Site Council

Mission Statement

The goal of the Issaquah Valley Elementary Site Council (Site Council) is the active collaboration of parents, community members, staff and administration to ensure the success of Issaquah Valley Elementary School students through an advisory process. IVE’s mission is for the students, staff, parents and community to share the responsibility for the education of all children in a caring, nurturing, stimulating environment that fosters growth, mutual respect and a desire to learn.

Purpose and Focus

The Site Council is established to help advance the District’s mission: Our students will be prepared for and eager to accept the academic, occupational, personal and practical challenges of life in a dynamic global environment. Specifically, the Site Council is intended to:

• Foster continuous improvement of the school’s educational program,
• Blend the values and perspectives of community, staff and students in school-wide decisions,
• Foster effective communications among all stakeholders in a school.
• Provide an effective venue for creative school-wide planning and problem-solving.

The Site Council is expected to address matters directly and indirectly related to student learning. Because many curriculum, staff development, and instructional resource questions are decided by the District and not by individual schools, the Site Council will often address-not what to do, but how to do it well for the school’s specific population. The following examples should help guide the Site Council in determining what is/is not an appropriate focus for their work:

1. The Site Council should focus on matters directly related to the District’s mission, such as the following:
   1. Achievement data
   2. The school’s Site Improvement Plan and local budget to support it
   3. Effective transition of students to preschool to elementary and elementary to middle schools
   4. Enrichment and remedial opportunities for students
2. The Site Council should also focus on matters indirectly related to the mission, such as the following:
   1. School culture and learning climate
   2. Safety
   3. Deterrents to harassment; fair treatment for all
   4. Support for staff; and their working environment
   5. Concerns related to school rules and student discipline
   6. Planning for and improvement of school facilities
3. The Site Council should not focus on matters that are purely administrative in nature; matters controlled by state and federal law, District policy and/or administrative procedure, external agencies or negotiated contracts; or matters that fail to contribute significantly to the District’s mission, such as the following:
   1. Problems/complaints related to individual employees, students, or classrooms;
   2. Personnel decisions
   3. District curriculum
   4. Location of copy machines, supplies and equipment

Composition

In keeping with the spirit of mutual cooperation and respect for all members of the school community, the Site Council shall be composed of equal numbers of parents/community members and school staff. The following members shall comprise the Site Council:

• Parent Representative, ECE– 5th Grade
• PTA President
• Community Member At Large Representative
• Teacher Representative, ECE – 2nd Grade
• Teacher Representative, 3rd – 5th Grade
• Classified Staff
• Principal

Selection

Each constituency, except the principal, is entitled to use a secret election process to select its representative and may announce an alternate who will be a substitute for the representative should they be unable to attend a meeting or continue to serve on the Site Council.

If the group chooses to use an election, it will be conducted under the auspices of the Site Council and/or the district representative assigned to the school. Responsibilities include preparation of a ballot, distribution to constituents and counting of returns.

Term of Membership

The members of the Site Council, except the principal, shall hold office for one or two-year terms within each membership category (parents/community, teachers, classified staff). As terms expire and new members are elected, each shall serve for two years. No one may serve more than two consecutive terms, except the school principal. The PTA representative is selected annually by the PTA Board. The term for Site Council members will be from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Members who miss more than four meetings in the school year will result in termination of membership on the Site Council.

Officers

Officers shall consist of a chairperson(s), vice-chairperson (if only one chairperson) and secretary. Additional officers may be created upon consensus of the Site Council membership. Any member may serve in any Site Council office. The principal, however, shall not serve as chairperson.

The chairperson(s) will preside at all Site Council meetings, with the co-chairperson/vice chairperson presiding in their absence. The secretary shall keep minutes of every meeting and maintain all records of the council.

Meetings

Meetings will be held at six times during the school year at a day, time and place determined by the Site Council. A notice of meetings will be printed and posted in the school and sent home to parents on the school website. Each meeting will be publicized to parents and staff at least one week prior to the meeting. Emergency meetings may be called with 24 hours posted notice on the school front door and communication to all Site Council members.

Role within the Larger Educational System

The Site Council contributes to a larger system of educational decision-making. The larger system is intended to be both inclusive and reflective of local values and effective and accountable for achieving common outcomes. The following premises help clarify the role of the Site Council within the larger system:

1. The Site Council participates in collaborative leadership and the value of stakeholder participation in decisions that will affect them.
2. The Site Council adds value to the leadership and management of the It is intended to blend the perspectives of stakeholders for better decision-making, understanding, trust, and support throughout the school system.
3. The Site Council generates creative solutions, improvements and reforms to increase student learning.
4. The Site Council may serve in decision-making or advisory capacities-or both, depending upon the topic and circumstances.
5. Because many school-level decisions impact the larger system or other schools within the system, the role of the Site Council will often be exploratory and recommending rather than defining.
6. Principals are expected to share leadership with others; however, the principal retain ultimate responsibility and accountability for their schools.

Communications to Stakeholder Groups

Effective communications among all stakeholders in the school is one of the four specifically stated purposes of the Site Council. Therefore, the Site Council as a whole, and each member as an individual, must be responsible for effective communications with stakeholder groups. The following are expectations:

1. Each Site Council meeting should include a structured period for direct stakeholder input.
2. Reports of Site Council discussions, decisions and activities should be disseminated to all Minutes of Site Council meetings will be posted in the school, on the school’s website and the district’s website of the school.
3. Individual Site Council members should understand their specific responsibilities for communications with stakeholder groups they represent.

Quorum

A minimum of five Site Council members shall constitute a quorum.

Agenda

The chairperson and the principal shall prepare an agenda, with input from Site Council members. To the extent possible, the agenda will be distributed to Site Council members at least three days in advance of the meeting. At the start of each meeting, agenda items may be added, deleted or revised. A place on the agenda shall be reserved on every agenda to allow any school community person to address the Site Council.

Committees

The Site Council shall establish committees from time to time as needed to accomplish a specific task. Each committee shall have at least two Site Council members, one member representing the parents/community and one member representing staff. Participation is open to the school community.

Decision-Making

Council representatives are expected to represent the ideas, concerns, and problems of students, parents, community, teachers, support staff and administration of Issaquah Valley Elementary School. They are expected to state their views on all topics under discussion and to facilitate reaching consensus if possible.

Consensus does not require unanimous agreement, but it does require that everyone consent. If a discussion shows that members are clearly in agreement on an issue, the chairperson may ask if everyone is in agreement. The chairperson may ask for a determination of those who agree and consent, those who do not agree but will consent, and those who neither agree nor consent. The Site Council recognizes that consensus of all members is the desired goal of discussion.

If consensus cannot be attained:

• The matter shall be referred to a committee charged with the responsibility of presenting improvement of alternatives to the proposal for future consideration, or
• The chairperson may ask for a vote by show of hands, with 80% approval necessary for approval.

Record Keeping

The secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings. A copy of the minutes shall be provided to each member for approval or corrections at the next meeting of the council. A copy of the approved minutes shall be posted in the school and on the school’s website.

Amendments

A proposed amendment to these bylaws may be presented to the Site Council in writing at a regularly scheduled meeting at which at least two-thirds of the members are present.

Self-Evaluation

In May of each year, the Site Council will discuss the performance of the Site Council for the preceding school year. Input will be solicited from parents and staff. The results of the evaluation will be used to determine areas for improvement and goals for the Site Council in the coming year.

By-Laws Adoption and Review

The Site Council By-Laws will be adopted and reviewed annually.

Compliance

The Issaquah Valley Elementary Site Council will recognize and observe all laws, regulations, district policies, collective bargaining and other agreements in its operations.

Issaquah Valley Site Council Members agree to:

• Deal with issues and not react to personalities and personal agendas.
• Require confidentiality on all agenda issues especially when individuals are named.
• Demonstrate the “we” attitude in participating and supporting decisions and directions of the council.
• Understand that silence in a meeting implies consent.
• Improve the educational climate and experiences of Issaquah Valley students and constantly measure our decisions and actions based upon the question, “What is good for students?”
• If a conflict arises as to which group deals with some issues, the principal, site council chairperson, and a department head will designate the decision-making group.