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Littleton Public Schools Regulation |
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Policy Code ABA-R Policy Name Public Involvement in Decision June 1, 1993 March 11, 1999 |
School Accountability Committees
These regulations shall serve as guidelines for the operation of school accountability committees and are intended to enhance the effectiveness of the school accountability process. This regulation establishes the parameters for committee operation with regard to:
· Bylaws
ü Selection of Members
ü Term of Membership
ü Resignation and Filling Vacancies
ü Offices
ü Meetings
ü Decision Making/Voting
ü Amendment of Bylaws
· Communications
· Training
· Review Process
Bylaws
Bylaws for school accountability committees shall be established at each school site. In addition to the guidelines in Policy ABA, the bylaws shall include:
Ÿ Selection of Members
Each school shall have a nomination process that allows any member of the school community who is not also a member of that school’s staff to apply for a position on the committee as a parent or nonparent community member. It should also allow for the recruitment and appointment of members when the number of applicants is insufficient to fill the spaces in each group. Nonparent community members may be nominated by any group member and voted on by the committee.
Each school shall have a nomination and election process that allows staff (licensed and classified) and students (if appropriate) of each school to participate on the School Accountability Committee. In the event insufficient applications are received, each school shall develop their own procedure for selecting staff and student members to participate.
Prospective members of the School Accountability Committee will be placed in nomination and elected by the people they represent (staff by staff, parents by parents). Schools shall actively attempt to recruit nonstaff members to provide for diversity of backgrounds, e.g., gender, ethnicity, experience, and viewpoints. To that end, each school shall develop methods to advertise for participation on the committee. A process should be employed that allows for an election to be conducted by closed ballot. Eligible voters for nonstaff parent positions shall be parents or guardians of enrolled students. No other criteria for eligibility shall be considered.
Ÿ Term of Membership
The term of membership shall be no more than three (3) years and shall provide for staggered membership with a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms to be served.
Ÿ Resignation and Filling Vacancies
Whenever possible, vacancies shall be filled by representatives from the same constituency. In the event insufficient applications are received for the vacancy, each school shall develop their own procedure for selecting staff and student members to fill the vacancy. The voting/selection process shall be determined on site. Replacement of members shall be determined by the School Accountability Committee.
Ÿ Officers
Officers shall be determined by the School Accountability Committee but, at a minimum, will have a chairperson and secretary.
Ÿ Meetings
Meetings shall abide by the state open meetings law and Board policy. Each school shall institute a practice of providing written notice of meetings by posting the agenda at the particular school in a prominent and consistent place for easy viewing no less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. Schools will also institute a consistent practice of communicating notice of such meetings and shall distribute the minutes after each meeting. All meetings of school accountability committees shall be open to the public for observation, and provide an opportunity for school community members to address the School Accountability Committee.
Meetings will convene on an average no less than once per month during the school year (September–May), be held on established annual meeting dates, and at times that are convenient to the majority of committee members.
Ÿ Decision Making
School accountability committees shall determine if and what issues require a vote or a consensus and include the procedures for voting in the bylaws. All decisions of the committee will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
Ÿ Amendment of Bylaws
Notice of potential changes of the bylaws will be distributed to the parents and staff and made available to the school community. All changes require a two-thirds vote of the school accountability committees for passage. All other procedures for the amendment of bylaws shall be developed by the School Accountability Committee.
Communications
Decisions of the School Accountability Committee will be communicated to the public regularly. Exhibit ABA-E, “Guiding Questions for Seeking Input for Decision Making,” may be used as one resource. Any official communication of the committee will be approved by the building principal prior to publication.
Training
Effective group decision-making skills and an understanding of both Policy ABA, ABA-R, Public Involvement in Decision Making, and the School District are essential to the success of each school accountability committee. It will be the responsibility of the Superintendent to ensure annually that all District and building administrators and school accountability committees have received appropriate training regarding the administration of this regulation. The District Accountability Committee (DAC) will assist District administrators in developing a training program.
Review Process
If decisions, made under the provisions of Board Policy ABA and ABA-R on decision making, are not acceptable, requests for review of the decision shall be handled according to the provisions of Board Policies KL—Public Concerns/Complaints, KCB and KCB-R—Review of Decisions at Request of Community Members. The Board of Education has the right and responsibility to decide which requests it will hear.