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School Site Councils: Responsibilities |
The California Education Code requires the school site council to develop a
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for Consolidated Application
programs operated at the school or in which the school participates. In
addition, Pupil Retention and School and Library Improvement Block Grant
programs operated at the school must be included in the SPSA.
The school site council must approve the SPSA, recommend it to the local
governing board for approval, monitor implementation of the plan, and
evaluate the results. At least annually, the school site council must revise the
plan, including proposed expenditures of funds allocated to the school through the
Consolidated Application and recommend it to the local governing board for
approval.
Secondary schools using the "Focus on Learning" process for accreditation
are required by WASC to use information and data from the SPSA in
developing the WASC Action Plan. The dual purpose of WASC accreditation is
“to provide high quality learning opportunities, with the added requirement of
continual self-improvement.” Both WASC and SPSA share the goal of
improving instructional programs.
The school site council may appoint committees or individuals to perform
tasks to assist the council in developing, monitoring, or evaluating the SPSA.
Appointed individuals and committees serve at the pleasure of the school site
council and are advisory to it. Such appointed groups may:
- Gather and analyze information.
- Propose strategies for improving instruction.
- Examine materials, staffing, or funding possibilities.
- Draft portions of the SPSA for school site council consideration.
For example, the school site council may ask that a group of teachers
prepare a staff development proposal as part of a strategy to raise the
academic performance of a group of underperforming students. Or the
school site council may appoint a committee to examine and report on a
successful program operating at another school. In addition, the school site
council may consider and accept unsolicited proposals from any individual or group.
The school site council shall be composed of the principal and
representatives of: teachers selected by teachers at the school; other
school personnel selected by other school personnel at the school;
parents of students attending the school selected by such parents; and, in
secondary schools, students selected by students attending the school.
At the secondary level, the school site council shall be constituted to ensure
parity between (a) the principal, classroom teachers, and other school
personnel, and (b) equal numbers of parents or other community members
selected by parents, and students.
The means of selecting school site council members are not specified in law,
except that members must be chosen by peers. No additional membership
qualifications may be required. Beyond the composition requirements stated
above, no seat on the school site council may be reserved for any group or
individual. Membership in most school site councils is determined by ballot,
but could be decided in an open meeting by voice vote.
To ensure broad support for the selection process, and to avoid controversy over
the selection of school site council members, board policy or school site council
bylaws may specify:
- The means of selecting members and officers.
- Terms of office for members and officers.
- The notice of elections for each peer group.
- The responsibilities of the school site council and time commitment
involved.
- A policy of nondiscrimination, as may occur by limiting membership to a
select group.
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School Site Councils: Rules of Operation |
School site councils must operate according to the following rules:
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1. Meetings must be open to the public.
2. The public may address the school site council on any item within
jurisdiction of the school site council.
3. Notice of the meeting must be posted at the school site or other
accessible place at least 72 hours before the meeting.
4. The notice must specify the date, time, and place of the meeting and
the agenda.
5. The school site council cannot act on an item not described on the
posted agenda unless, by unanimous vote, it finds a need for action
unknown when the agenda was posted.
6. Questions and brief statements of no impact on students or employees
that can be resolved by providing information need not be described
on the posted agenda.
7. If these procedures are violated, upon demand of any person, the
school site council must reconsider the item at its next meeting, after
allowing for public input on the item.
The school site council needs to maintain records of the following:
- Elections
- Official correspondence
- Agendas of school site council meetings
- Evidence of input from school advisory committees
- Minutes of meetings, recording attendance, discussions,
recommendations, and actions
- Copies of prior year school plans
Public records require safekeeping. School site council records should be filed in a
secure place available to the school site council. Federal law requires that all
records pertinent to a funded project be retained for three years.
School site council records must be made available for public review upon request.
Because the local governing board, administration, and school site council
have separate but related responsibilities for the Single Plan for Student
Achievement, they need to work cooperatively. Should an impasse occur,
several remedies are available:
The school site council may appeal to the local governing board to resolve
issues of planning or implementation, clarify an issue in doubt, or
establish a needed policy.
The administration may recommend the board not approve a plan believed
to be flawed.
The local governing board may develop policies to regulate or inform
school site councils and staff in the performance of their duties.
Individuals may file a formal complaint under the district’s Uniform
Complaint Procedure.
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School Site Councils: Resources and Legislations |
A Guidebook and Template for the Single Plan for Student Achievment: A Handbook for Site Councils. (California Department of Education, 2006)
Education Code 52850-52863: Establishment, Composition and Responsibilities of School Site Councils.
Education Code 64000-64001: The Consolidated Application and Single Plan for Student Achievement.