1. Charter System School Governance Team Training Orientation to School Governance August 25, 2014

2. 1. Introductions and purpose of meeting 2. What is the governance structure for the Hart County School System? 3. What are the roles and responsibilities of the governance team? 4. How do you conduct a governance meeting? 5. What are the training topics for your team? 6. How do you get started?

3.  PowerPoint Slides  Hart County Schools’ Strategic Plan  Sample Governance Team By-Laws  Hart County Schools’ Governance Autonomy Matrix  Hart County Schools’ Charter Petition and Contract  Individual School Improvement Plans (SIP)

4.  No later than June 30, 2015, each local school system must notify the Georgia Department of Education that it will operate under one of three governance models: Charter System, Investing in Education Excellence (IE2), Status Quo  Governance models affect the degree to which the school system is given flexibility from state laws and regulations regarding education as they use flexibility and innovation to IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

5. As a Charter School System, the Hart County School System operates under a new governance or decision- making structure, effective July 1, 2014.  Governance Teams replace the School Advisory Councils at each school  Parents and community members have greater opportunity to participate in school-level planning and governance and to have a voice in some system-level decisions.  The shared goal of all stakeholders is to improve student achievement through innovation; school/business/parent partnerships; and flexibility to tailor educational opportunities to the needs of the students and community.

6. 4 Responsibilities of a Board of Education Adopt a five-year strategic plan Strategic Plan Adopt a budget to fund the strategic plan Budget Hire a leader to implement the strategic plan within budget Adopt and keep an updated succession plan Superintendent Hold the leader accountable for implementing the strategic plan within budget Conduct regular self-evaluations to hold itself accountable Accountability 6

7. The Governance Teams will:  Have 6-9 elected and/or appointed members who will serve 3-5 year staggered terms  Have the principal as the chairperson for 2014-15 and 2015-16  Have teachers (2) who are elected by teachers (Principal may appoint one additional teacher)  Have parents (2) who are elected by parents  Have community/business people (2) nominated by the principal and approved by the teacher and parent members of the governance team  Have students (1-2) at the middle/high level selected by the school leadership team.

8. Responsibilities:  The Hart County Board of Education will still be in place with their current rights and responsibilities.  The superintendent will still be in place with the same responsibilities, but will share specific decision-making authority as outlined in the Charter System contract.  The principal will still be in place with the same responsibilities but will share specific decision-making authority as outlined in the Charter System contract.  Teachers and other staff will still be in place with the same responsibilities, but will have specific decision- making authority via the faculty representatives on the School Governance Councils.

9. Distributed leadership…is a leadership approach in which collaborative working is undertaken between individuals who trust and respect each other’s contribution. It occurs as a result of an open culture within and across an institution. It is an approach in which reflective practice is an integral part enabling actions to be critiqued, challenged and developed through cycles of planning, action, reflection, assessment and re-planning. It happens most effectively when people at all levels engage in action, accepting leadership in their…areas of expertise. It requires resources that support and enable collaborative environments together with a flexible approach to space, time and finance which occur as a result of diverse contextual settings in an institution. Through shared and active engagement, distributed leadership can result in the development of leadership capacity to sustain improvement in teaching and learning. (Jones, Harvey, Lefoe, Ryland 2013)

10. Distributed leadership…is a leadership approach in which collaborative working is undertaken between individuals who trust and respect each other’s contribution. It occurs as a result of an open culture within and across an institution. It is an approach in which reflective practice is an integral part enabling actions to be critiqued, challenged and developed through cycles of planning, action, reflection, assessment and re-planning. It happens most effectively when people at all levels engage in action, accepting leadership in their…areas of expertise. It requires resources that support and enable collaborative environments together with a flexible approach to space, time and finance which occur as a result of diverse contextual settings in an institution. Through shared and active engagement, distributed leadership can result in the development of leadership capacity to sustain improvement in teaching and learning. (Jones, Harvey, Lefoe, Ryland 2013)

11.  Support the school and system to positively impact student achievement.  Maximize school level decision-making  Uphold Charter System’s mission/vision  Work collaboratively with the principal and/or superintendent to set school/system policy  Ensure effective organizational planning  Ensure that Performance-Based Goals and Measurable Objectives for student achievement set forth in Charter System contract are met or exceeded.

12. Non-distributed Leadership:Distributed Leadership: Superintendent makes recommendations to the Superintendent incorporates school level BOE without school level inputinput into recommendations to the BOE Shared decision-making Regarding : People Time Money/Resources Top-down decision-making regarding: People Time Money/Resources

13.  Budget  Resource Allocations  Personnel Decisions  School Improvement Planning (SIP) and Goals  Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction  School Operations

14. Area of ResponsibilityLocal School Governance TeamPrincipalSuperintendentBoard of Education Budget * Collaborating with principal **Collaborating with superintendent *Determine priority for QBE Charter System funds aligned with SIP ** Set budget priorities for federal, state, and local funds using SIP; Manage system fiscal affairs; Recommends school’s annual budget for use of discretionary funds to authorized by the Hart County BOE Est. budget process; reviews & approves school’s annual budget; includes school’s budget into system budget Approve annual budget for system Resource Allocation * Collaborating with principal **Collaborating with superintendent *Assists in assessment of resource needs Recommends school staffing, proposes exceptions to staffing guidelines & non-traditional staffing for enrichment programs Develops enrollment projections; personnel allocation guidelines & allocates staff Approve enrollment projections &proposed staffing recommendations & expenditures of local, state, and federal funds Personnel Decisions * Collaborating with principal **Collaborating with superintendent * Develop and participate in school leadership and staff effectiveness survey; ; determining staffing/certification needs; establish school calendar. **Participates in developing the process for principal selection; developing system calendar Recommend personnel for employment; evaluates personnel assigned to school; recommends termination of personnel Recruits, screens & recommends personnel for employment, termination & assignment; set salary schedules, supplements, and benefits Hires, evaluates & terminates superintendent; employs all other personnel based on superintendent recommendation School Improvement Plan (SIP) & Goals * Collaborating with principal **Collaborating with superintendent *Participates in establishing school goals & development of SIP and professional learning; approves SIP; monitors student performance; **Determine system-wide professional learning needs and delivery Organizes & directs goal setting & SIP development; recommends SIP Reviews & approves school goals and SIP; evaluates school performance; system-wide professional learning priorities Holds superintendent, staff, & school accountable for ensuring high reliability in organizational & student performance Curriculum, Assessment,& Instruction * Collaborating with principal **Collaborating with superintendent *Reviews school performance data; participates in determining use of instructional time and delivery of instruction in accordance with SIP Ensures effective implementation of curriculum & assessment program/every classroom Provides expertise in all curriculum areas; monitors teacher & leader performance & student assessment Approves system curriculum & assessment program & provides oversight of implementation; monitors performance School Operations * Collaborating with principal **Collaborating with superintendent * Develops innovations that are responsive to community & student needs; recommends options to improve school operations **Recommends options to improve system-wide operations Oversees organizational structure Assesses proposed innovations& makes recommendations; supports school administration in school level decision-making Provides resources & establishes policies that support a high level of school autonomy in school operations

15.  The School Governing Council will send recommendations that require a waiver of state/local policy or BOE approval to the superintendent.  Decisions that do not require BOE approval are indicated on the autonomy matrix.  The superintendent will make a recommendation to the Board of Education. This structure provides a vetting process. The meeting announcements and minutes of these meetings are available to the public. They will be on the district web page and posted on the front door of the central office and school.

16. Chairperson: Will be principal for the first two years of charter 2014-15 and 2015-16  Sign all letters and reports  Prepare agenda and assist with posting of minutes  Report Governing Council waivers to superintendent for consideration  Report district news to Governing Council  Preside at all meetings Co-Chairperson: Elected by Governance Team  Suggest that it be a parent or business leader  Substitute for chairperson if absent  Preside over special committees  Co-Preside at all meetings Secretary: Elected by Governance Team  Elected by Governing Council  Record and post minutes  Custodian of all records  Keep current and updated by-laws  Ensure that open meetings and open records law requirements are met

17.  All meetings are subject to the Open Meetings Act …open to public attendance, not public participation  Advance notice of all meetings (who, what, when, where, why) – web site and front door of school  A quorum must be present (5 for 6 member team/6 for 7,8,9 member teams)  Post the agenda one week prior to the meeting  Post minutes of the meeting  Open records  Follow parliamentary procedures (make a motion, second, debate, vote)  Executive Session-confidentiality

18. § 20-2-2061. Legislative intent (Charter Law 1998) It is the intent of the General Assembly to increase student achievement through academic and organizational innovation by encouraging local school systems to utilize the flexibility of performance based contract called a charter. School governance teams can make decisions…  that are permitted by Georgia and federal law.  that are permitted under the charter system petition and matrix.  that are submitted to the superintendent for review and consideration.  that support student achievement and the school’s school improvement plan.  that are indicated in the autonomy chart.

19. August 25, 2014:Orientation and Training September 2014: Developing By-laws; Legal Issues October 2014:System Strategic Plan and School Improvement Plans November 2014: Effective Decision Making December 2014: Student Performance Data; College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) January 2015: Curriculum and Instruction/Advanced Ed Accreditation Review Process Overview February 2015: College and Career Academy; Career Pathways March 2015: School Funding (state/local/federal) & Budget Development; Use of Charter Funds April 2015: Family and Community Engagement May 2015: Using Technology in the Classroom June 2015: Hiring Practices and Human Resource Protocols August 2015: Needs Assessment--conducted with governance team to determine professional development needs for 2015-2016.

20. 1. Elect your officers and send results to Kathy Leard by September 26, 2014. 2. Set your meeting dates for the year and send to Kathy Leard by September 26, 2014. 3. Develop and edit your by-laws and send to Kathy Leard by October 31. 2014. 4. Review the charter petition, charter contract, system strategic plan, SIP, and autonomy matrix. 5. Post your minutes and your meeting times.

21. O.C.G.A. 20-2-2072  The members of the governing board of the nonprofit organization of each charter school shall participate in initial training for boards of newly approved charter schools and annual training thereafter, conducted or approved by the state board. The state board shall provide for or approve such initial and annual training. 21

22. O.C.G.A. 20-2-2072 (continued)  For charter schools that are college and career academies, as defined in subsection (b) of Code Section 20-4-37, the state board shall provide or approve such training in conjunction with the Technical College System of Georgia. 22

23. O.C.G.A. 20-2-2072 (concluded)  The training shall include, but not be limited to, best practices on school governance, the constitutional and statutory requirements relating to public records and meetings, and the requirements of applicable statutes and rules and regulations. 23

24.  Annual training will be from a provider selected by the governing board  Similar to the governance training required for LBOEs  Topics include:  Roles and Responsibilities  Open Records and Open Meetings Law  Avoiding Conflicts of Interest  Other Applicable Law 24

25.  There is no specific policy with regard to secondary participation.  However, we do closely examine the totality of the circumstances.  School-level participation should not outweigh participation from business, industry and post- secondary. 25

26.  Represents all School Governance Teams  Provides feedback to superintendent regarding issues that have system-wide impact and shares in decision-making, when appropriate  Serves as liaison between the superintendent, their respective communities, and the School Governance Teams  Meets according to an established schedule but can be convened as needed

27. Kathy Leard kleard@hart.k12.ga.us Jennifer Carter jcarter@hart.k12.ga.us

28.  WHAT DID I KNOW ALREADY ABOUT THE ROLE/RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SCHOOL GOVERNANCE TEAMS?  WHAT NEW INFORMATION DID I LEARN?  WHAT ELSE DO I WANT TO RESEARCH AND LEARN MORE ABOUT?  WHAT STILL CONFUSES/CONCERNS ME?