Project #2: School Site Council
Overview of School Site Council
The School Site Council is a decision making body that makes recommendations about spending categorical funds. The council consist of five parents, three teachers, one classified staff member, and the principal. Council members have an “open door” policy and invite all stakeholders to attend meetings which are held on the last Tuesday of every month from 2:40pm-3:40pm.
Role as a School Site Council Member
At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, the school site council sat down and had a meeting that was devoted to reviewing the Single Plan For Student Achievement, or SPSA. The principal had informed the council that additional Title I Funds were available for spending. School Site Council collaboratively used the 2014-2015 SPSA to guide our discussions and to ensure decisions were made to yield optimum educational trajectories for all students along with creating inclusive relationships with parents.
As an elected member of the site council, I bring up questions, concerns, request, or problems from teachers at my school site. I act as a representative or provide a voice for the teaching staff when voting on or discussing school issues. I’m also responsible for disseminating site council news and talking point to teachers. I explained to the school site the importance of teachers professional development due to the needed pedagogy shifts brought on by Common Core State Standards. Referencing the SPSA, I advocated for continuous investment in technology to provide equal access for students in grades K-5. As a member of the Site Council, I collaboratively evaluated expenditures of Categorical Funds SO46 and their direct impact on student learning which led me to advocate for equitable distribution of teacher aides (TA’s). Due to a shift in council members (term limits), data was, again, analyzed, evaluated, and explained around student trajectories impacted by saturday school, teacher assistants, and a full time PSA counselor. (Include Student Parent Compact revision)
Since the beginning of the school year, I have continuously met with the Site Council to discuss and analyze school-wide priorities in relation to equitable distribution of resources and additional Title I funds received from the local school district. As a direct result, the council approved the purchase of two laptop carts which contained thirty-two laptop computers with the idea of each grade level having access to technology. In addition, teacher assistants’ time was equally distributed as opposed to being concentrated in one grade level. We also meet to ensure decisions made are based on the council’s goals that maximizes students’ learning outcomes as well as the district’s goals for parental involvement and student achievement.
Reflection
Being an elected member of the School Site Council (SSC) is one of the most powerful positions a teacher, parent, or classified staff could have because we are there to represent all stakeholders. I came to the site council with an understanding of the Single Plan For Student Achievement (SPSA) and learned how to use data in the SPSA to engage in discourse around budgetary decisions that maximize categorical dollars and yields optimum educational trajectories for all students. What was equally as important to me as school leader was actively listening to, valuing, and forging relationships with parents. One parent was the council’s secretary, another was the parliamentarian, and the English Language Advisory (ELAC) representative. They have a multitude of ideas that could be harvested to add to maximizing educational outcomes. Although language barriers existed, it did not prevent us from eliminating walls of hierarchy to collaboratively working together to make decisions addressing the academic needs of all students.
Two learnings emerged from being part of a decision making body: the need of having a system in place that immediately addresses the recommendations of the English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) that was not already being addressed because the Site Council need clarification of what was being asked in the recommendation. In addition, the need to be explicitly transparent about the programs, interventions, workshops in place at the school site. As a school leader, I would advocate for School Site Council to invite ELAC parents to a meeting where we could engage in discourse around their recommendations and take immediately action if necessary as opposed to waiting another month for the next SSC meeting. In addition to sending a reminder home, I would have a parent bulletin board containing information about programs (for parents or students), intervention, and workshops located in a high traffic area in which parents could reference if papers are displaced. Lastly as a school leader, I would hold quarterly informational sessions about resources offered to parents, students, or families.
School Site Council Anecdotal Notes Oct. 28
School Site Council Anecdotal Notes Nov. 18
School Site Council Minutes Nov. 18
CAPE’s Addressed
CAPE 1:Developing and Articulating a Vision of Teaching and Learning for the School Consistent with the Local Education Agency’s Overall Vision and Goals by revisiting and revising the Single Plan for Student Achievement
CAPE 2:Developing a shared commitment to the vision among all members of the school community by revising reviewing the Single Plan for Students Achievement and Student Parent Compact for revisions and Editing.
CAPES 3:Leading by Example to Promote Implementation of the Vision by leading the council in keeping at the forefront of all decisions to being "how do the decisions we make positively impact student learning?" and referencing the Single Plan for Student Achievement as decisions are being made.
CAPE 4:Sharing Leadership with Others in the School Community to analyze and evaluate the Single Plan for Student Achievement and making decisions that impact student achievement.
CAPE 9:Working with Others to Identify Student and School needs by working collaboratively with parents, classified staff, parent advisory committee, and the principal to ensure that students and schools needs are met .
CAPE 11:Identifying and Using Available Human, Fiscal, and Material Resources to Implement the Schools Growth plan by suggesting to council that Teacher Assistants be equitably distributed throughout the upper grades or shared amongst the school to provide assistance for those classes with 30 plus students. In addition to suggest that additional monies be allocated towards the use of technology to move students receiving a 21st Century education.
CAPE 12:Instituting a Collaborative, Ongoing Process of Monitoring and Revising the Growth Plan Based on Student Outcomes by meeting the last Tuesday of every month. Additional monies from various accounts become available throughout the year. As this occurs, the council meet and return to our needs assessments, data, ELAC recommendations, and the Single Plan for Student Achievement to ensure our decisions is directly in alignment with meeting the needs of ALL students that yields optimum outcomes.
CAPE 16:Understanding and Managing the Complex Interaction of All of the School’s Systems to Promote Teaching and Learning by ensuring all council members understand that the Single Plan for Student Achievement is a federally mandated living document that is used to comprehensively review data and the development of action necessary to achieve school goals, address funding and proposed expenditures related to state and federal categorical programs, and develop the Home-School Compact.
CAPE 17:Develop, Implement, and Monitor the School’s Budget by conducting a needs assessment surveys from parents, classified staff, and certificated staff; using school data determine key purchases that are in alignment with the Single Plan for Student Achievement and recommendations brought forth by the English Learner Advisory Committee
CAPE 18: Implementing California Laws, Guidelines, and other Relevant Federal, State, and Local Requirements and Regulations while creating a budget that promotes optimum trajectories for ALL students and meets the needs of the school while tending to federal mandates.
CAPES 20:Involving the Community in Helping Achieve the School's Vision and Goals by listening to, considering, and acting on ELAC school recommendations.
