Role of School Site Council

1
Role of School Site Council

• Encinitas Union School District
• Flora Vista
• 2008-09

2
School Site Council is

• An advisory board to the school administration
• Responsible for approving the Comprehensive Plan
  and SIP Budget
• Responsible for using data to make sound
  decisions
• Responsible for seeing that budget goes to meet
  the students most in need first
• Responsible for overseeing the allocation of EEF
  funds in accordance with our strategic plan
• A conduit between the parent community and school
  staff

3
School Site Council is not

• The Flora Vistas School Board
• A policy making body
• Responsible for the hiring or evaluation of
  personnel
• A grievance board

4
The Support of FV
Strategic Plan
PTA
SSC

• Provides programs to support the school and the
  curriculum
• Can conduct fundraisers, but this is limited and
  should be to support PTA programs
• Donations are Tax Deductible
• Falls under State and Local PTA Bylaws and
  insurance
• Cannot Hire Personnel

• Serves as advisory group to principal in
  overseeing SIP (School Improvement Program)
• Responsible for SPSA (Single Plan for Student
  Achievement)
• Responsible for School Safety Plan
• Approves expenditures of EEF Funds
• Supports Curricular Programs
• Can Hire Positions
• Cannot conduct fund raisers

EEF

• Primary Purpose is Fundraising
• No limits on fund raisers
• Donations are Tax Deductible
• Provides Insurance for Events
• Cannot hire personnel

5
Roles and Responsibilities of School Site Councils

• Review student achievement data
• Develop the Single Site Plan based on data
• Review Program Effectiveness Based on data --
  Ongoing
• Annual Revision of Plan --
• Modify plan to reflect changing needs related to
  student achievement
• Establish a new budget with input from
  appropriate advisory committees
• Recommend plan to Local Board for approval

6
BylawsCommittees May Be Appointed to Perform
Tasks to Assist the Council

• Committees May
• Gather and analyze information
• Propose research-based strategies for improving
  student achievement
• Examine materials, staffing or funding
  possibilities
• Draft portions of the school plan for council
  consideration

• Serve at the pleasure
• of the council and are
• advisory to it
• May help in
• developing, monitoring
• or evaluating the plan

7
Rules of Order

• Meetings must be open to the public. (Brown Act)
• The public may address the council on any item
  within jurisdiction of the council.
• Notice of the meeting must be posted at the
  school site or other accessible place at least 72
  hours before the meeting.
• The notice must specify the date, time and place
  of the meeting and the agenda.
• The council cannot act on any action unknown when
  the agenda was posted unless, by unanimous vote,
  it finds a need for action unknown when the
  agenda was posted. (RARE)
• Questions and brief statements of no impact on
  pupils or employees that can be resolved by
  providing information need not be described on
  the posted agenda.
• If these procedures are violated, upon demand of
  any person, the council must reconsider the item
  at its next meeting, after allowing for public
  input on the item.

8
Records

• The school site council needs to maintain records
• of the following
• Elections
• Official correspondence
• Agendas of council meetings
• Evidence of input from school advisory committees
• Minutes of meetings, recording attendance,
  discussion, recommendation and action
• Copies of prior year school plans

9

• Consensus is

• Synergy
• All contribute ideas/resources
• All have opportunity to express ideas and ask
  questions
• Those who disagree, agree to trial period
• All share in final decision

10
Consensus does NOT mean

• Unanimous vote
• Everyones first choice
• Everyone must agree
• Avoiding conflict and overcoming resistance

11
Potential Consensus Positions

• This works for me
• Not my first choice, but I will agree to support
  in order to move the group forward
• I dont agree, BUT, I have expressed my concerns
  AND the group has listened therefore, I will go
  along with this decision
• I can live with the decision for a specific
  period of time

12

• Rules for Consensus Decision Making
• Listen with an open mind in order to understand
• Look for third alternative a win/win
• Dont change your mind just to avoid conflict
• Avoid conflict reducing techniques like voting,
  averages, coin toss or bargaining (quid pro quo)
• Seek out differences of opinion someone else
  has a good idea!

13
Foundation Questions

• WHAT would make the biggest difference?
• WHO should we target?
• By subgroups
• By individual student name
• Does our SPSA reflect these WHATs and WHOs?

14
Big Picture ....

• School Site Plans are increasingly becoming more
  important at both the state and federal levels.
• Make the Plan meaningful and relevant to
  individual schools.
• Current thinking