Okaloosa County School District School Advisory Council: The Nuts and Bolts 2017-18 Welcome to the Okaloosa School District School Advisory Council Training. As you prepare to participate in this activity, please make sure you have your training packet handy for easy reference. 1

Your OCSD SAC Contacts: District Point of Contact: Denise McLaughlin 833-3385 denise.mclaughlin@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us SAC Process Manager: Linda Pinkert 833-4208 pinkertl@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us Thank you for serving on your school’s advisory council. The decisions you help make for your school will certainly benefit the students and positively affect their academic achievement. Denise McLaughlin is the district-level School Advisory Council contact. As the year progresses, should you have any SAC questions or concerns you or the other members of your council can not answer, feel free to contact her at 833-3385 or via email. Again, welcome to the School Advisory Council team. Let’s get started. 2

OCSD Vision and Mission Vision Statement: We inspire a lifelong passion for learning.   Mission: We prepare all students to achieve excellence by providing the highest quality education while empowering each individual to positively impact their families, communities, and the world. As a member of the School Advisory Council you should seek to embrace and support the vision and mission of the district

OCSD Core Values Accountability: We, working in conjunction with students’ families, accept responsibility to ensure student learning, to pursue excellence, and to hold high standards for all. Citizenship: We prepare all students to exercise the duties, rights, and privileges of being a citizen in a local community and global society. Excellence: We pursue the highest academic, extracurricular, and personal/professional standards through continuous reflection and improvement. Integrity: We embrace a culture in which individuals adhere to exemplary standards and act honorably. Personal Growth: We promote the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and experience to develop individuals with the aspiration, perseverance, and resilience to be lifelong learners. Respect: We show regard and consideration for all through a culture of dignity, diversity, and empathy. Leadership: We provide guidance and direction to accomplish tasks while being a moral compass to others. In addition, you should familiarize yourself with the district’s core values, promoting these values within yourselves and within the school community you support.

Today’s Objectives Examine the statutory requirements of a school advisory council Explore duties of the School Advisory Council Examine how a council operates: Membership selection/election Bylaws, meeting requirements Meeting documentation Sunshine Laws and Robert’s Rules of Order Explore resources to assist the work of the School Advisory Council In today’s activity, we will cover the following content with the expectation of helping you learn what a School Advisory Council is, what its functions are, and who serves on the council. 5

School Advisory Council (SAC) a diverse group of stakeholders of a school, with the goal of increasing student achievement in a safe learning environment. (established by Florida Statutes 1001.452) With membership including diverse stakeholders, a SAC attempts to mirror the ethnic/racial composition of the school community, and therefore, has the interest of ALL students at heart when making decisions that will improve student learning and learning environments. School Board policy, 3-16: School Improvement and Accountability, prescribes the establishment of the SAC, its purpose, and membership composition. 6

School Advisory Council Members SAC is comprised of parents, business/community members, district employees, and students FL SS.1001.452—section on membership… “…shall be comprised of the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support employees, students, parents and other business and community citizens who are representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school.” “Technical center and high school advisory councils shall include students, and middle and junior high school advisory councils may include students.” SAC must represent “the ethnic, racial and economic makeup of the community served by the school.” To achieve this, members may be appointed. Majority of the school’s council members “must be persons NOT employed by the district.” For the purposes of school advisory councils and district advisory councils, the term "teacher" shall include classroom teachers, certified student services personnel, and media specialists.” “For purposes of this paragraph, "education support employee" means any person employed by a school who is not defined as instructional or administrative personnel pursuant to s. 1012.01 and whose duties require 20 or more hours in each normal working week.” 7

Duties of the Council Actively participate in the development of educational priorities, assessment of the school’s needs, and the identification of resources for the school Assist in the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) or School Performance Plan (SPP) Be knowledgeable about the Florida Accountability System Provide input into the school’s budget Approve all expenditures from School Improvement Funds – if funded Join with the school principal and staff in awarding the A+ recognition funds Schools with dance and cheerleading teams: By School Board policy, establish and annually review procedures for eligibility and tryout procedures

Duties of the Council Actively participate in the development of educational priorities, assessment of the school’s needs, and the identification of resources for the school The council analyzes student assessment data to determine academic needs and establish ideas for improvement goals, prioritizes areas to address in the school’s budget based on student needs, and provides feedback to improve or revise the district’s strategic plan and vision, mission, and core values.

Duties of the Council Assist in the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) or School Performance Plan (SPP) The SPP is the guiding document for each school’s improvement initiatives, is created by a community of stakeholders, and is approved by SAC. Roles of the School in the SPP process: Development of goals and actionable steps to improve student achievement in ELA, math, SS, science, and writing Allocation of school resources (money, staff, etc.) based on the action plans Monitoring the effectiveness of the plan during the year to revise, if necessary, based on results Roles of the District in the SPP process: Provide team training on the SPP template Provide research-based strategies for consideration of use in each content area Support schools during creation of SPP through curriculum directors, district specialist, and instructional coaches Meet with the school to review new plan and offer suggestions for revisions, if needed Monitor school’s SPP throughout the year during district review meetings with school’s leadership team Use the web link to preview your plan from last year to provide a brief overview of the contents. www.floridacims.org http://www.okaloosaschools.com/Parents/spp

Duties of the Council Be knowledgeable about the Florida Accountability System The council learns about the required assessments administered by the FDOE to determine student mastery of standards, as well as district assessments to determine pupil progression. School leaders provide frequent updates on student performance to the council to inform them of the progress made toward reaching SIP or SPP goals. www.fldoe.org/accountability

Duties of the Council Provide input into the school’s budget By reviewing student assessment data and receiving frequent progress monitoring updates, the council makes recommendations to the school on where funds should be targeted to increase student achievement.

Duties of the Council Approve all expenditures from School Improvement Funds – if funded According to state statute, SS.1001.452(2), …”A portion of funds provided in the annual General Appropriations Act for use by school advisory councils must be used for implementing the school improvement plan.” If funded, these funds must be expended on programs or projects selected by SAC and may not be used for capital improvements or projects over one year’s time; however, SAC may determine to approve for the subsequent year. (www.fldoe.org/fefp/pdf/fefpdist.pdf)

Duties of the Council Join with the school principal and staff in awarding the A+ recognition funds

School Recognition Funds State statutes specify that the monies may only be used for: Nonrecurring faculty and staff bonuses; Nonrecurring educational equipment and/or materials expenditures Temporary personnel to assist in maintaining or improving student performance. AND, a decision on how to use funds must be approved by vote by February 1 annually or the funds are dispersed as bonuses to classroom teachers employed in the current school year.

Duties of the Council School Board Policy, adopted 8/9/2004: The council shall establish and annually review the procedures for eligibility and tryouts for cheerleading and dance teams.

Operational Procedures Annually, the council is responsible for doing the following: Reviewing/revising its Bylaws Electing a Chairperson and Secretary Documenting the meetings Holding a minimum of four (4) meetings each school year Using flexibility in scheduling meetings Additional information regarding each topic is located in the SAC Operations Manual. By statute: d) “Each school advisory council shall adopt bylaws establishing procedures for: at least 3-days' advance notice in writing to all SAC members of any matter that is scheduled be voted on requiring a quorum of at least 51% to be present before a vote may be taken by the school advisory council. Quorum must be present for each voting issue. scheduling meetings when parents, students, teachers, business persons, and members of the community can attend replacing any member who has two unexcused consecutive absences from a SAC meeting that is noticed as per bylaws Recording minutes of meetings Each SAC must have a set of bylaws in place that are reviewed annually, and revised if needed, prior to approval of the bylaws. A copy of the approved bylaws, signed by the principal and Chairperson, are required to be submitted annually to the district Point of Contact by September 30. Agenda and meeting minutes should reflect the review/revising, if necessary, and approval of the bylaws. Meetings must adhere to Roberts Rules of Order and Sunshine Laws.

Sunshine Law and SAC Advance advertisement of meetings Public meeting place that is accessible to all Minutes, bylaws and documents available to public Minutes taken, attendance and votes recorded Public may videotape or record meetings Quorum required for each voting issue SAC business must be “in the Sunshine,” including agenda preparations and member discussions www.myfloridalegal.com 18

Resources for the Council State Laws School Board Policy SAC webpage on OCSD web site School Performance Plan Assessment Calendars, Information Pupil Progression Plan Curriculum and Instruction website

Council Resources: FL Laws Section 1001.452(1)(a), F.S. District and School Advisory Councils Section 1001.42(18), F.S. Implement School Improvement and Accountability Section 1008.345(5)(c), F.S. School Improvement and Education Accountability – School Improvement Plan

Council Resources: School Board Policy School Board Policy governing School Advisory Councils Chapter 3.16 (E) School Improvement and Accountability (E) The School Board shall establish a School Advisory Council for each school and develop procedures for election, appointment and operation of advisory council members. A majority of the members of each school advisory council must be persons not employed by the School Board.

Council Resources: Web Resources http://www.okaloosaschools.com/district/SAC Florida School Advisory Councils website http://florida-family.net/SAC/

Council Resources: School Performance Plan http://www.okaloosaschools.com/Parents/spp

Council Resources: Calendars—Assessment, Year http://www.okaloosaschools.com/district/calendars

Council Resources: Pupil Progression Plan http://www.okaloosaschools.com/files/school-district/_docs/ppp-2016-17.pdf

Council Resources: Curriculum and Instruction website http://www.okaloosaschools.com/content/curriculum-florida-standards-new-0

Council Resources: AdvancED Accreditation http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=1081 District accreditation occurs every five years with the latest being 2017. Okaloosa County Schools continues to meet all requirements to remain accredited through AdvancED SACS-CASI. OSCD Accreditation website: http://www.okaloosaschools.com/content/district-accreditation

Five Star School Award Minimum of 8 meetings per year with average 80% attendance of members Annual presentation of School Improvement Plan to school community after public notice to all stakeholders Evidence of ongoing training and/or development of the SAC School Improvement Plan reflects one new idea that involves the community in its implementation School Advisory Council participated in the development and/or interpretation of the needs assessment data. Training provided for staff and SAC members on collaborative partnering and shared decision-making. www.fldoe.org/family/fivestar.asp 28

SAC and the School “One piece of log creates a small fire, adequate to warm you up, add just a few more pieces to blast an immense bonfire, large enough to warm up your entire circle of friends; needless to say that individuality counts but teamwork dynamites.” Jin Kwon The members of a school advisory council are like the tools needed to start and maintain a fire: bricks to create a foundation, a safe place to put the fire (the Sunshine Laws, Rules of Order and statutes guide the work), sticks to create the fuel (purposes created under law), and the fire starting tools (the resources and materials to do your job).

What can I clarify for you?

With further questions… Please contact: Denise McLaughlin, District SAC Point of Contact 833-3385 denise.mclaughlin@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us