Whittier International Elementary Site Council ByLaws

Draft 4/1/15

ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of the group shall be "Whittier International Elementary Site
Council".

ARTICLE II: MISSION AND PURPOSE

A. Mission
The Site Council supports Whittier International Elementarys mission:
Encourage exploration, inquiry and critical thinking. Provide integrated
learning opportunities. Promote local and global action. Respect
cultural similarities and differences.
B. Purpose
The collective efforts of students, teachers, parents, administrators,
the local community and supporting central offices staff toward student
success are necessary to meet the academic and social needs of
Minneapolis students. Combined efforts of all school stakeholders are
necessary to meet the districts mission, vision and strategic plan
goals. Gathering the local input of school stakeholders to improve the
academic achievement and emotional and social growth of students
attending that school is valuable and necessary to maximize all efforts
toward improving and maintaining student success and growth.
A representative council of school stakeholders is the means that the
Board of Directors believes will provide the input to the schools
administration to affect appropriate school-based decision making and
support the academic achievement and social and emotional growth of
all students. The Site Council shall ensure inclusive representation in
decision-making in critical areas, including, but not limited to, staff
development, instructional leadership, budget and staffing.
The Site Council shall operate according to a set of by-laws, a current
copy of which must be on file in the area superintendents office and

available to all at the site. The focus of procedures, programs, and

practices established by site policy should be student achievement.
Site Council Teams need to assess effectiveness of shared decisionmaking at their site on a regular basis.
C. Responsibilities of the Site Council
Unless otherwise delegated authority by board policy, superintendent
regulation or written autonomy agreement, the duty of the site council
is to:
1. Advise the school site administrator or principal on school-based
decisions.
2. Review the level of student achievement at the site based on
disaggregated data for established subgroups in the school for
the purposes of advising school staff on the contents of the
School Improvement Plan (SIP).
3. Recommend use of compensatory education revenue, as that
term is defined in applicable Minnesota Law, allocated to the
school in the preparation of the annual budget.
4. Advise the school site administrator or principal on the use of the
school budget allocation to support the goals established in the
SIP.
5. Monitor the use of the school budget so that resources are
targeted to those uses and activities which will result in improved
student achievement as provided for in the SIP.
6. Advise the school site administrator or principal on issues
surrounding school operations and local school rules.
7. Communicate regularly with the school community about school
based decisions, and decisions affecting the school.
8. At least once per academic year, the School Site Council shall
host a meeting for all school stakeholders for the purpose of
receiving advice and comment regarding the level of student
achievement at the site and how to improve it, the site
operations for students and parents and other issues regarding
the school important to them.
9. The School Site Council does not have the authority to make
decisions that are not specifically delegated to it, nor may it
make decisions that are contrary to the goals and the policies of
the Board of Directors or the Superintendents regulations or
priorities.
10.
Consistent with Minnesota law, the Board of Directors, not
the School Site Council, remains responsible for legally entering
into contracts and for the expenditure of all revenue received by
the District or any of its schools or programs consistent with
District procedures.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

A. Composition of Site Council
The membership of the Site Council shall reflect the diversity of the
student body. The Site Councils school staff shall constitute no more
than sixty percent (60%) nor less than forty percent (40%) of the
membership.
The Site Council will consist of the following members:
1. 1 Administrators (Principal or Assistant Principal)
2. 3 Licensed employees that represent the various bands of grades
within a school, (e.g. K-2 and 3-5), special education and English
Language instruction as well as the racial, ethnic and cultural
diversity of the staff.
3. 1 Unlicensed staff member (AE, SEA, SSPA)
4. 4 Parents who reflect the racial, ethnic, and cultural, language
and ability diversity of the student body.
5. 1 local community member who resides near the school or whose
business is in the school neighborhood.
B. Member Selection
1. School staff members
Any member of the Whittier staff (licensed and non-licensed)
during the current academic year may nominate himself or
herself or may nominate any other member of the Whittier staff.
After nominations are received, an election will be held each year
in May (or as soon thereafter as reasonably possible) where each
Whittier staff member can vote. The nominees receiving the
most votes shall become members to replace members whose
two year terms have expired or who are leaving the school after
the first year of a two year term, with new Members terms
beginning in June. In an effort to have broad staff representation,
each cluster will be encouraged to nominate one of its cluster
members.
2. Parent members
Any parent or guardian of a child enrolled in Whittier during the
current academic year may nominate himself or herself or may
nominate any other parent or guardian of a child enrolled in
Whittier during the current academic year. After nominations
are received, an election will be held where a parent or guardian
of each family with at least one child currently enrolled in
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Whittier can vote. The nominees receiving the most votes shall
become Members to replace Members whose two year terms
have expired with new Members terms beginning in June.
Nominations shall be actively pursued in the interest of reflecting
the schools diversity no later than the monthly meeting held in
April (or as soon thereafter as reasonably possible).
3. Community member
A community representative from the Whittier Alliance will be
designated at the discretion of the Whittier Alliance board every two
years.

C. Term of Office
The term of office for all Site Council officers and members, except
administration members, is two years. A Site Council member may
serve up to two consecutive terms. In order to provide for continuity
and avoid a complete change in membership every two years, the
term office for individual positions in each constituency shall be
staggered so at least one-half of the remaining representatives of each
constituency shall remain the same for the following year.
Any elections within the above constituencies shall be completed in
sufficient time prior to the June meeting such that all newly selected
representatives are able to attend the June meeting of the Site Council.
D. Replacement or Removal of Member during the Year
If a member cannot fully participate in Site Council work, the Site
Council will determine if there is a need to replace or remove the
member. If a member fails to attend three regularly scheduled
meetings in succession, the Site Council may determine that the
member is not able to fully participate and vote to remove the member
from the Council. This action will require a 2/3 vote of the active
members present.

ARTICLE IV: RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS

A. Duties
1. Each member of the school site council is representative of a
category of school stakeholders, and is accountable to that
category of school stakeholder to represent the concerns of that
category as a whole.

2. Each member of the school site council shall regularly

communicate with the category of the school stakeholders that
the member represents to gain advice, input and to gather
concerns that need to be considered by the council.
3. Each member of the school site council shall regularly
communicate with the category of the school stakeholders that
the member represents about school site council decisions and
school-based decision making.
4. Each member of the school site council should commit to acting
in the best interests of all students enrolled in the school.
5. Members shall be responsible for providing representation of
Whittier International Elementary to the best of their capabilities,
and for communicating with the constituency group on major
issues and actions. Members are responsible for fully and
actively participating in Site Council, including attending regular
meetings, abiding by any Site Council consensus-supported
ground rules, and participating in committee work.

B. Absence from meetings

If a Member misses two (2) regularly scheduled meetings, a Co-Chair
must notify that Member that he or she may be removed from the
Council if he or she misses a third meeting within the current academic
year. If the Member then misses a third meeting, the Council may vote
whether to declare the position vacant.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
A. Co-chairs
The Council selects two (2) co-chairs from among its Members during
the June meeting. One co-chair will be a parent/guardian/community
member and the other will be a Whittier staff member (other than the
Principal). The co-chairs will establish the agendas, facilitate each
meeting, maintain responsibility for member continuity, and oversee
completion of tasks and action items.
B. Communications officer
The Council will select a Communications Officer during the June
meeting who prepares dated, written meeting minutes. The
Communications Officer will provide copies of all meeting minutes to
the Principal (or its designee) for publication as a permanent record.
Following each meeting, the Communications Officer will post meeting
minutes and agendas on the Whittier website. Additionally, the
Communications Officer will maintain a copy of the by-laws and shall
add all amendments to the by-laws as made by the Site Council. It
shall be the responsibility of the Communications Officer to provide
updates on the status of tasks and action items.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

A. General
Council meetings are open to all Whittier community constituents.
Anyone wishing to present a topic to the Council must propose a
description of the issue in writing to a Co-Chair for inclusion on the
agenda.
B. Regular meetings

The Site Councils meeting year shall run from June to June. The
meeting schedule for the balance of the upcoming year shall be
determined at the first meeting held in June of each year. Meetings
shall be held at least once a month with the possible exception of July
and August. Meeting times shall be set by consensus of the members.
Additional, special meetings may be called from time to time by the
principal, or either co-chair of the Site Council.
C. Special meetings
Special meetings may be called by four or more members of the Site
Council. The purpose of the special meeting must be stated in the call.
Written notice must be given as provided in Article VI, Section F.
D. Summer meetings
Summer meetings can be held at the discretion of the seated Site
Council.
E. Agenda
Prior to each meeting, the principal and co-chairs shall receive items
for consideration from all interested persons. The co-chairs will develop
an agenda which reflects building committee reports, principals items
and any other issues and will distribute the agenda to all members
prior to the meeting. The agenda will be distributed to Members and
posted in the Whittier office prior to each meeting. All topics and
issues proposed but not accepted for inclusion on the agenda by the
Co-Chairs shall be brought forth to the attention of Members during a
regular meeting.
F. Notice of meetings
Notice of each meeting (whether special or regular) will be posted prior
to the meeting in the Whittier office and on the Whittier website along
with information regarding the availability of agenda and meeting
minutes.
Additional notices may be sent by electronic means, paper circulation,
or otherwise at the discretion of the Members.
G. Procedures
Site Council meetings shall be conducted on the basis of consensus.
There will be open discussion on each agenda topic. Consensus is
sought on all issues. If consensus cannot be reached, a vote will be
taken according to established procedures. See Article VII.
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H. Quorum
A quorum to conduct business at any meeting will consist of a simple
majority of all members.

ARTICLE VII: DECISION MAKING

A. Decisions by Consensus
The Site Council will make decisions by consensus whenever possible.
Accordingly, attendance at Site Council meetings is crucial.
B. Decisions by Voting
If consensus cannot be reached, decisions may be made by a vote of
Site Council members present. Each member has one vote.
C. Decisions Requiring a Quorum
For the following decisions, a quorum, which shall be defined as 2/3 of
the total membership of the Site Council, is required. If no quorum is
present, no vote on any of the following topics may be taken:
1. Renewal or amendment of the Site Council Bylaws
2. Approval of changes to the SIP
3. Approval of the budget recommendations to be submitted to the
District
D. Guidelines
The Site Council shall use the following principles to guide their shared
decision-making
processes:
1. Focus on meeting academic needs of students including closing
the achievement gap as identified by current district and/or state
and/or federal criteria.
2. Ensure that the people most impacted by any decisions are
involved in the discussion.
3. Consider how decisions impact students, staff and community.
4. Promote professional development of staff at the site, building
collegial relationships and fostering a professional climate.

5. Promote active parent and community involvement.

ARTICLE VIII: BY-LAWS

A. Continuity of the by-laws
These By-Laws remain in effect regardless of any changes in the
administration or members. They can only be changed using the
Amendment procedure outlined in this section.
B. Amendments
Proposed amendments to these By-Laws shall be sent to members,
Whittier staff, parents, and guardians and posted in the Whittier office
and to the Whittier website no fewer than ten (10) days before being
approved by at least a two-thirds majority of all Members.
Prior to voting, the Site Council may alter the grammar but not the
content or meaning of a proposed amendment. Fifty percent plus one
(50% +1) of the Site Council membership is needed to approve an
amendment or change to an amendment.

ARTICLE VI: SUBORDINATION

The Council shall operate within policies of the Minneapolis Board of
Education.
The above By-Laws were adopted and approved by the Site Council by vote
on

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Staff Co-Chair

Parent Co-Chair