1. Okaloosa County School District
Florida School Advisory Council:
The Nuts and Bolts
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

2. Your OCSD SAC Contacts:
District Point of Contact:
Denise McLaughlin
SAC Process Manager:
Linda Pinkert
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 or via .
Again, welcome to the School Advisory Council team. Let’s get started. 2

3. 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

4. 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.

5. Training Objectives Identify what a School Advisory Council is
Explore responsibilities of SAC members
Increase knowledge of the purposes of SAC meetings
Increase knowledge of SAC records
Explore resources available to SAC
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

6. 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 )
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. 6

7. SAC Members ss
SAC members, “representing teachers, education support employees, students, and parents are elected from their PEER groups in a fair and equitable manner”
“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.”
FAQ regarding membership:
Can the Assistant Principal serve as a SAC member? The law is unclear here; an assistant principal may certainly attend meetings and give input, but, by role, does not fit a stakeholder category to be elected or appointed to the council.
What if our membership does not meet the ethnic, racial, and economic makeup of our community? The FLDOE recommends a maximum variance of 10% between the school and community demographics; ultimately, the principal according to each school’s bylaws and district operational manual (p.7) has the ability to appoint members to bring the council into compliance.
Can a district employee serve on a school’s SAC as a PARENT for the Non-District composition? NO, all district employees must be reported as DISTRICT in the membership composition.
The following website will be helpful in determining the ethic/racial makeup of your school’s community: 7

8. Membership clarification
“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 and whose duties require 20 or more hours in each normal working week.” 8

9. SAC Responsibilities…ss.1001.452
[SAC] “council shall be the sole body responsible for final decision making at the school relating to implementation of provisions of ss (18) and ” (implement school improvement and accountability)
“assists” in the preparation & evaluation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) or School Performance Plan (SPP)
“assists” the principal with the school budget
decides how school improvement funds are spent
decides jointly with school faculty how A+ recognition funds are spent – except after February 1
perform functions as prescribed by regulations of the school board.
SAC members roles:
attend meetings and trainings
use state and district goals as guiding principles in the work of SAC
analyze school achievement and survey data
assist in the preparation, monitoring, and evaluation of the school’s SIP/SPP
determine and prioritize the needs of the school
assists in the preparation of the school’s budget 9

10. Governing Body of SAC
Annually, each SAC must elect a Chairperson and Secretary.
Additionally, each SAC may opt to elect the following officers:
Treasurer
Corresponding Secretary
Parliamentarian
Duties of each SAC officer and the principal may be found in the SAC Operations Manual, and should be reviewed annually at the first meeting.
Roles of each governing member are located in the SAC Operations Manual, distribute a copy of the page containing these roles/responsibilities and discuss each, as applies.

11. School Improvement or Performance Plans
A SIP is made up of goals & objectives established for the school determined by needs.
Purpose: To increase student performance
Funds: School Improvement Funds have been made available to each school, allocated to SAC for their use in implementing their SIP.
Include: Strategies, safety, discipline, health & fitness, resources (human & material), and measured goals
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. 11

12. School Improvement or Performance Plans
Determine the needs of a school through:
*Surveys & discussions
*Assessing prior year’s SIP/SPP
*Using reports/data to measure progress (i.e. NCLB AYP Report - No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress)
*Using testing scores (i.e. FSA/FCAT/EOCs, DEA)
*FL Education Improvement Plans 12

13. School Improvement Resources
School Improvement Funds
Recognition Funds
School Budget
Other Sources: grants, PTA, Business and Community Partnerships
FL Dept. of Education does not recommend SAC sponsoring fund raisers (SI allocations must be separate and auditable). Check district policy for further guidance. 13

14. School Improvement Funds
ss (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.”
ss Allocation of revenues and expenditure of funds for public education (State Lotteries)
Council funds are not subject to override by the principal or school district staff (subject to audit)
Not used for capital improvements or projects over one year – however SAC may determine to approve for subsequent year
These moneys may be expended only on programs or projects selected by SAC
Amount determined annually by the General Appropriations Act (
School Improvement Funds…
May be expended only on programs and projects selected by SAC
Are not subject to override by principal or district staff
May not be used for capital improvements or projects lasting more than one year; however, SAC may approve again in subsequent years.
Up to $5 per un-weighted FTE per student 14

15. School Recognition Funds (ss.24.121)
How school recognition funds are spent is jointly decided by faculty & SAC and be used in several ways (or any combination)
Funds are to be used for nonrecurring bonuses to the faculty and staff,
nonrecurring expenditures for educational equipment or materials, or
for temporary personnel to assist the school in maintaining or improving student performance (Section (5), F.S.).
If a decision is not reached by February 1 … the funds are dispersed as bonuses to only the classroom teachers currently teaching this school year (ss State Lotteries)
Classroom teachers defined ss (2a)
School Recognition Funds are commonly referred to as A+ dollars.
Materials and equipment expenditures should be used to assist in maintaining or improving student performance (ss )
A WORD OF CAUTION: Use of funds to provide student monetary gifts; purchase gift cards, food for student parties, t-shirts for students or faculty members, or to provide student award trips are frowned upon. Schools across the state have been cited for doing such and were required to refund the amounts spent from internal funds.
Up to $100 per FTE (Actual amount depends annually upon General Appropriations Funding)
More information can be found at 15

16. SAC Requirement ss
(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 SAC Chairperson, are required to be submitted annually to the district SAC Point of Contact by September 30.
Agenda and meeting minutes should reflect the review/revising, if necessary, and approval of the bylaws. 16

17. SAC Bylaws required…ss.1001.452
Name of council, purposes, basic policies & governance
Duties & obligations
Funds (SI& Recognition)
School Improvement Plan (SIP)
School Budget: procedure for “assisting”
Subject to all “open government laws”
Member composition
Officers
Meetings 17

18. SAC Bylaws… continued Include Election Process & Procedures
Procedure for electing all council members, fair & equitable
Procedure for appointing members
Procedure for removal of SAC members for just cause (2 unexcused consecutive “noticed” meetings = removal)
Procedure for replacing those members that were removed 18

19. SAC Minutes are necessary…
Requirement: FL Sunshine Law + Statutes
Verification of proper procedures
Attendance: quorum records
School improvement fund expenditure decisions
Documentation of decisions & business required by law for the public (public records) (minutes are public documents be made available to the public)
Accelerate business
Succeeding officers, & members 19

20. The Minutes include:
Kind of meeting, name of council, date, time & place
Attendance, determination of quorum & any member replacement
Call to order, name of presiding officer & recorder
Approval/amending previous minutes
Agenda  Motions & votes (include election info)
Any correspondence (attach)
Hour of adjournment & next meeting time, place
“Submitted by”, sign & type name, position
BE BRIEF BUT ACCURATE! 20

21. SAC “in the Sunshine”
School Advisory Council (SAC) meetings are public meetings and subject to ss (1), Government in the Sunshine Law
Reasonable notice
All meetings must be open to the public (otherwise decisions not binding)
Public locations
Recorded minutes & public inspection
Open/recorded voting (no secret ballots)
Each school should have a designated public space where a copy of the SAC membership roster, meeting schedule, bylaws, and agenda from upcoming meeting are visibly displayed and maintained regularly. 21

22. In plain English… Public advertising of meeting
Public meeting place & accessible to the public
Welcome to the public & public participation
Audible to the public
Minutes taken, attendance & votes recorded
Quorum for a meeting and present for each voting issue
Minutes, bylaws & documents available to public (public records)
Public may videotape or record meetings
Even just 2 members discussing SAC must be “in the Sunshine” (can include agenda prep) 22

23. SAC & the 5 Star School Award
Minimum of 8 meetings per year. Average 80% attendance of members
Annual presentation of School Improvement Plan to school community after public notice to all stakeholders (school marquee, flyers, etc.).
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. 23

24. Resources SAC Resources - florida-family.net/SAC
Florida State Law - leg.state.fl.us
FL Board of Education - flboe.org  School Improvement (SIP) -
FL Attorney General (Sunshine Laws)-
Individual District School Board Policies
Individual School’s SAC Bylaws
FL DOE “Red Book” - fldoe.org/fefp/redtoc.asp
FL SAC Newsgroup - groups.yahoo.com/group/fl-sac

25. What can I clarify for you?

26. With further questions…
Please contact:
Denise McLaughlin, District SAC Point of Contact