School Advisory Council BYLAWS
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of the Miami Lakes Middle School's Educational Excellence School Advisory Council is to work together to ensure improved student achievement. One of the ways the council will do this is by preparing and evaluating the School Performance Excellence Plan.
II. COUNCIL MEMBERS
A. Composition
The composition of the Miami Lakes Middle School's Council shall be in compliance with applicable school board rules. As it currently stands, the Council is made up of 5 teachers with 2 teacher alternates, 6 parents, with 2 parent alternates, 3 students with 1 student alternate, 1 education support employee with 1 education support employee alternate, 2 business/community representatives. With the exception of the principal, designated UTD Steward, and the business/community representative, all other members shall be elected by their constituent groups. Teachers, parents, staff, students and educational support employees shall each have alternate representatives. The Council will be representative of the ethnic, racial, linguistic, and economic community served by the Miami Lakes Middle School. (Note: Refer to School Board Rule IB-1.031 for required minimums as well as procedures to seek variations or expansions.
B. Eligibility
All teachers, student services personnel, and the media specialist employed by the school are eligible to be elected teacher representatives to the Council. All other persons employed by the school, including paraprofessionals, and those who are not defined as instructional or administrative personnel and whose duties require 20 or more hours in each normal work week are eligible to be elected as the education support employee representative. All parents, guardians, or significant others responsible for a child enrolled in Miami Lakes Middle School are eligible to be elected as a parent representative.
C. Terms
The terms of office shall begin at the start of each school year and end with the submission of the School Improvement Plan to the Region office for that given school year. The Council for the following school year shall meet jointly with the current Council for the completion and preparation of such School Improvement Plan. Teachers and non-instructional personnel shall serve up to a three year term. Parents and students shall serve a one year term. Voting for all Council members shall take place at the end of the given school year for the following school year.
D. Responsibilities
A. Council members are expected to:
1. Attend all regular and special meetings.
2. Notify and secure an elected alternate on the Council to attend a meeting on your behalf. Immediately advise the EESAC chairperson of the name and the attendance status of the alternate you have contacted via e-mail or in written form.
3. Communicate with constituents to collect data and opinions for decision making.
4. Encourage constituents to read the EESAC meeting minutes on the Miami Lakes Middle School website to keep abreast of decisions made by the Council as an open means of communication.
5. Consider the needs of all students when making decisions.
B. Unexcused Absences
Any member who has two unexcused absences from the Council shall be considered to have resigned. “Unexcused Absence” shall be defined as failure to notify the chairperson 24 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting date via e-mail or by written notice. The member shall be replaced following election procedures as outlined in these bylaws and the replacement member shall be elected by their representative group.
III. ELECTION PROCESS
Members will be elected by their representative groups before the ending of the current school year. Teachers and support staff will make nominations at a faculty meeting and an election by ballot will be held. For teacher candidates, the five candidates with the most votes will be elected to the Council, and the next two candidates with the most votes will serve as alternates. For the support staff, the candidate with the most votes will be elected to the Council, and the next candidate with the most votes will serve as an alternate. The student representatives will be elected by the sixth and seventh grade student body. The three students with the most votes will be elected to the Council and the student with the next highest amount of votes will serve as an alternate. The parent representatives will be elected at an annual parent meeting. The six parents with the most votes will be elected to the Council and the two next candidates with the most votes will serve as alternates.
In the event of a vacancy, a replacement will be elected by the representative group.
The chairperson and a recording secretary shall be elected by the Council at the first regular meeting of each school year. The chairperson shall be a regular voting member of the Council.
IV. MEETINGS
A. Regular Meetings
The regular meetings of the Council will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. The meetings will be held in the media center at Miami Lakes Middle School.
B. Special Meetings
In the event a special meeting is needed, the principal, chairperson, or a majority of Council members may call a meeting. The meeting may be held 5 days after it is advertised as delineated in the Sunshine Law that all EESAC's are governed under.
C. Cancellation
A regular Council meeting may be cancelled by the Council at any time. Members will be notified via electronic mail as well as having such notice posted on the school site.
D. All meetings shall be open to the public and shall not be held in any facility or location which discriminates on the basis of sex, age, race, creed, color, origin, or economic status or which operates in such a manner as to unreasonably restrict access to such a facility.
V. QUORUM
A majority of the voting members of the Council shall constitute a quorum. A quorum must be present before a vote may be taken.
VI. AGENDA
A. The chairperson shall prepare and distribute the agenda for all regular and special meetings.
B. Adding to the Agenda
1. Council members may add items to any regular agenda by contacting the Chairperson a minimum of five days before the upcoming meeting.
2. Non-Council members may propose an agenda item by contacting a Council member a minimum of five days prior to the upcoming meeting.
3. The agenda may be amended at the meeting by majority vote.
C. Notice to Members
1. All EESAC members must receive at least three day’s advance notice in writing (e-mail or memorandum) of any matter that is scheduled to come before the Council for a vote.
VII. CONSENSUS DECISION MAKING
The primary method of decision making shall be by consensus.
VIII. MINUTES
A. Maintenance of Minutes
Minutes shall be kept for all meetings of the EESAC. Copies of the approved minutes shall be maintained by the school as permanent record. In addition, a copy of the minutes of every meeting as of July 1, 2004, will be provided electronically to the District.
B. Content
The minutes shall include the names of those in attendance and any actions taken by the Council. The minutes shall be approved at the next regular meeting of the Council and an official copy kept on file in the main office of Miami Lakes Middle School.
IX. INPUT FROM NON-COUNCIL MEMBERS
Those who are in attendance at the Council meetings shall be provided an opportunity to discuss issues under consideration. Discussion will be included at appropriate times in the agenda as determined by the chair.
X. SUB-COMMITTEES
Sub-committees will be established as determined by the Council and in conformity with state/district regulations.
XI. AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a 2/3 vote of the members of the Educational Excellence School Advisory Council present, provided that at least 5 working days written notice of the proposed change has been given to all members of the Council.
Revised January 2005