Grand Ridge Elementary Site Council By-Laws and Operating Principles
Mission Statement: Reach Far, Be Grand
May 18, 2006
The members of the Grand Ridge Site Council (GRSC) will:
The Council will be made up of the following:
Parents (5 total, 2 year term for those elected, 1 year for PTSA officer)
4 parents elected by the Site Council process
1 PTSA Officer selected by the PTSA Executive Board
Staff (5 total, 2 year term)
4 Teachers representing Grades K-5 selected by school staff
1 Classified representative selected by the school staff
Community (1 total, 1 year term with option for an additional year)
1 community representative selected by the Site Council
Administration (1 total, indefinite term)
1 School Principal
In the spring of each year vacancies on the council will be advertised and interested parents and staff will be invited to submit an application. The community member will be selected in the fall of the school year. All applicants will go through a screening process performed by the Selection Committee. The first year the selection committee will be comprised of the principal and 4 Core Team members (2 Grand Ridge Elementary staff members and 2 parents). In subsequent years, the selection committee will be made up of the principal, two staff members and two parents from within the Site Council. This process will be designed to ensure that applicants meet the criteria outlined below. After screening, all qualified nominees will be put in a pool and selected via a lottery process to occur during a Site Council meeting.
The prospective Site Council member should meet the following criteria:
· Leadership potential. Each member would be willing to share the role of facilitator, secretary, recorder, time keeper, and sub-committee member.
· School wide focus. Each member must be able to place individual concerns aside in order to support the good of the whole.
· Each member will display strong communication skills (good listener, paraphrasing, asking questions, etc.)
· Each member will have the available time and commitment to attend all meetings.
· Each member will commit to support council decisions – once the GRSC has voted, the membership shall support the decision.
Each member will serve on the GRSC for a 2-year term (except the principal which is indefinite and the community member which is 1 year), except the first year of existence, when ½ of the GRSC will be elected for a 1 year term and half for a two year term. This will provide for a rotation of GRSC members that shall not exceed half the members at any one time. Positions that are vacated prematurely or are needed to maintain continuity will be replaced by appointment of the GRSC. There is a one consecutive term limit on the number of terms a Site Council member may choose to apply for a position on the council.
The Site Council requires the resignation and replacement of any member who does not attend two successive meetings without communication to the chairperson or making prior arrangements to accommodate for their absence.
The GRSC will meet once a month. Meeting times will be scheduled by the council at the beginning of each school year.
To be decided at the first Site Council meeting in September of each year.
A co-chairperson format will be utilized. The principal (or a designee) and a parent will share the responsibilities. The parent co-chair will be selected from among the GRSC members by the council by the first meeting of the year.
· Develop agenda
· Manage meeting process (Roberts Rules of Order)
· Monitor group behavior with agreed upon norms
· Distribute copies of minutes, agendas and other communications to GRSC members
· Maintain the official Grand Ridge Site Council notebook
· Post agenda of upcoming meeting on Community Board
· Ensure the achievement of GRSC goals
The recorder will be selected and shared among the GRSC members; each member will be responsible for one meeting during the year.
· Record minutes of the Site Council meetings and forward to co-chairs
Componets may include:
· Brainstorming
· Clarification and Discussion (time frame established)
o “Fist of Five” (closed fist indicates no support, ranging to 5 fingers which indicates total support)
o Any member may call for a “fist of five” when he/she fees that solutions have been sufficiently defined and discussed.
· Decision
o Concensus is the goal
o When the question is called, 80% majority carries
Quorum – 75% of the members must be present to conduct business.
Voting – 2/3 majority of the members present is needed to pass a motion.
Appeal Process – 75 % of the Site Council membership must agree for a decision to be reconsidered in the same school year.
Any community or staff member may attend a Site Council meeting. Those visiting the Site Council meetings may have input in the meetings by filling out a Site Councile Action Request. This form is to be turned into the Site Council mailbox not later than 2 days before the scheduled Site Council meeting. The chairperson will inform the visiting presenter of the time limit before the meeting. Site Council members can address the visitor for clarification or input (not for debate/discussion) after the speaker has finished.
The GRSC will maintain open communication with the public through the following means:
· Grand Ridge Newsletter
· Site Council Notebook
· Community Bulletin Board
· Grand Ridge and ISD websites
· PTSA meeting (site council report)
· Site Council Action Request forms are available to encourage parents, staff, and community input
· Tentative agendas of upcoming meetings and meeting schedules will be posted on community board
· Public input is welcome at the beginning of each meeting (10 minutes total, 2 minutes per person)
· Representatives contact information will be posted for constituents
· Minutes will be posted electronically and on the community board
· A brief synopsis of meeting minutes will be placed in Grand Ridge newsletter following each meeting and sent to local newspapers.
Site Council By-Laws can be changed at the first meeting of the school year.
Updated 5/15/06