Educational Excellence School Advisory Council

0681 Carol City Elementary School

The bylaws for this school were last modified on May. 19, 2021.

The bylaws are as follows:

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

BY LAWS

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Carol City Elementary School Educational Excellence School Advisory Council is to work to ensure improved student achievement. One of the ways the Council will do this is by preparing and evaluating the School Improvement Plan as required by the state.

II. COUNCIL MEMBERS

A. Composition:

The Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC) shall be made up of a minimum of 6 teachers, 7 parents, 1 student, 1 education support employee, 3 business/community representative, the UTD steward and the principal. With the exception of the principal and the business/community representatives, all other members shall be elected by their constituent groups. Teachers, parents, students and education support employees shall also elect an alternate representative. The Assistant Principal will serve as an alternate for the Principal. The Council will be representative of the ethnic, racial, linguistic, and economic community served by Carol City Elementary School.

B. Eligibility:

All teachers, student services personnel, and the media specialist employed by the school are eligible to be elected teacher representative 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 working week are eligible to be elected as the education support employee’s representative. All guardians for children enrolled in Carol City Elementary School are eligible to be elected as parent representatives, with the exception of those guardians who are also employed by Carol City Elementary School.

C. Terms:

1. Teachers and education support employees shall be elected for the period which corresponds to the UTD-MDCPS contract (3 years).
2. Parents shall be elected for a term of one year.
3. Students shall be elected for a term of one year.
4. The business/community representative will have no specific term but will be appointed for a period determined by the Principal.

D. Absences
Members with two unexcused consecutive absences from a properly noticed meeting will be considered to have resigned. An absence will be considered excused if communication with any member of EESAC has been made prior to the meeting.

E. Resignations
Any Council member wishing to resign may do so by submitting a letter of resignation to the Council Chairperson(s).

F. Vacancies
Open positions will be filled as soon as possible. Members elected will serve for the remainder of the current term. Alternate representatives may fill the respective voting members’ vacant positions for the remainder of the term.

G. Responsibilities
All council members are expected to:
1. Attend all regular and special meetings. Any member who has two consecutive unexcused absences from council meetings shall be considered to have resigned. That member shall be replaced following election/selection procedures as stated in these by laws.
2. Follow Robert’s Rules of Order Revised:

General Format of Meetings
a. Call to order
b. Review Noted Correction(s) (if any) of Previous Minutes which were sent by E-mail
c. Old business
d. New business
e. Announcements
f. Input from non-Council members
g. Adjournment

3. Develop school-wide policies relating to school improvement as mandated by the District.
4. Communicate with constituents to collect data and opinions for decision making.
5. Recognize the Agenda Committee as the Principal, the EESAC Chairperson(s), the EESAC Secretary and the UTD representative.
6. Foster open communication with the staff and community by reporting to constituents the actions taken by the Council.
7. Maintain open communication with the administrative team regarding policies and directives.
8. Initiate, select and support appropriate In-service Programs
9. Involve specific staff members and/or one EESAC member in the interviewing process.
10. Consider the needs of all students when making decisions

The Chairperson (s) is expected to
1. Send a notice of the meetings to the District in accordance with the Sunshine Law procedures and notify all members, in writing, of each meeting.
2. Post a printed agenda for the entire staff at least 3 days prior to any meeting in both the sign-in area and via E-mail.
3. Call the meeting to order and facilitate the meeting as stipulated on the agenda.
4. Serve on the Agenda Committee

The Secretary is expected to
1. Take minutes during each meeting and, within five days, post a copy of the minutes for the entire staff’s viewing near the staff sign-in board located in the mailroom and the office.
2. Serve on the Agenda Committee.
3. Keep a binder of EESAC minutes available to EESAC members, staff members and community members.
4. Post the minutes electronically with the District.

Alternate Members are encouraged to
1. Attend all scheduled meetings to remain informed and updated on agenda.
2. Represent their respective areas in the absence of a regular member.
3. Observe proper voting policy. Alternates will vote only in the absence of a regular member from their representative groups.

III. ELECTION PROCESS

Council members representing teachers, education support employees, students, and parents shall be elected by their respective peer groups at the school in a fair and equitable manner as follows:
1. Teachers shall be elected by teachers.
2. Education support employees shall be elected by education support
employees.
3. Students shall be elected by students.
4. Parents shall be selected by parents.
5. Chairperson and Secretary shall be elected by Council members.
6. Vacancies shall be filled using the election process outlined in numbers
1-5, here.
7. New elections will take place as follows:
a. Student elections will take place annually.
b. Parent elections will take place annually.
c. Staff elections will be held one month prior to the expiration of
their terms.

The school shall give proper notice of the election of council member in accordance with the Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law. The school also makes its best effort to hold elections for each constituent group during hours that are convenient for each constituent group.

IV. MEETINGS

1. Regular Meetings:

The regular meeting of the Council will be held a minimum of four times a year at a time that is convenient to parents, students, teachers, and business/community representatives on the 3rd Wednesday of the designated month. The meetings will be held in the Media Center and/or virtually at Carol City Elementary School. The recommended duration of regular meetings will be sixty minutes. The Council has the option of extending any meeting by consensus of the attending members.

2. Special Meetings:

In the event a special meeting is needed, the principal, chair or a majority of Council members may call a meeting. A quorum of is required.

3. Cancellation:

A regular Council meeting may be cancelled by the Council, Chairperson and/or the Principal in the event of an emergency, scheduling conflict, or no issues to discuss. Meeting cancellations will be posted immediately and members will be properly notified. A notification of cancellation or rescheduling will be sent out within 24 to 48 hours to the Council.

4. 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 facility.

V. QUORUM

A. A majority of the voting members of the council shall constitute a quorum.
In order for the Council to conduct business or to vote, a quorum must be present. The quorum will include teacher and parent representatives.

VI. AGENDA

A. The Agenda Committee shall prepare and distribute the agenda for all regular and special meetings.
1. All EESAC members must receive at least three days advance notice in writing of any matter that is scheduled to come before the council for a vote.
2. All agenda items must address items covered in the School Improvement Plan relative to the following issues: budget, training, instructional materials, technology, staffing, student support services, school safety and discipline, and other matters of resource allocation, and benchmarking.

B. Adding to the Agenda
1. Council members may add items to any regular meeting agenda by contacting the Chair not less than five days in advance of the meeting.
2. Non-council members may propose an agenda item by contacting a council member not less than five days in advance of the meeting.
3. The agenda may be amended at the meeting by a majority vote of the Council..

VII. CONSENSUS DECISION MAKING:

The primary method of decision-making shall be by consensus allowing teachers, administrators, support personnel, parents, and community members, as a group of professionals, to reach agreement on common goals and on the strategies to reach those goals.

VIII. MINUTES

Written minutes of each regular and special meeting shall be kept as an open, permanent record of the activities of the Council. 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 school office. In addition, a copy of the minutes of every meeting (as of July 1, 2002) will be posted electronically on the Internet.

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 in the following manner:

A. Input from non-council members will be permitted at the end of each meeting and shall be considered new business.

B. Non-council persons will be given a two-minute time limit to address issues and concerns under consideration or to raise issues and concerns.

X. COMMITTEES

The one standing committee shall be the Budget Committee which will be made up of the Principal, EESAC Chair, 1 teacher, 1 parent, and the UTD Steward.
A. Committees shall be constituted whenever research, clarification or further information on issues brought before the Council are deemed necessary.
B. Committees are expected to report findings at regularly scheduled Council meetings as items of Old Business.
XI. AMENDMENTS
A. EESAC members will be notified of possible by-law-changes.

B. Agenda will reflect suggestions(s) for change in order for EESAC members to be aware of
proposed changes.
C. At the meeting, a motion will be entertained and then seconded before a vote is taken on the proposed change(s) to the by-laws and after discussion of the suggested change(s).