BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT 501

6520

BOARD POLICY 

SITE-BASED DECISION MAKING

The Bellingham School District is committed to site-based decision making. The District believes that an ongoing process of shared decision making fosters a collaborative learning environment at each school that will help all students attain their personal, creative, and academic potential. Implementation of a districtwide system of school site councils provides that school-based decision making and instructional program planning occurs throughout Bellingham School District.

Site-based decision making is both a philosophical and practical approach to collaborative planning, problem solving, and decision making. It helps insure that those affected by a decision and those who are responsible for its implementation will be actively and legitimately involved in an established process of decision making. Site-based decision making is also a process that seeks to improve the quality of education for all students at each school. It provides the foundation for gathering data, establishing a mission and goals, building a positive school climate, implementing strategies for program improvement and student learning, and evaluating student outcomes and other programmatic results.

Participation

The Bellingham School District seeks representation of the educational and broader community in the decision making process at the district level and at each of its schools. Participants in the school-based councils will include administrators, certificated and classified personnel, parents and community members, and students when appropriate.

Each building site will form a school site council. Parents, teachers, and classified staff members will be elected to their positions by the vote of their individual constituent group in each school. The school principal will serve on the site council. The size of the site councils will be determined by the school. On site councils, the number of parents will be equal to the number of non-administrative, certificated staff members. The number of classified positions on the site council will be determined by the school with a fair ratio of all groups represented. Site councils may also establish their own process for selecting and involving community members and students. Other rules for participation and formal decision making will be specified in a set of individual site council bylaws whose broad guidelines will be established districtwide by the School Leadership Council and must be approved by the Bellingham Board of Directors.

School site council meetings will be open to all members of the school staff and community. Site councils are responsible for regularly communicating their activities, decisions, and plans to all members of the school community. The principal plays an active leadership role on the school site council. The principal and other members are responsible for assuring that all members of the site council are equally involved and that the decisions of the site council are in accordance with state/federal laws and regulations, Bellingham School Board policies and procedures, and other districtwide program guidelines. The principal continues to be responsible for working with other members of the school staff and parent community to help achieve school goals and program success. All school site council members will receive district training and orientation to the broad roles and responsibilities of their positions. School site councils have further responsibility for orienting new members to school improvement planning, site council bylaws, and other site-specific information.

Decision Making

Bellingham School District believes that school-based decision making is a collaborative, shared process predicated on school improvement and successful learning for all students. The individual school community is recognized as a place where many of the most important decisions about school improvement and planning can and should be made. With the direct input of parents, classified and certificated staff, community members, and students, there can be greater ownership of our schools and their central mission.

It is the responsibility of the Board and central office administration to establish districtwide goals, instructional and programmatic guidelines, and a long range, strategic plan for Bellingham School District. The Board recognizes its responsibility to uphold state and federal laws and regulations and to further determine the broad program and instructional guidelines for school-based decision making and planning.

School site councils are responsible for submitting to the Board for approval a plan for school improvement that includes, but is not limited to, school mission and goals, strategies for implementation, recommended school budget and other resources, calendar, staff development activities, and evaluation of student and program outcomes. The school improvement plan will initially be submitted on an annual basis. Later, school improvement plans with annual updates may be submitted on a multi-year cycle with schools scheduled on a staggered basis.

School Leadership Council

A district School Leadership Council will be created to help facilitate and enhance the process of implementing school-based decision making and school site councils. The purpose of the School Leadership Council will be to: design and implement site council training; establish broad guidelines for bylaws and program planning; review proposed school site council plans; and monitor the ongoing progress of site-based decision making.

The School Leadership Council will be comprised of parents, teachers, administrators, and classified staff members. School Leadership Council membership will consist of two representatives selected from the membership of each school site council. One site council representative to the School Leadership Council will be a teacher selected by his or her site council. The second site council representative to the School Leadership Council will be either a parent, a classified staff member, or the principal. The parent or classified staff representative to the School Leadership Council also will be selected by his or her site council; and the principal will serve as designated. The determination of whether the second representative will be a parent, classified staff member, or principal will be made by a rotating, staggered schedule established by the School Leadership Council. School Leadership Council members will serve two years. The Bellingham Board of Directors will appoint one of its members to serve ex officio on the School Leadership Council. The School Leadership Council will be led by the Assistant Superintendent for School Administration and Improvement. Meetings will be held as needed throughout the school year.

Adopted: 11-12-92