John D. Philbrick Elementary School
School-Site Council Bylaws
Approved Winter, 2011
Article I
Name, Purpose, and Authority
Name: The name of the School-Site Council (SSC) shall be the John D. Philbrick School SSC.
Purpose: The purpose of the SSC shall be to serve as the central governing body of the school under the school-based management/shared decision-making model.
Authority: The SSC shall be established and conduct its affairs in conformance with Article III “School-Based Management and Shared Decision Making,” contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (Agreement) between the Boston School Committee (BSC) and the Boston Teachers Union (BTU).
Article II
SSC Members, Terms, and Meeting
Number: The number of members and composition of the SSC shall be consistent with the provisions of Article III of the Agreement and with the guidelines contained in the Deputy Superintendent’s Memorandum, “Establishment of School-Site Councils.” The number of parents elected to the SSC shall equal the number of professional educators, including the Principal elected to the Council.
Recruitment and Election of SSC Members: Representatives of the SSC shall be elected as early in the school year as possible and the first SSC meeting held no later than October 31st.
SSC recruitment and election procedures will be designed to ensure that parent and BTU representatives reflect the racial/ethnic diversity of the school community. Under the Agreement, the following racial/ethnic groups shall be recognized in the election and the composition of the School Site Council: African American/Black, American Indian, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and White. SSC recruitment and election procedures will also ensure the election of parent and BTU representatives who are involved with both regular education and special education.
In order to ensure a fully representative slate of SSC candidates for election, outgoing SSC members as well as the Philbrick administration will engage in concerted outreach and recruitment efforts especially to members of historically underrepresented populations. These outreach and recruitment efforts may include informational meetings at schools or homes specifically for families of color, families with children who are English Language Learners (ELLs), and families with children receiving special education services. Outreach and recruitment may also occur through personal contacts, flyers in multiple languages, and other means.
Parents and BTU representatives who are interested in running for a SSC slot will be invited to nominate themselves or be nominated by others up until the commencement of the election. Separate parent and BTU elections will be held no later than October 15th. An interest form will be sent to all families before elections and will be available the night of the SSC election. Anyone interested in running for a SSC seat must fill out an interest form prior the commencement of the election. Nominees will be invited to speak on their own behalf for no more than two minutes at the election; they may also ask someone to speak on their behalf or send in a statement to be read aloud if they are unable to attend the election in person.
Election of SSC members shall be by secret ballot.
Normally, the top vote getters will be seated as SSC representatives, with the next two being designated as alternates. Once SSC parent representatives and alternates have been elected, however, the racial/ethnic balance will be compared to the Philbrick’s student demographics. If there is any racial/ethnic group that constitutes 30% or more of the student population but has no parent representative to the SSC, then an elected alternate or representative from an over-represented group will be asked to step aside (i.e. whoever received the lowest number of votes who is a member of an overrepresented group). If one or more parents from the missing group ran for the seat, then the top vote getter from that group will be seated as an alternate. If no parent from the missing group ran for SSC, then a special election will be held to ensure the election of at least one member of the excluded group. The same shall be true if there is no representative who is a special education teacher or parent of a child who receives special education services.
Principal: The Principal shall automatically be a member of the SSC by virtue of his/her position and shall serve as one of the two Co-Chairpersons.
BTU Representatives: An election of BTU bargaining unit representatives to the Council shall be held in the fall. The election process as defined in Article III of the Agreement shall be used for the election of BTU representatives to the Council.
Parent Representatives: On or before October 1st, the SSC shall schedule a parent orientation session. The purpose of the session shall be:
- To orient new parents to the school;
- To inform all parents about the school’s programs;
- To publicize the SSC and its activities; and
- To encourage parents from a diverse array of families to stand for election to the SSC.
At least one week’s notice shall be given to parents for the orientation session.
As noted above, the SSC may also choose to schedule additional formal and informal outreach sessions to families from historically underrepresented groups. Notice should be given to families in a timely manner.
Parent representatives shall be elected from among parents of students currently enrolled in the school. The Principal shall assist the School Parent Council (SPC) and other parent organizations at the school in organizing and running the election of parent representatives that shall be held after the election of BTU representatives.
Associate Members: The SSC shall elect individuals to serve as associate members. Associate members shall not have voting rights, but shall have voice in Council deliberations, including the making of motions, and shall otherwise participate in SSC meetings and activities. The number of associate members shall not comprise more than fifty percent (50%) of the total SSC membership.
Alternate Members: Parent and BTU Alternate members shall be elected by their constitute group. Alternates shall be voting members at meetings where their presence is necessary to have a quorum. Similar attention to racial, ethnic, and regular/special education diversity will be paid to the election of Alternate Members as to the election of SSC Members.
Terms of Office:Terms of office shall be 2 years, with staggered terms: i.e., half of the BTU membership and half of the Parent membership shall be replaced or reelected each year. The two-year appointment term will commence in Fall 2010. Two BTU members will be elected for one-year terms and 3 for 2-year terms (so as to establish the staggered terms). Likewise, 2 Parent members will be elected for one-year terms and 2 for two-year terms.
SSC Members will be eligible to run again at the end of their term, with the understanding that it is expected that each year a new member will replace at least one parent and one BTU member. In recognition of the Philbrick’s small size, however, it may be that the BTU membership will be replaced less frequently (i.e. that both BTU members may run for reelection and be reelected in a particular year).
Vacancy: Alternates shall be used to fill vacancies created by resignation or removal of an SSC member. We will attempt to retain racial, ethnic, and regular/special education diversity in filling vacancies with alternates.
Regular meetings:Regular meetings of the SSC shall be held monthly at such times and place as shall be fixed by the consensus of the SSC.
Notice of Meetings: SSC meetings are subject to the State Open Meeting Law, which requires posting of each meeting notice at least 48 hours prior to the meeting at a public place. In addition, the SSC shall provide all faculty and parents with a listing of all meetings for the year and the school community will be informed of SSC actions.
Quorum: To constitute a quorum of members at a Council meeting, the Principal must be present as well as at least two teachers and two parents for Councils with 9 to 12 voting members or at least 3 teachers and 3 parents for Councils with 13 or more voting members.
Resignation: Any SSC member may resign at any time by delivering his/her resignation in writing to the SSC Co-Chairpersons. Such resignation shall be effective upon receipt and acceptance thereof shall not be necessary to make it effective unless it so states.
Absences:If a member knows he/she will be absent from a regular scheduled meeting, he/she will contact the school office, the Co-Chairs, and /or designated alternates at least 24 hours in advance. If a member is absent from 2 or more meetings without contacting an alternate, that member shall be removed from the Council by majority vote of the SSC and be permanently replaced by an alternate.
Article III
Officers
Officers: The officers of the SSC shall be two Co-Chairpersons, a clerk, a Communications Liaison and such other officers as the members may from time to time determine.
Election of Officers: The Principal shall serve as one of the Co-Chairpersons of the Council. All other officers shall be elected by the members at the first fall meeting of the SSC held after the fall SSC member election. With the exception of the Principal, the officers shall serve a term of one year, or until his/her successor shall be elected.
Co-Chairpersons: The Co- Chairpersons shall preside at all meetings of the SSC unless they otherwise designate other members to preside. The Co-Chairpersons shall perform and oversee the duties and tasks necessary for the effective functioning of the SSC including, but not limited to, development and distribution of meeting agenda, giving notice of SSC meetings, serving on subcommittees, and providing timely information to SSC members about the school budget, personnel, and programs. The Co-Chairpersons shall also perform such other duties, as the SSC shall from time to time designate.
Clerk/Communications Liaison: The SSC has determined that we will rotate taking meeting minutes and sign up for such duties during the first SSC meeting of the year. Meeting minutes will then be distributed to the wider school community via paper copies, electronically and posted on the informational bulletin board in the front hallway.
Article IV
Committees of the SSC
Committees of the SSC:The SSC may elect from their own members or otherwise as they may determine, committees to undertake tasks in behalf of the SSC. The number, powers, and term of any such committee shall be determined by the SSC.
Personnel Subcommittee: The SSC shall establish a Personnel Subcommittee for the purposes required in the Article of the BPS/BTU Bargaining Agreement Contract. The actions of the Personnel Subcommittee while not subject to the approval of the SSC must nevertheless report to the SSC at the regular meeting.
Article V
Bylaw Approval and Amendments
These bylaws shall be approved and/or amended by two-thirds of BTU members in the school eligible to vote and by two-thirds of the parents who are present at a parent meeting. There must be at least two weeks notice for the parent meeting. The Bylaws may be approved at the same time that the SSC elections are held.
By signing below, I agree and thus approve the John D. Philbrick’s School Site Council By-laws:
BTU Members:Parent Members:
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The John D. Philbrick’s School Site Council By-Laws were approved on ______.