Article I Name of Organization The name of this organization will be the St. Andrews Elementary School of Math and Science, hereafter referred to as the council or SIC. Article II Purpose The purpose of the is to allow those closest to the students - parents and teachers - to make decisions to improve educational quality and student achievement in. South Carolina Act 135 established legal requirements for s. Building upon and extending the responsibilities of the s so that they will have greater authority and be more effective, the (SIC) will be empowered to address the needs and actions of school improvement at St. Andrews School of Math and Science. Article III Responsibilities and Duties The Early Childhood Development and Academic Assistance Act (Act 135) and the Education Accountability Act (EAA) specify roles and responsibilities for School Improvement Councils. In accordance with these laws, the roles and responsibilities of the SIC are to: 1. Participate in the development of the five-year school improvement plan. 2. Assist in the monitoring of the implementation of the plan and evaluation of the improvements and innovations. 3. Assist in the writing of the annual updates. 4. Advise on the spending of incentive funds if the school receives an award. 5. Write the report to the parents about the progress of the school and district to achieve the goals and objectives of the strategic plans. 6. Write the narrative to the School Report Card in conjunction with the principal. 7. Participate in the revision of the school improvement plan if the school is rated unsatisfactory on the School Report Card. Charleston County School District has identified additional responsibilities for School Improvement Councils in Policy # 1220R. In accordance with the Charleston County School District policy, the SIC will have these additional roles and responsibilities: Page 1 of 6 October 21, 2003
1. Make recommendations regarding a parental involvement networking plan for the purpose of insuring that all parents are informed about and have an opportunity for meaningful input into SIC decisions. 2. Make recommendations regarding a teacher involvement networking plan for the purpose of insuring that all teachers are informed about and have an opportunity for meaningful input into SIC decisions. 3. Annually review and make recommendations in any area of management as presented by the principal. 4. Annually review and assist in the development of the school discipline plan. 5. Review the results of the school climate surveys and make recommendations to the principal regarding improvement needs. 6. Gather feedback from the school community for the purpose of evaluating the SIC progress. 7. File a separate (minority) report to the school board if the council considers it necessary. The council will not have any powers and duties reserved by law or regulation to the local school board. Article IV Representation and Membership The SIC will be composed of at least 14 members: 1. Six parents of students in the school, elected by the parents of the students enrolled in the school. 2. Four teachers from the school, elected by the faculty. 3. Four ex-officio members to include the principal, assistant principal, lead teacher, and the president of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Other representatives of the community may be appointed by the principal. The principal may need to appoint additional members to ensure the council represents the school and the community as a whole. All such appointments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the council. All members of the council are voting members. Page 2 of 6 October 21, 2003
Article V Election and Appointment Procedures Elections of members to the council shall occur no later than May 15 of the preceding school year for terms to begin immediately for the subsequent year. Information about the upcoming election of parent representatives will be widely distributed and may include printed information in the school newsletter, inclusion in e-mail updates, posting on the school web site, and fliers sent home with the students. The SIC will formulate a question for each nominee to answer (e.g., What do you hope to accomplish if you are elected to the SIC?) and each nominee will provide a written response of 100 words or less. The responses will be distributed, along with an official ballot, to parents of all students enrolled at St. Andrews School of Math and Science. Each household will be allowed to complete one ballot, regardless of the number of children in the household who are enrolled at St. Andrews. Ballots will be returned to the school and counted by three members of the SIC. Newly elected members of the SIC will be notified before the council meeting in May so they may attend the meeting and participate in the election of officers. Teacher representatives to the council will be elected by the faculty during a regularly scheduled faculty meeting. The principal will make appointments within fourteen days of the elections upon approval by the newly elected council. Article VI Tenure All elected members of the council shall serve a term of two years. Parents of a student or students in their last year of enrollment at St. Andrews Elementary School of Math and Science may serve terms of one year only. Ex-officio members will serve one year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms a qualified individual may be elected to serve. Membership on the council will terminate when members: 1. No longer have a student enrolled in the school. 2. No longer holds a teaching position at the school. 3. Have missed three consecutive scheduled meetings without proper notice to the chairperson. 4. Submit a letter of resignation to the chairperson. Page 3 of 6 October 21, 2003
In the event of any of the above situations, the chairperson will appoint, in the case of elected members, the person with the next highest number of votes in the most recent election. In the case of an appointed member, the principal will select a replacement. With regard to the status of a member, elected or appointed, the replacement will not serve a full term, but finish the term of the person replaced. The council may establish committees made up of teachers, parents, business leaders, and other citizens to study specific issues and make recommendations to the council. These committees will not be permanent and will have no responsibilities beyond those outlined by the council when established. Article VII Officers The officers of the council will consist of a chairperson, and secretary. The officers will be elected annually by simple majority of the full council membership at a meeting to occur before the end of the current school year, after the election of new members. Exofficio members are not eligible to be an officer of the council. Article VIII Duties of Officers The chairperson will preside at all meetings and have general supervision of the activities of the council. The chairperson will work with the principal in planning and directing the activities of the council and monitoring committee progress. Specific duties of the chairperson include: 1. prepare an agenda, in consultation with the principal, for all council meetings and arrange for the agenda to be mailed to each member approximately one week before each meeting 2. modify the agenda if it is determined to be in the best interest of the council s work. 3. appoint temporary or standing committees as needed 4. serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. 5. Set the schedule of meetings for the year, for inclusion in the school calendar. 6. Act as spokesperson for the SIC when working with the faculty, parent or community groups, and the district staff. 7. Sign documents assuring SIC participation, such as the annual report to the parents and the budget submitted to the State Department of Education for incentive award expenditures. Page 4 of 6 October 21, 2003
The secretary is responsible for: 1. Keeping a full and accurate account of the proceedings and transactions of all council meetings. 2. Providing a copy of the minutes to the council members, all faculty members, the school governance council district contact person, and/or other appropriate district administrative staff within one week of the last meeting. 3. Preparing any official correspondence that the chairperson may request. 4. Maintaining a council file in the school s administrative offices containing copies of all minutes, council correspondence, the annual school improvement report, the annual summary report, and the current council bylaws. 5. Maintaining a listing of the council membership with current telephone numbers and addresses. Article IX Meetings The council will meet monthly, typically in the school media center. The schedule of meeting dates will be listed in the school calendar. Special meetings may be called by the principal or chairperson as long as all council members are notified of the meeting at least 24 hours in advance. The first council meeting will be in May of each year following the election of new members to the council. Election of officers will take place at this time. A simple majority of the council membership will constitute a quorum if at least one parent and one teacher representative are present. Council decisions should be made by consensus. If voting becomes necessary, a simple majority will be sufficient for a vote on any issue. All council meetings are open to the public and anyone showing an interest in the council and its activities will be encouraged to attend. Persons interested in presenting at a council meeting may be put on the agenda at the council s discretion. Article X Training Annual training sessions are to be held by the Charleston County School District and should be attended by all SIC members, if possible. These training sessions are to cover the following topics: 1. SIC and legislative issues 2. Composition and membership Page 5 of 6 October 21, 2003
3. Election process of SICs 4. SIC roles and responsibilities 5. Finance and budget 6. Data analysis 7. School leadership 8. Running effective meetings 9. Teambuilding 10. Restoring and building trust In addition, council members may attend school improvement council workshops sponsored by the Professional Development Section of the State Department of Education, or Assistance (SICA) in the University of South Carolina s College of Education. The principal will share information on school activities, successes, and concerns with council members. Training and technical assistance is available from the district, the State Department of Education, and SICA. Article XI Amendments These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the council by a two-thirds vote of those present provided that the specific amendments have been introduced at a prior meeting, included in the minutes of that meeting, and are listed on the agenda for the current meeting. Page 6 of 6 October 21, 2003