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School Advisory Committee

Constitution of the School Advisory Committee
Our Lady of Good Counsel School

Article I

Name

The name of this body shall be Our Lady of Good Counsel School Advisory Committee (SAC).

Article II

A. Mission
The primary goal of the School Advisory Committee is to support the Parish School in providing a learning environment, which fosters growth in Catholic Christian identity, and academic excellence. The School Advisory Committee looks to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance as they address their responsibilities.

B. Purpose
The purpose of the School Advisory Committee (SAC) is to collaborate with the Pastor and Principal in developing and recommending policy according to the established policies and directives of the Office of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

The SAC works through the Faith Formation Commission of the Parish Council. All recommended policies are subject to the approval of the Pastor and Principal.

C. Function
The functions of the committee are:

1. To provide direction for the school that aligns with the Faith Formation/Parish Council's objectives for the parish.

2. To review policies established by the Archdiocese, evaluate their impact and incorporate them within school policy as necessary.

3. To assist in the development of the long-range vision to ensure the future of the Parish School, including development, marketing, and public relations.

4. To serve as a voice for parents, students, and parish members with legitimate concerns or questions for the Administration.

5. To establish and maintain an understanding of issues of concern to both school families and School Administration.

6. To review the effectiveness of, and make recommendations to the policies and procedures of the school, including the philosophy and mission statement.

7. To establish standing committees that annually review and report on the objectives set, to promote an educationally sound and environmentally safe community.

8. To review the annual school budget.

9. To review tuition rates and provide input into tuition policy.

10.To establish ad hoc committees as needed.

Article III

Membership and Qualifications

The membership of the School Advisory Committee consists of:

-Eight elected, At Large Members

-One representative of the Parent Volunteer Committee

-The Pastor of the parish or his delegate

-The Principal of the school

- Non-voting members shall include a representative from the Booster Club and Faculty

The qualifications for membership include:

- Members must be registered members of the parish for at least one year

- No two members of the same household may be nominated to serve on the board simultaneously

Article IV

Officers and their Elections

A. Elections

1. An Ad Hoc election subcommittee shall be formed annually. This committee shall solicit nominations, gather a one-page statement from each candidate for the ballot, count the votes, and inform the candidates, Principal and SAC President of the results of the election.

2. Any qualified member of the parish may be nominated. All candidates must have the final approval of the Pastor.

3. Elections for the School Advisory Committee are held annually in the spring. Voting shall take place by written ballot distributed to all families in the Parish School. Each family shall have one vote.

4. The newly elected members shall attend and observe the first SAC meeting following their election.

5. The first candidate not elected from the parish general election may be requested to fill any vacancy that may develop during the next year.

B. Term of Service [Tenure]

The term of membership on the School Advisory Committee is three (3) years. Members may serve two (2) consecutive terms on the committee, but must observe a hiatus of one year before serving a third term.

C. Officers

The officers shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Faith Formation Representative. They will be selected from the membership at the last regular SAC meeting. These should be members who have already served one year on the board. Officers of the committee shall serve for one academic year. The vice-president shall succeed the office of President for the following academic year. Duties of the officers are as follows:

1. The President shall establish all agendas with the Principal and facilitate all meetings of the committee. The President is the main point of contact for the committee to the Parish.

2. If the President is unable to be present for a meeting, the Vice President will assume the duties of facilitation. The Vice President shall also assume the duties of the Secretary in their absence.

3. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining and distributing the minutes of all meetings. The Secretary is also responsible for forwarding to the Principal any and all concerns, which might affect the school handbook before the publication of the handbook for the next academic year.

4. The Faith Formation Representative is the liaison from the School Committee to the Faith Formation Commission, and thereby the Parish Council.

5. In the event of a vacancy in the offices of President, Vice President or Secretary, the committee will select replacements from among their membership.

6. The Booster Club, Parent Volunteer Committee Representative, and Faculty Representatives shall serve as liaisons between their respective groups and the School Committee.

D. Conduct of Officers

- In order to properly represent the interests of the School and Parish, members are expected to welcome and discuss comments on the school and possible improvements from all members of the Parish Community.

- Information brought to the committee, including, but not limited to financial details, details of events that may prompt review and revision of school policy, and practice or details of discussions within the committee concerning impending action are to be kept confidential within the committee.

- Members who absent themselves from two regular meetings of the committee without reasonable cause, within the course of one academic year, forfeit their seat on the committee. No member may be removed from the committee without a hearing to determine whether or not removal is indicated.

E. Removal of Members

- Members may resign during their tenure in writing to the Pastor.

- Any member of the committee may be removed, for cause, by a vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the total voting membership of the committee. Examples of cause include violations of Article IV-D. This vote shall be by secret ballot. Members shall be notified of the decision in writing.

- Any member, who has been removed, may appeal in writing to the committee prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Article V

Meetings

A. Meetings

-Monthly meetings of the School Advisory Committee shall be posted at the beginning of each semester.

-Additional meetings may be called by the President and/or Principal as needed.

-If a committee member is unable to attend a meeting, they will inform the Secretary or President prior to that meeting.

-All official business shall be transacted at a regular scheduled meeting. A quorum, defined as the majority of the membership plus one, must be present to transact business. The Principal must be present for the transaction of all official business.

-The rules of parliamentary procedure shall govern the meetings of the committee. Meetings shall be limited to ninety (90) minutes from the Call to Order. The Committee may extend the meeting if approved by a simple majority of the committee members present.

-A consensus process of the membership decides internal concerns.

B. Order of Business:

1. Call to Order / Faith Reflection Topic

2. Review of minutes from previous meeting and approval

3. Principal's Report

4. PVC Report

5. Booster Club Report

6. Old Business

7. New Business

8. Round Table

9. Adjournment / Closing Prayer

Article VI

Amendments

- The Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) vote of the total membership.

- Amendments must be within regulations and policies of the Archdiocese.

- Amendments must be distributed to the committee at least two (2) weeks prior to voting.

By-Laws of the School Advisory Committee

Article I

Nominations and Elections

The President of the School Advisory Committee will select an Election Committee no later than the March meeting of the full committee.

The Election Committee solicits candidates by way of letter to all families having children enrolled in the Parish School and posted in the Parish Counsellor.

The Pastor of the Parish, in person or through his delegate, must approve the slate of nominees.

The Election Committee prepares ballots for the election of members, including the informational abstracts prepared by each candidate. Candidates and their statements shall be distributed to the school community a week before the election. The election itself takes place the first week of May.

Ballots will be counted by the Election Committee, and the results will be published, by way of letter to families, through the "Counsellor", and on the school web site within two weeks of the election.

New members of the School Advisory Committee are welcomed at the final meeting of the year, and given orientation about their work and ministry.

Article II

School Advisory Committee Meetings

Agendas for each meeting of the School Advisory Committee will be prepared and posted on the school web page at least one week before each meeting. Minutes will be posted on the web page within two weeks of all regularly scheduled meetings. Members must come to the next meeting ready to vote on approval of the minutes as published or with corrections/amendments ready for addition.
The President may, with the consent of the committee, interrupt or postpone discussion or debate of any issue or agenda item in the interest of time. In such a case the interrupted item is placed on the agenda for the next meeting of the committee.

The order of the prepared agenda may be suspended with the consensus of the committee membership.

It is the prerogative of the President of the School Advisory Committee to set reasonable time limits on all discussions.

Article III

Roles and Relationships

1. The role of the School Advisory Committee is to work within the mission and function of the School and this Constitution and to review and evaluate the School Advisory Committee's goal achievement.
a. The SAC seeks direction from the Pastor in the development of school related policies. He seeks input from the committee on issues related to the educational purpose and goals of the school.

b. The SAC works closely with the Principal to implement policy and determine annual goals for the School. The Principal provides the day to day administration of the Parish school according to established Archdiocesan and parish guidelines.

c. The School Advisory Committee sends a representative to the Faith Commission of the Parish Council. The Faith Formation Commission oversees the faith education development of our children.

d. The SAC collaborates with the Parent Volunteer Committee to facilitate communication between the two organizations to support the goals of the school. This is accomplished through that Committee's representative to the School Advisory Committee.

Article IV

Committees

The Elections Committee coordinates the annual School Advisory Committee election.
The School Advisory Committee may recommend to the principal the establishment of ad hoc or standing committees for specified purposes or to achieve particular goals.

Revised: April 2004