School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC)

The School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) is a representative group of district personnel and community members that advises the Board of Education, through the superintendent and the Director of School Improvement, in matters concerning the school program. The SIAC makes professional decisions pertaining to curriculum, instruction, and student learning. The SIAC also serves as a sounding board for certified personnel in curriculum/instruction matters. The SIAC does not make managerial decisions related to buildings, personnel, budgets, or other agenda items reserved for the administrative team, building principals, or site councils.

To meet requirements of Iowa Code section 280.12(2) as amended by 2007 Iowa Acts, Senate File 427, section 2, the board will appoint and charge a school improvement advisory committee to make recommendations to the board.  Based on the committee members’ analysis of the needs assessment data, they will make recommendations to the board about the following components:

            1.      Major educational needs;

            2.      Student learning goals;

            3.      Long-range goals that include, but are not limited to, the state indicators that address reading,                               mathematics, and science achievement; and          

            4.      Harassment or bullying prevention goals, programs, training, and other initiatives. 

The SIAC will consist of members representing the following:  parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members.  To the extent possible, committee membership will have balanced representation of the following:  race, gender, national origin, and disability.

Meetings

General Procedures:  The SIAC will meet a minimum of four times a year for the purpose of carrying out its functions.  Primary meeting dates will be established and noted on the administrative calendar. Members will be informed no later than September 15th of all regular meeting dates for the coming school year. Notification of all extra meetings will be given at least five days prior to the meeting. Special meetings may be called as needed by the Director of School Improvement, superintendent, or at least five members of the SIAC.

Decision-Making Process:  All decisions will be by consensus of those members present. Consensus principles and guidelines are outlined in Appendix A.

Quorum:  A quorum constitutes a simple majority of the total membership. Meetings will not be conducted unless a quorum is present.

Channels of Communication:  All recommendations of the SIAC will be presented to the Board of Education by the Director of School Improvement. In the event that the Director of School Improvement does not support the recommendations of the SIAC, the superintendent and a designee of the SIAC will present the views of the SIAC to the Board.

Agenda Development and Procedure:  Agenda items for consideration by the SIAC may be proposed by the members, by district personnel, the superintendent or by members of the Board of Education. The items should be submitted to the Director of School Improvement at least ten working days prior to the scheduled meeting of the council. The agenda and notification of the meeting will be distributed to members of the SIAC, one copy per building for posting, and to each member of the Board of Education. Distribution will occur at least three working days prior to the scheduled meeting. The director will determine the priority of agenda items.

Maintaining Meeting Records:  Minutes of all meetings will be recorded and kept on file by the secretary. Minutes will be forwarded to the Director of School Improvement, SIAC members, the superintendent, members of the Board of Education, and to each building for posting.

Amendments

The mission statement, long-range plan, and the policy document are subject to review at the end of each year. If changes, corrections, or updating are determined to be necessary after this analysis, then the SIAC will make the amendments following the standard procedure for decision making.

Personnel

Director of School Improvement:  The position of Director of School Improvement will be a permanent one, and the position will be filled through regular district personnel procedures.

The Chairperson of the SIAC:  The Director of School Improvement serves as chairperson of the SIAC, with the following specific duties:

1.       presides at all regular meetings

2.      prepares agendas for all regular meetings

3.      provides for notification of all meetings

4.      calls all special meetings

5.      assists in conducting inservice activities

6.      oversees selection of SIAC members according to the policy document and provides their training, using current SIAC members as resources

7.      monitors attendance of SIAC members

8.      receives all written resignations from SIAC members

9.      represents the SIAC at all Board of Education meetings and other appropriate public functions, or appoints a SIAC member to do so

10.    assures that all district committees adhere to the goals of the mission statement and the long-range plan

11.    distributes minutes of all meetings to SIAC members, superintendent, Board of Education, and to all buildings for posting.

Secretary:  The Director of School Improvement and superintendent will select an individual who may be a member of the SIAC to serve as secretary.  The duties of the secretary include these provisions:

1.    attends all meetings of the SIAC

2.    takes accurate and thorough notes of proceedings

3.    types and duplicates notifications and minutes of all meetings and provides to Director of School Improvement for distribution.

4.    maintains all SIAC minutes, correspondence, and other pertinent documents.

5.    performs necessary secretarial tasks for the timely completion of SIAC and subject area committee projects

6.   demonstrates a willingness to work closely and cooperatively with the Director of School Improvement and all SIAC members for the success of the curriculum development process

Members of the SIAC

The members of the SIAC will be representative of district personnel and parent/community members. District personnel members of the SIAC will be selected on the basis of interest and experience.

Parent/community members will be selected according to interest and availability.  Principals will be asked for their input on teacher applicants and will periodically be asked to make recommendations.  The Director of School Improvement will work with the superintendent in making the final selections.  The Board of Education must approve all new members.  Member replacement will be made to maintain appropriate representation.   Additional provisions are these:

1. Terms:  Members will serve for a two-year term and may reapply for subsequent terms.

2.   Resignation:  A SIAC member may resign at any time. A letter of resignation will be written and submitted by the resigning member to the Director of School Improvement at least one regular meeting prior to the effective date of the resignation.  The vacancy will be filled from eligible persons according to the selection procedures.

3.   Composition and Representation:  Member selection should provide for a variety of personal and professional traits, assuring that all grade levels and professional categories are represented. There will be:

primary teachers (PreK-2)                                 1

intermediate teachers (3-6)                               1

junior high teachers (7-8)                                  1

high school teachers (9-12)                              2

classified personnel                                          1

parent/community persons                               3 (1 parent from each building)

high school counselor*                                     1

principals*                                                         4

superintendent*                                                1

Director of School Improvement*                     1

board member**                                               1

students                                                            2                                 

                        Total                                                              19

 

*    These members are on the SIAC by virtue of their positions; they do not apply for membership.

**   The Board of Education selects one of its members to serve on the SIAC.

 

4.   Stipends:  The district SIAC members will each be paid a stipend for attending meetings that exceed or are outside their contract of employment. A district member may also serve as a chairperson or a committee member for a subject area committee, and will receive a stipend for that work according to the same guidelines. In accordance with board policy, administrative personnel may not receive stipends. Stipend amounts will be issued in accordance with the policies of the Board of Education.

5.   Duties of an Individual District SIAC Member:

               a.  attends all regularly scheduled meetings of the SIAC and assigned subject area committee

  b.  maintains a positive communication between SIAC and building faculties, emphasizing teacher   

     ownership of curriculum planning

6.     Duties of the SIAC as a Working Group:

a.   acts as the communication link among the district staff, superintendent, and Board of Education; and promotes and encourages communication among buildings and levels within the district

b.   establishes meeting dates and length of meetings

c.   sets and prioritizes goals for the year

d.   reviews the district mission statement on a yearly basis and makes revisions when appropriate

e.    assures that the district’s mission statement is a working mission statement used in all district decision-making circumstances

f.    develops a long-range plan for curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation - with an annual review of progress and direction

g.   discusses and possibly modifies student progress reports

h.   reviews the latest trends and developments in curriculum and instruction and makes decisions regarding their applicability in the district

 

Appendix A

Consensus Guidelines and Principles

1.     Every person’s opinion is valuable and needs to be heard.

2.     The goal is communication, understanding, and supportive unity.

3.     Each member needs to be open to others’ perspectives.

4.     Questions need to be asked back and forth in order to gain a more accurate understanding of others’ opinions.

5.     One member may block or stop a decision. If a member disagrees, he/she is not to “give in” just to reach  easier agreement or to avoid controversy.

6.     If a disagreement continues in the decision-making process, the following actions or alternatives may be followed:

a.   restate each position, including added thoughts from each side of the disagreement, to bring more information or understanding to consideration

b.   withdraw the problem

c.   postpone the decision

d.   develop a compromise or provisional solution

e.   make the decision on a trial basis

7.     Voting will be used only when consensus cannot be reached and a decision must be made according to an immediate timeframe. In that case, simple majority will rule.