisions, activities, and
meetings, including attendance and voting records.
A majority of the members of each SAC must be persons who are not employed by the school
board.
Size and
Membership
There is no set number for membership.
Large SACs may choose to establish executive committees, task
forces, or sub-committees for efficiency of operation.
Suggested group size, in order to facilitate reaching consensus, is twelve to
eighteen members.
Terms of Office
Terms of office will be staggered in order to provide fair, open, and accessible
opportunities for participation.
Terms of existing members will be staggered in one, two, or three year terms, both for the
Council as a whole and for individual membership groups (e.g., parents, staff, etc.).
Upon expiration of an existing member's term, an election will be held to elect a member
from the same constituency.
All newly elected members will serve three years so that terms will automatically be
staggered. In the event of a vacancy during the existing term, the replacement will be
elected by the constituency and will serve only the remainder of that term. The
replacement may run for a new term of office.
Membership
The principal, by law, is a member of the School Advisory Council. The chairman of the
Instructional Innovation Team is also a member of the School Advisory Council.
Per legislation, the following SAC members will be elected:
Parents - By parents of students at the school
Teachers - By the school faculty
Students - By the student body, or a student organization which
represents all of the students
Support Employees - By support employees of the school
Remaining School Advisory Council members will include the
following:
Business and Community - The school board will establish
procedures for schools to use in selecting business and community members.
Balance and Representation
Each SAC shall be composed of teachers, parents, support
employees, students, business, and community members. Balance
shall be defined and documented in the SAC by-laws.
A majority of the School Advisory Council shall be composed of
non-school district employees.
Each SAC shall be representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds of its
student body and the communities it serves.
Approval of SACs
By the first of November, every school shall transmit its
membership list via Terms to the district office.
By the first Thursday in February, each school shall notify the Area Office of any changes
in its School Advisory Council membership. The Area Office will forward any changes to the
Department of School Improvement/Staff Development.
The School Board shall approve each school's SAC membership. The School Board shall
approve additional and/or replacement members. If for any reason schools add members,
names must be submitted for School Board approval. These names should be sent to the Area
Executive Director for submission to the Department of School Improvement/Staff
Development.
Governance of SACs
Each SAC shall establish by-laws to guide the operation of the
Council.
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