Clinton Elementary School
School Improvement Council Bylaws
Article 1: NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of the organization will be the Clinton Elementary School Improvement Council.
Article 2: PURPOSE
The purpose of the Clinton Elementary School Improvement Council will be to:
- Assist in the development, implementation and evaluation of the five-year school renewal plan;
- Assist in the preparation of yearly plan updates;
- Write the annual Report to Parents, which provides information on the school s progress in meeting school and district goals and objectives, due for distribution by April 30;
- Prepare the annual 425-word narrative for the School Report Card, in conjunction with the principal;
- Provide advice on the use of school incentive award expenditures (if allocated by the legislature and awards to the school);
- Participate in the revision of the School Improvement Plan if the school is rated unsatisfactory on the School Report Card;
- Serve as liaison between the school, school organizations, the community and the local school board by collecting and disseminating pertinent information; and
- Provide other assistance that the Principal may request as well as carrying out any other duties prescribed by the local school board.
The Council will not have the powers and duties reserved by law or regulation to the local School Board.
Article 3: REPRESENTATION AND MEMBERSHIP
Eight parents will be elected by the parents.
Five teachers will be elected by the teachers.
Three representatives from the greater school community will be appointed by the Principal. The appointments will be made from the non-parent portion of the community with attention to the representation on the council in terms of race, sex, geography, grade level representation, or other variables important to the school.
A ratio of two-thirds elected members to one-third appointed members will be maintained as mandated by state law, excluding ex-officio membership.
The Principal will serve as an ex-officio member of the council. At least three additional ex-officio members will serve on the council including, but not limited to, the following positions: the resident of the Parent Teacher Organization, the immediate Past Chairman, and the Assistant Principal. If the leadership of any of the named organizations or positions in unable to serve, an appropriate representative will be named by the organization sending the representative.
All members will have one vote. Absentee ballots or proxy voting will not be permitted.
Article 4: ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES
Elections will be held no later than September 1 of each year, and council members will assume their responsibilities immediately. The Principal will make appointments to the Council in consultation with the elected members by September 30 for the current school year and/or as needed to maintain a balance of elected to appointed members.
Information about the upcoming election of parent representatives will be sent home at the beginning of the school year. Nominations will be taken for a week and an election will follow to include the nominations that are turned in. Ballots will be sent home with each child and should be returned in one week. Ballots will be counted by SIC members and retained at the schools for one year by the Council Secretary.
The faculty will elect teacher representatives to the Council during a regularly scheduled faculty meeting at the beginning of the school year.
The names and addresses of all Council members will be forwarded to the School Districts SIC contact within 30 days following the elections.
The names and contact information of all Council members will be published in the school newsletter as soon as possible after the election. The names and contact information of appointed members will be published in the newsletter as soon as possible after the appointments are made.
The Chairperson and Secretary for the School Improvement Council will be elected at the last meeting of the SIC for the upcoming school year (Vice Chairperson will become the Chairperson for the upcoming year). The new Vice Chairperson will be elected the first meeting of the new school year and will be a newly elected member of the SIC.
Article 5: TENURE
All elected and appointed members of the Council will serve two-year terms. The terms are to be staggered. Ex-officio members will serve by virtue of the office they hold which is designated to be on the Council.
No limit will be set on the number of terms a member may serve.
The Council may establish committees made up of teachers, parents, business leaders, and other citizens to study specific issues and make recommendations to the Council. These committees will not be permanent and will have no responsibilities beyond those outlined by the Council when established.
Membership on the Council will terminate when a member:
- No longer has a child enrolled in the school;
- No longer holds a teaching position at the school;
- Has missed three consecutive scheduled meetings without proper notice to the chairperson;
- Submits a letter of resignation to the Chairperson;
- Is elected to the District School Board.
In the event of any of the above situations, the Chairperson will appoint, in the case of an elected member, the person with the next highest number of votes in the most recent election. In the case of an appointed member, the Principal will select a replacement. In both situations, the replacement will finish the term of the person being replaced.
Article 6: OFFICERS
The officers of the Clinton Elementary School Improvement Council will consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary. The officers will be elected annually by the full Council membership in the first Council meeting of each academic year. At no time will these positions be held exclusively by teachers or exclusively by parents. Ex-officio members are not eligible to be officers of the Council.
Article 7: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
The Chairperson will preside at all meetings and have general supervision of the activities of the Council. The Chairperson will work with the Principal in planning and directing the activities of the Council including monitoring committee progress.
The Chairperson in consultation with the Principal, will prepare an agenda for all council meetings and ensure that the agenda will be sent to all Council members at least one week prior to the meeting. The Chairperson retains the right to modify the agenda if it is determined to be in the best interest of the Council and direct the pace of the meeting as best accomplishes the agenda. The Chairperson will appoint temporary or standing committees as needed and serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.
The Vice Chairperson will exercise all functions in the absence of the Chairperson and assist the Chairperson as needed. The Vice Chairperson will serve as Chair of one of the standing committees, selected in collaboration with the Chairperson.
The Secretary is responsible for:
- Keeping a full and accurate account of the proceedings and actions of all council meetings (minutes) and ensuring that each Council member receives this information in a timely fashion following each meeting;
- Preparing any official correspondence that the Chairperson may request;
- Assisting in maintaining a Council file in the schools administrative offices containing copies of all minutes, Council correspondence, the annual school improvement report, the report to the parents, and the current Council Bylaws.
- Maintaining a listing of Council membership with current telephone numbers, addresses and (if available) email addresses.
Article 8: MEETINGS
The meeting calendar for the academic year will be determined annually at the initial meeting of the newly elected Council. The Council will hold at least eight regular meetings during the calendar year. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson or the Principal as long as all Council members are notified of the meeting at least 24 hours in advance. Committee meetings will be called as needed with at least one weeks notice.
The first Council meeting of the academic year will be held no later than September 30.
All Council meetings are open to the public and anyone showing an interest in the Council and its activities will be encouraged to attend. Persons interested in presenting at a Council meeting may request to be put on the agenda no later than 7 days before the meeting date. The Chairperson will time the agenda to ensure that Council business is properly conducted and that persons scheduled to speak will have the opportunity to do so. The Chairperson has the option to schedule a segment of the agenda for open comments from the public as needed and as time permits.
At meetings, the Principal or designee will be scheduled on the agenda to share information on school activities, successes and concerns. Committees will provide reports as scheduled.
Article 9: VOTING
Whenever possible, Council decisions should be made by consensus. If voting becomes necessary, a simple majority will be sufficient for a vote on any issue. A simple majority of the Council membership will constitute a quorum if at least one parent and one teacher representative are present.
Article 10: TRAINING
An orientation session will be held annually for all Council members that includes information about Council roles, responsibilities, and functions as well as information on school and local District policies and procedures. Council members will be encouraged to attend School Improvement Council training workshops sponsored by the District office and the South Carolina School Improvement Council (SC-SIC) of the University of South Carolinas College of Education.
Article 11: AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meetings of the Council by two-thirds vote of those present provided that the specific amendments have been introduced at a prior meeting, included in the minutes of that meeting, and are listed on the Agenda for the current meeting.
Date Approved: February 16, 2009