Seven Steps to Success Characteristics of Successful Site Councils Expectations of Members Site Council Membership, Size and Terms Selection Process Administrative Ideas Role of the Site Council Chair Tips for good Site council meetings Seven Steps to Success Working together as a team is an important, and sometimes challenging, thing to do. The following seven steps should help site councils operate more effectively. 1) Recruit. Use a variety of methods to engage people of diverse communities in serving on the site council (newsletters, meetings, phone trees, flyers, etc). 2) Communicate. Let everyone in your school know what you are doing and how they can become involved. Encourage feedback. 3) Organize. Work as a team to discuss your goals, elect leadership positions, establish guidelines and develop by-laws. 4) Meet. Hold regularly scheduled meetings to plan strategies and accomplish your goals. 5) Plan. Develop plans and goals that support the district's and school's priorities and needs. Base all plans on agreed-upon goals and objectives. 6) Appreciate. Recognize and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of your site council. Everyone appreciates knowing they make a difference. 7) Evaluate. Periodically step back and review progress toward goals. Be willing to make changes in processes or objectives if needed. Characteristics of Successful Site Councils Successful site councils share the following characteristics: a system of committees that reflects the types of decisions to be made; strong leadership that encourages everyone to participate, helps members reflect on decisions and creates school-wide ownership; a focus on student learning; recognition that members need skills and data to make informed decisions; a school-wide perspective, addressing issues of equity and the success of all students; respectful inclusion of all school groups. One way the Office of Site Based Improvement supports site councils is encouraging members to develop: knowledge and decision-making skills to perform effectively; information upon which sound decisions can be made; appropriate power to make or influence decisions; leadership; focus; rewards for performance. Expectations of Members Site council members should feel that they are involved in a worthwhile activity and that their opinions are valued. In general, members should: arrive at meetings on time; be prepared for assignments and discussions; know the purpose and goals of the group; contribute to the discussion; be respectful of others' perspectives and ideas; notify someone if they are unable to attend a meeting; be honest and open; welcome feedback. Site Council Membership, Size and Terms MEMBERSHIP According to state law and district requirements, site council membership must: reflect the diversity of the school community; be no more than 50% district employees (employees that are also district parents can serve as parent representatives); include the principal; include a Saint Paul Federation of Teachers steward (stewards may select alternates). SIZE Schools may choose their own site council size. Some recommendations: The size of the council should balance the despite to be representative with the need to be workable. Eight to 16 members is a common range. Members should be able to fairly represent the various constituents of the school. Groups to consider include various cultures, English language learners, special education, staff groups, parent organizations, students community organizations, senior citizens and area businesses. TERMS Membership terms may be set by each site council. Suggestions: Usually terms are two or three years long. That provides continuity from year to year and allows time for members to become a well-functioning team. With two-year terms, about half of the council members will be up for re-election each year; with three-year terms, one third will be up for re-election each year. Limiting length of service on site councils is recommended only for sites that have many people wanting to serve on their councils. Selection Process Each site designs its own selection process. Sites often use a combination of strategies, including elections, volunteering and consensus, and appointments. Tips to help with the selection process: To recruit candidates, remember that personal one-to-one relationships are the most effective way to engage people. Provide time for board advertisement to the whole school community about the importance of participation, the work of the site council and how members will be selected. Use existing communication tools and consider creating new ones: school and classroom newsletters, phone trees, school voice-mail greetings (which can provide phone numbers of contact people for additional information), community newspapers, information/Q&A sessions out in the community, etc. Ask teachers for suggestions of parents they think may be interested in being involved. Area businesses, churches, community groups and local government may also have suggestions for potential members with certain skills or backgrounds. Creatively address the needs of people with limited English. Go beyond written materials in multiple languages. Consider providing meetings in community centers and homes, translators at information meetings, audiocassettes, and eventually videos. Make the selection process celebratory. Communicate selection results quickly and sufficiently to all involved. Acknowledge and thank all candidates and voters. Reserve the option of appointing some council members to ensure that there is diversity in the council. Elections may fail to create a diverse membership. Administrative Ideas Once your site council has been created, there are several things that will help keep your council running smoothly. LIST OF SITE COUNCIL MEMBERS. Create and distribute a list including each member's name, address, phone (home and work), fax and e-mail. ANNUAL CALENDAR Ask members what days and times work best for meetings. Set the meetings well in advance to help people work them into their schedules. SET AGENDAS Site councils might want to list areas the want to address over the year, or they may set agendas one month in advance. Site council chairs often work closely with the school principal to set agendas relevant to the school's situation. MAINTAIN RECORDS Site council chairs, members and school principals come and go, and their site council files and memories may go with them. Set up a place in the school (office, library) where official records can be kept for future reference. These records can include membership rosters, the SBI agreement, by-laws, meeting minutes and meeting handouts. ESTABLISH A STRUCTURE While everyone on a site council is an equal member, it helps to have a leadership structure. Site councils may choose to select a chair (who will run meetings and set agendas), a secretary (who will take meeting minutes) and committees (who will be responsible for carrying out particular tasks or research). Role of the Site Council Chair Site council chairs provide important leadership to site council efforts. Working with other school leaders, site council chairs help identify important issues, build strong relationships among people and groups, and help shape goals that serve the best interests of all students. Some skills and roles of a successful site council chairs: Identify and prioritize important issues for the site council to discuss. Listen to members and other key groups; serve their needs. Work with the principal and council members to set agendas. Be committed to serving the school. Have strong organizational and communication skills. Work closely with the Office of Site Based Improvement to understand the role of site councils. Learn about the district's long-term goals. Find out about "hot" education topics, and understand education jargon. Have a general knowledge of the districts budget and the budgeting process. Be able to tell others about your school, including demographics, test scores, goals, programs and services. Run meetings efficiently and fairly. Help site council come to consensus on decisions. Help ensure the site council has a diverse group of members. Tips for good Site council meetings Site council members are volunteers; their time is valuable. The following ideas should help site councils run organized and efficient meetings. ESTABLISH GROUND RULES. When a site council is first formed, it help for members to agree on some common expectations that can be used to guide all meetings. Examples include: we speak and act respectfully; we will focus our efforts on student achievement; we speak briefly so all members have a chance to speak. GET EVERYONE INVOLVED. Everyone has something to contribute. Help ensure that everyone can play a role by speaking, serving on a committee, taking on a task or leading a discussion. ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO ATTENDANCE. Try to provide child care, transportation or interpreters for members who need them. Phone call update to members who miss meetings can improve attendance. START AND END ON TIME. HAVE A MEETING AGENDA. Agendas provide both structure and focus. APPROVE THE AGENDA. Prior to starting the meeting, always ask if members have additional items to add to the agenda. TAKE NOTES. Appoint someone to take notes (minutes) of major discussion points, decisions that are made and the members present at each meeting. These records provide a written memory of what the council has agreed to do. MAINTAIN ORDER. The chair should make sure the discussion remains focused and that everyone gets and opportunity to speak. LISTEN CAREFULLY. Listening is a sign of respect and recognized the value that individuals bring to the council. PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION. Give members the information they need (either written or by having an appropriate staff member present) to make decisions. KEEP THE MEETING MOVING. Listen for agreement on issues and to make decisions by consensus (consensus is the general agreement of the site council on an issue without taking a formal vote). Discussions that begin to ramble should be ended or brought back at a future meeting. Community Site councils provide a forum where all stakeholders -- administrators, teachers, staff, parents, community members -- can come together to work on issues of policy related to student achievment." - Roger Barr, Webster Magnet site council member Challenge "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." -James Baldwin