School Advisory Council

Policy:  School Advisory Council Bylaws

• ARTICLE I
  Name

The name of this Committee shall be the Ánimo ------ Charter School Advisory Council. Hereafter it will be referred to as "SAC." 

• ARTICLE II
  Purpose

The SAC shall review the Single School Plan addressing the following focus areas before October 1st for the ensuing academic year.  The SAC will subsequently monitor the plan and applicable data, and if necessary, recommend modifications to the plan to reflect changing needs and/or priorities throughout the year: 

1. Curricula, instructional strategies and materials responsive to the individual needs and learning styles of our students.
2. Instructional and auxiliary services to meet the needs of non-English-speaking or limited-English-speaking students; students with special or exceptional needs; and advanced students.
3. A professional development program for teachers, other school personnel, paraprofessionals, and volunteers, including those participating in special programs. 
4. Build the schools’ and parents’ capacity for strong parental involvement and develop and annually review a written parent involvement policy, pursuant to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (last reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act).  The policy shall:
   1. Provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist the school in planning and implementing effective parent involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.

1. 1. Coordinate and integrate parental involvement strategies [under Title I] with parental involvement strategies under other programs as appropriate.
2. 1. Conduct, with the involvement of parents, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of the parental involvement policy in improving the academic quality of the schools…, including identifying barriers to greater participation by parents in activities (with particular attention to parents who are economically disadvantaged, are disabled, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority background), and use the findings of such evaluation to design strategies for more effective parental involvement, and to revise, if necessary, the parental involvement policies described in this section.
   1.  Involve parents in the activities of the school.
3. Review the school budget to assure spending in accordance with the goals of the plan.  The SAC will recommend the school budget for the ensuing fiscal year before the principal submits it for Green Dot Public Schools Board approval.
4. Other activities and objectives as designated by the Green Dot Board of Directors. 

• ARTICLE III
  Membership

Section I:  Composition 

1. The SAC shall be comprised as follows: 
2. The Principal 
3. Four (4) classroom teachers elected by classroom teachers. 
4. One (1) classified staff member elected by the classified staff. 
5. Three (3) parents shall be elected by an election procedure open to all parents. 
6. Three (3) students shall be elected by an election procedure open to all students.  Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to be elected and serve on the SAC.  Student representatives shall not be eligible enter into closed session.    

Should a School Advisory Council (SAC) decide to amend the recommended by-laws to offer a different composition, please note the following requirements:

• Half of the members of the SAC consist of the principal, classroom teachers, and other school personnel.  Classroom teachers make up the majority of this group.  
• The remaining half of the members consists of equal numbers of students elected by students, and parents or other community members selected by parents. 

1. A list of alternate parents, students, and classified stakeholders shall be established before the second SAC meeting. Alternates will vote only if a regular member is absent. The alternate parent list will consist of the remaining members of the parent corps.  The alternate student list will consist of the remaining members of the student council. The alternate classified list will consist of the remaining full-time classified staff (office manager, school safety officer, and parent coordinator). The alternate teacher list will be established from the candidates not successful in the general election in the order of their finish in the voting.  The principal may have the assistant principal represent him in absentia. 
2. Elections 

1. Elections for staff and students shall be held prior to October 1st. 
2. Appointments or election for parent membership shall be made/ held prior to July 1st. 

Section 2:  Term of Office 

All elected members of the SAC shall serve for a one-year term with no limit on number of consecutive terms. 

Section 3:  Voting Rights 

The voting membership shall not exceed twelve (12).  Each member shall be entitled to one vote and may cast that vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the Council.  The elected alternate shall vote in the absence of the representative. Absentee ballots shall not be permitted. 

Section 4:  Termination of Membership 

A member shall no longer hold membership should he or she no longer meet the membership requirements under which he or she was selected. 

Positions opened as a result of the above action will be filled by appointment by the chairperson for the duration of the school year using the list of alternates in sequence as specified in Article III, Section 1B. 

Section 5:  Transfer of Membership 

Elected membership in the SAC is not transferable or assignable. 

Section 6:  Resignation 

Resignations will be accepted upon written notice to the Chairperson. Positions opened as a result of a member's resignation will be filled by appointment for the duration of the school year using the list of alternates in sequence as specified in Article III, Section 1B.

Section 7:  Additional Vacancies

 If an alternate is not available, each represented group will be responsible for selecting a new member for the duration of the school year using an election process. 

Section 8:  Non-Attendance of Meetings 

All voting members of the SAC shall notify the Chairperson of an absence prior to the meeting. The non-attending member or other requested SAC member will take responsibility to notify and request from the active list of alternates, an alternate to attend in his/her place.  Students may consult with the student council advisor to find an alternate member. Parents may consult with the parent coordinator or principal to find an alternate member.

Section 9:  Alternates 

An active list of SAC alternates will be available to all members. The alternate list shall be comprised of at least one teacher, three students, three parents, one classified staff member and one administrative staff member to be selected as required in accordance with these Bylaws. When an alternate is in attendance as replacement for a regular voting member, the alternate will indicate this at the beginning of the meeting. 

• ARTICLE IV
  Officers

Section 1:  Officers 

The officers of the SAC shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and such other officers as the SAC may deem desirable. 

Section 2:  Election of Officers 

All officers shall be elected by voting members of the SAC by ballot at an election meeting to be held at the first meeting following completion of all elections as prescribed in Article III, Section 1, not to be later than October 1st.  New officers shall assume their duties at the close of the election meeting.  Should an officer resign before new elections are held, the Chairperson shall appoint a member in good standing to assume the office until the next regular meeting when the vacancy could be filled. 

Section 3:  Removal 

Any officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of all members sitting on the SAC whenever, in the judgment of the SAC, the best interests of the SAC would be served. 

Section 4:  Vacancy 

A vacancy in any office because of death, removal, disqualification, or otherwise shall, be filled by a special election at the next SAC meeting for the unexpired portion of the term. 

Section 5:  Chairperson 

The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the SAC, approve the agenda prior to its posting, and may sign all letters, reports, and other communications of the SAC. In addition, the chairperson shall perform all duties incident to the office of Chairperson and such other duties as may be prescribed by the SAC from time to time. 

Section 6:  Vice-Chairperson 

The duties of the Vice-Chairperson shall be to represent the chairperson in assigned duties and to substitute for the Chairperson during his or her absence, and the Vice-Chairperson shall perform such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the chairperson or by the SAC. 

Section 7:  Secretary 

The Secretary shall see to the keeping of the minutes of the meetings, both regular and special, and shall promptly transmit to each of the members, and to such other persons as the SAC may deem, true and correct copies of the minutes of such meetings; see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these bylaws; be custodian of the SAC records; keep a register of the address and telephone number of each member of the SAC which shall be furnished to the Secretary by such member; and, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of secretary and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to the office by the chairperson or by the SAC.

ARTICLE V
Committees

Section 1:  Standing and Special Committees

The SAC may from time to time establish and abolish such standing or special committees as it may desire. No standing or special committee may exercise the authority of the SAC. 

Section 2:  Membership 

Unless otherwise determined by the SAC in its decision to establish a committee, the Chairperson of the SAC shall appoint members to the various committees. 

Section 3:  Term of Office 

Each member of a committee shall continue as such for the term of his or her appointment and until his or her successor is appointed, unless the committee shall be sooner terminated or abolished, or unless such member shall cease to qualify as a member thereof. 

Section 4:  Rules 

Each committee may adopt rules for its own government not inconsistent with these bylaws or with rules adopted by the SAC or with policies of the governing board.

• ARTICLE VI
  Meetings of the School Advisory Council

Section 1:  Regular Meetings 

SAC shall meet regularly at least once per month while school is in session, unless the SAC by consensus that a monthly meeting is not necessary. 

Section 2:  Special Meetings 

Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson or by majority vote of the SAC. 

Section 3:  Place of Meetings 

The SAC shall hold its regular meetings and its special meetings in a facility provided by the school and readily accessible by all members of the public, including handicapped persons. 

Section 4:  Notice of Meetings 

Appropriate public notice shall be given of regular meetings at least forty-eight hours in advance of the meeting. Any change in the established date, time, or locations must be given special notice. All special meetings shall be publicized. Any required notice shall be in writing; shall state the day, hour, and location of the meeting; and shall be delivered either personally, by email or mail to each member not less than forty-eight hours prior to the date of such meeting. 

Section 5:  Decision of the School Advisory Council

All decisions of the SAC shall be made only after an affirmative vote of a majority of its members in attendance, provided a quorum is in attendance.  Should a voting dead-lock occur, the SAC must reconsider the issue at hand, as all decisions of the SAC require an affirmative vote of the majority of its members in attendance.

SAC shall submit decisions to the Green Dot Governing Board, as appropriate, for ratification. 

Section 6:  Quorum 

A majority of the authorized number of SAC members then in office constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. 

The Chairperson may cancel a meeting fifteen minutes after its designated start time, should a quorum not be established.  In the absence of quorum, the assembled members may vote to hold an informational meeting, but may not conduct business. 

Section 7:  Conduct of Meetings 

All regular and special meetings of the SAC shall be conducted in accordance with ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER or in accordance with an appropriate adaptation thereof. 

Section 8:  Public Participation 

All regular and special meetings of the SAC and of its standing or special committees shall be open to the public.  There shall be time allotted in each agenda for public address of the council. Further, the chairperson may recognize public guests during the course of the meeting.

• ARTICLE VII
  Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the SAC at any official meeting, and must be ratified annually. 

 

Rev. 06/2017