MOUNTAIN PARK ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL COUNCIL
BYLAWS
Article I: Name
A school council has
been established in the
Article
II: Purpose
The establishment of
school councils is intended to help local boards of education by bringing
parents and the community together with teachers and school administrators to
create a better understanding of and mutual respect for each other’s concerns
and share ideas for school improvement.
School councils shall represent the community of parents and businesses.
The members of the
school council are accountable to the constituents they serve and shall:
1.
Maintain
a school-wide perspective on issues;
2.
Regularly
participate in school council meetings;
3.
Participate
in information and training programs;
4.
Act as a
link between the school council and the community;
5.
Encourage
the participation of parents and others within the school community; and
6.
Work to
improve student achievement and performance.
Article
III: School Council Authority
The school council
shall advise and make recommendations to the principal, local board of
education and local school superintendent on matters relating to school improvement
and student achievement.
The school council
shall participate in the selection of the school principal in accordance with
the written policy of the local board of education.
The school council
shall review and approve the school improvement plan.
The school council
shall review school site budget and expenditure information, and site average
class sizes by grade.
The school council
has the authority to appoint committees, study groups, or task forces for such
purposes as it deems helpful and may utilize existing or new school advisory
groups.
The school council
shall have the same immunity as the local board of education in all matters
directly related to the functions of the school council.
Article
IV: Role of the School Council
The school council
provides advice and recommendations to the school principal and, when
appropriate, the local board of education school superintendent, on any matter
related to student achievement and school improvement, including but not
limited to, the following:
1.
School
board policies;
2.
School
improvement plans;
3.
Curriculum
and assessments;
4.
Report
cards issued or audits of the school conducted by the Office of Student
Achievement;
5.
Development
of a school profile which shall contain data as identified by the school
council to describe the academic performance, academic progress, services
awards, interventions, environment, and other such data as the school council
deems appropriate;
6.
School
budget priorities, including school capital improvement plans;
7.
School-community
communication strategies;
8.
Methods
of involving parents and the community;
9.
Extracurricular
activities in the school;
10.
School-based
and community services;
11.
Community
use of school facilities;
12.
Student
discipline and attendance;
13.
Reports
from the principal regarding progress toward the school’s student achievement
goals, including progress within specific grade levels and subject areas and by
school personnel; and
14.
The
method and specifications for the delivery of early intervention services or
other appropriate services for underachieving students.
Article V: Membership
Membership on the school council shall be
open to principals, teachers, parents, business representatives and other such
members as the school council may specify in its bylaws. Members of the school council shall not
receive compensation to serve on a school council. Members of the school council shall include:
1. Two-Three
parents or guardians of students enrolled in the school, excluding parents or
guardians who are also employees of the school.
2.
Two
businesspersons who are also parents of Mountain Park Elementary students.
3.
Two
certified teachers who are employed at least four of the six school segments at
the school excluding any personnel employed in administrative positions;
4.
The
school principal.
Article
VI: Terms
Council members
shall be elected for two year staggered terms.
Council members may serve more than one term.
Article
VII: Elections
Elections shall take
place in April.
The electing body
for the parent members shall consist of all parents and guardians eligible to
serve as a parent member of the school council.
The electing body
for the teacher members shall consist of all certificated personnel eligible to
serve as a teacher member of the school council.
The businesspersons
shall be selected in the following manner:
Volunteers will be solicited from the Roswell Business Community. The LSAC will make the final selection based
on the volunteers.
Article
VIII: Vacancies
The position of a
school council member shall be automatically vacated if:
1.
A member
resigns by delivering a written resignation to the school council;
2.
A member
no longer meets the qualifications specified by law; or
3.
A member
is removed by an action of the school council.
The school council
may by a majority vote determine a position vacant if it finds that a member of
the council is no longer active in the council due to inactivity (absent 50% of
yearly meetings). The effective date of
a vacancy shall be determined by the school council.
An election within
the electing body for a replacement to fill the remainder of an unexpired term
shall be held within 30 days, unless there are 90 calendar days or less
remaining in the term in which case the vacancy shall remain unfilled.
Article
IX: Meetings
All meetings of the
council shall be open to the public. The
school council shall meet five times annually.
The council shall also meet at the call of the chairperson or at the
request of a majority of the members of the school council.
Notice by mail or
e-mail shall be sent to school council members at least seven days prior to a
meeting and shall include the date, time and location of the meeting. School councils shall be subject to the Open
Meetings Act in the same manner as local boards of education.
The school council
secretary shall be responsible for notifying, in writing, the local newspaper
designated as the legal organ of the county of any and all meetings of the
school council at least twenty-four hours in advance of the meeting.
A quorum must be
present in order to conduct official school council business. A quorum is comprised of a majority of school
council members. Every question shall be
determined by a majority vote of members present. Each member of the school council is
authorized to exercise one vote. Proxy
votes are not allowed. Members must be
present in order to vote.
Article X: Minutes
School councils
shall be subject to the Opens Records Act, relating to the inspection of public
records, in the same manner as local boards of education. A summary of the subjects acted on and the
members present at the meeting of the school council shall be made available to
the public for inspection at the school office within two business days of the
meeting. The minutes shall be provided
to the school council members, each of whom shall receive a copy of such minutes,
within 20 days following each school council meeting. The official minutes shall be open to public
inspection once approved by the school council immediately following the next
regular meeting of the school council.
Minutes at a minimum
shall include the names of the school council members present at the meeting, a
description of each motion or other proposal made, and a record of all votes.
In the case of a roll-call vote, the name of each school council member voting
for or against a proposal or abstaining shall be recorded. In all other votes, it shall be presumed that
the action taken was approved by each person in attendance unless the minutes
reflect the name of the persons voting against the proposal or abstaining.
Article
XI: Officers of the School Council
The officers of the
school council shall be a chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary. Officers of the school council shall be
elected at the first meeting of the school council following the election of
school council members. The term of the
officers of the school council shall be one year.
The chairperson
shall develop the agenda for all meetings, preside at all meetings of the
school council, and perform such other duties as required by law or as shall be
requested by the school council.
The vice chairperson
shall, in the absence of the chairperson, perform the duties and exercise the
powers of the chairperson and shall perform such other duties as shall be
requested by the school
council.
The secretary shall
act as the clerk of the school council, record all votes and minutes of all
proceedings, give notice of all meetings of the school council, and shall
perform such other duties as may be required by law or as shall be requested by
the school council.
Article
XII: Duties of the Principal
The school principal
shall have the following duties pertaining to school councils.
1.
Cause to
be created a school council by convening the appropriate bodies to select
school council members; setting the initial agenda, meeting time, and location;
and notifying all school council members of the same.
2.
Call
meetings of the electing bodies after providing public notice at least two
weeks before such meetings.
3.
Communicate
all school council requests for information and assistance to the local school
superintendent and inform the school council of responses or actions of the
local school superintendent;
4.
Develop
the school improvement plan and school operation plan and submit the plans to
the school council for its review; comments, recommendations, and approval;
5.
Provide
progress reports regarding the school’s student achievement goals; and
6.
Perform
all of the duties required by law and the bylaws of the council.
Article
XIII: Board of Education
Responsibilities
The local board of
education shall provide all information not specifically made confidential by
law, including but not limited to school site budget and expenditure
information and site average class sizes by grade, to the school council as
requested or as required by state law or state board rule.
The local board shall
designate an employee of the school system to attend school council meetings as
requested by a school council for the purpose of responding to questions the
school council may have concerning information provided to it by the local
board or actions taken by the local board.
The central administration shall respond to requests for information
from a school council.
The local board of
education shall receive and consider all recommendations of the school council,
including the annual report as follows:
1.
Public
notice shall be given to the community of the local board’s intent to consider
school council reports or recommendations;
2.
Written
notice shall be given to the members of the school council at least seven days
prior to such local board meeting along with a notice of intent to consider a
school council report or recommendation;
3.
The
member of the school council shall be afforded an opportunity to present
information in support of the school council’s report or recommendation; and
4.
The local
board of education shall respond to each recommendation of the school council
within 60 calendar days after being notified of the recommendations.
The local board of
education shall provide a training program to assist schools in forming a
school council and to assist school council members in the performance of their
duties. Such program shall address the
organization of school councils; their purpose and responsibilities; applicable
laws, rules, regulations and meeting procedures; important state and local
school system program requirements; and a model school council organization
plan.
Additional training
programs shall be offered to school council members annually.
Article
XIV: Bylaws
The school council
shall adopt the bylaws as it deems appropriate to conduct the business of the
school council. The adoption of bylaws
or changes thereto requires two-thirds affirmative votes.
Article
XV: Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of
Order, Newly Revised shall be the governing
parliamentary authority for school councils in all cases applicable but not
inconsistent with these bylaws.
