• What is a School Advisory Council?

    The School Advisory Council (SAC) is a team of people representing various segments of the community–parents, teachers, students, administrators, support staff, business/ industry people and other interested community members. The purpose of a SAC is to assist in the preparation and evaluation (developing and evaluating) of the results of the school improvement plan and to assist the principal with the annual school budget. Additionally, SAC receives funds "to be used at the discretion of the School Advisory Committee A portion of the money should be used for implementing the school improvement plan."  "The improvement plan shall include performance indicators which are measurable."  "Funding for use by the School Advisory Councils should be allocated directly to the School Advisory Councils, should be clearly earmarked for their use and is not subject to override by the Principal or interim approvals by school district staff. These moneys may be expended only on programs or projects selected by the school advisory council.  These moneys may not be used for capital improvements." 

    Each school in the State of Florida must have a SAC.  By law, each SAC must be composed of the principal and an “appropriately balanced” number of “stakeholders.” These individuals must be representative of the ethnic, racial and economic makeup of the community served by the school. High schools and vocational technical centers must have students on the SACs. Middle and junior high schools may to include students on their SAC.   The majority of SAC members (over 50 percent) must not be employed by the school on whose SAC they serve.

    "The whole point of school improvement is data-driven decision making. The process is SUPPOSED to be fairly simple and straight forward: The SAC reviews relevant data (which is much more than test scores), identifies problem areas, develops improvement strategies, monitors their implementation, and then starts the whole process over when the next round of data is available." -- KM, DOE

     
     

  • SAC Bylaws

    Jacksonville Heights Elementary

    SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL BYLAWS (SAC)

    Article I: Name

    The name of this organization is the Jacksonville Heights Elementary School Advisory Council.

    Article II: Purpose

    Section 1. the functions of the School Advisory Council are:

    a.    assist in the preparation and evaluation of the school improvement plan

    b.    assist in the preparation of educational improvement proposals for implementing an educational improvement grant

    Section 2: Other board functions of the School Advisory Council are:

    a.    participate in planning and monitoring of school buildings and grounds

    b.    initiate activities or programs that generate greater cooperation between the   community and the school

    c.    assist in the development of educational goals and objectives

    d.    recommend various support services in the school

    e.    assist in the preparation of the accreditation report

    f.     review the impact of property development and zoning changes in the vicinity of the school as they relate to the safety, welfare and educational opportunities of the students

    g.    perform any such functions as prescribed by the regulation of the School board

    h.    assist in the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan required by Florida Statutes, and annually reviewing, amending, or continuing such school improvement plan as required by Florida Statutes

    i.      review the budget to be sure it is aligned with the School Improvement Plan

    j.     Perform other functions as requested by the principal

    Article III: Membership

    Section 1. The principal shall assure that the membership shall be representative of the ethnic, racial and economic community served by the school.

    Section 2. This council shall include parents, teachers, education support employees, community members, and school administration. A majority of the membership shall be non-staff.

    Section 3. For purposes of SAC membership, parent shall be defined as people who have students that currently attend the school that is represented by the SAC on which they would serve.

    Section 4. The principal shall be a member of the SAC.

    Section 5. Peer election shall be used to select parent, education support staff, students and teacher members of the SAC.

    Such elections shall be held at the beginning of each school year (after the first day of school) such that the membership list is ready to submit to the Region Superintendent by the End of September.

    Section 6. Community members shall be appointed by the principal.

    Section 7.  Term of office for newly elected members shall be for a period of 1 year (s) from the date of election. If re-elected, members may serve on the SAC for 3 terms.

    Section 8. Members not attending for two consecutive meetings, without an excused absence, will be replaced. Vacancies for parents, teachers, educational support personnel and students will be filled by peer election. Elections to fill vacant positions may be held as necessary throughout the year.

    Section 9. Membership in the SAC shall be limited to 10 voting members. SAC is a sunshine organization and non-members are encouraged to attend meetings. 

    Section 10. The PTA president shall be a member of the SAC. (optional)

    Article IV: Responsibilities

    Section 1. The School Advisory Council is a resource to the school and the principal. The term “advisory” is intended to mean 1) inquiring, 2) informing, 3) suggesting, 4) recommending, and 5) evaluating.

    Section 2. The School Advisory Council, since it is advisory only, has some limitations. 1) It may not dictate School Board or local school center policy, and 2) it must deal with issues rather than particular person, whether they are administrators, teachers, students, citizens, or parents.

    Article V: Officers 

    Section 1. Officers and their election:

    1. The officers of the School Advisory Council shall be a chairperson,  1 vice chairperson(s), and a secretary. All officers must be members of the SAC.
    2. These officers shall be elected, by ballot, at the first meeting by SAC in the fall provided notice of election has been served and all stakeholders have been invited to attend. 

    Article VI: Roles of the Principal and SAC Members

    Section 1. The Principal

    1. serves as a resource providing information regarding the local school education program
    2. acts as an active resource
    3. encourages leadership from within the council
    4. assists in training members in leadership skills
    5. arranges for presentations of interest to the council
    6. keeps the SAC apprised of county policies, curriculum, etc. Establishes, maintains, and consults with the SAC on a regular basis involving it in decisions in accordance with state purposes and policies
    7. develops, through positive actions, feelings of trust and understanding among SAC, community and staff
    8. serves as the administrator in charge of the school with total responsibility to arrange all affairs of the school including general control and supervision of its employees

    Section 2. The Chairperson

    1. works closely with the administrator and the council to plan each meeting and establish an agenda in time to notify the community of the purpose of each meeting
    2. calls the meetings to order, maintains order, and sees that the meeting is properly adjourned
    3. instructs the secretary and other officers in their duties
    4. sees that minutes are taken, prepared, read, approved and properly filed in the school
    5. sees that business is ordered, considered and disposed of properly
    6. is an impartial, conscientious arbiter of discussion and debate, and insists on fairness in the actions and debate of the members

    Section 3. The Secretary

    1. Keeps accurate and complete minutes and files them for inspection. A copy of the minutes should be provided to the principal for the school file.
    2. Keeps accurate records of council membership, attendance, duties and special assignments

    Section 4. Parents and other community representatives

    1. act as a council member according to established procedures by making suggestions and recommendations representative of the views of parents, citizens and community organizations of the school community
    2. participate regularly in SAC meetings and carry out council assignments
    3. become knowledgeable about personnel and material resources of the school and community and the school’s education program
    4. act as resource persons for the SAC, especially in the solutions of community-related problems which affect the school and its students
    5. assist in obtaining community resources to aid the school’s education program
    6. serve as a communication link between SAC, the community and the school
    7. participate in activities aimed at obtaining parent and community support and assistance for school related programs

    Section 5. Faculty and school staff representatives:

    1. act as members of the council to represent the views and interest of the school staff
    2. participate regularly in SAC meetings and carry out council assignments
    3. act a resource person for the SAC by making available specialized information about the educational programs, innovative ideas, and available resources
    4. assist in identifying community resources which can aid in the school’s educational programs
    5. serve as a communication link between the SAC and the school staff, and keep the staff informed of actions can activities of the council
    6. participate in efforts to encourage school staff support for goals and activities of the School Advisory Council

    Article VII: Committees

    The SAC may create such committees as necessary to carry on the work of the council.

    Article VIII: Meetings 

    Section 1. The SAC shall meet as often as necessary to perform its duties, but no less than four times per year. The first meeting shall be held in September. Meetings must be scheduled when parents, students, teachers, education support personnel and community members can attend.  All meetings shall be open to the public. Meetings will be held the 4th Thursday of every month at 5:00.

    Section 2. A quorum must be present to conduct business. A majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum.

    Section 3. Three days written notice will be given to members concerning any item that will be voted on at the upcoming meeting.

    Article IX: Amendments to Bylaws

    Section 1. These bylaws shall be amended at any regular meeting of the SAC by a majority of the membership.

    Section 2. The amendment shall become effective immediately upon passage.

     Article X: Ratification of Bylaws

    The bylaws of the SAC will be ratified by a majority of if its members.

    Article XI: Parliamentary Authority

    Section 1. The rules contained in the Current Edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised” shall govern the association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they do not conflict with these bylaws.

    Section 2. The chairperson has the option to appoint a parliamentarian at any meeting deemed necessary.

     

     

     

     

     
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