Educational Excellence
School Advisory Council

7101 Coral Reef Senior High School

 

School Name Coral Reef Senior High School Location # 7101  

The bylaws for this school were last modified on Sep. 18, 2023.

The bylaws are as follows:

BY-LAWS

Coral Reef Senior High School

Educational Excellence School Advisory Council

I. Purpose

The purpose of Coral Reef Senior High School’s Educational Excellence School Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as the “council” is:

1. To provide an instructional and social environment conducive to academic achievement.

2. To marshal the special resources of the community in an effort to meet the diverse needs – physical, social, emotional, and academic – of every student at Coral Reef Senior High School.

3. To establish the appropriate links with community professionals and agencies by establishing a consortium of special service providers called “bridges.”

4. To enhance the productivity, efficiency, creative expression, communication, and accessibility of information by integrating technology into the total school, with the curriculum serving as the vehicle.

5. To help students acquire confidence in their ability to learn about and face adversity.

6. To create a school environment that encourages young people to become independent learners.

The council will strive to accomplish this purpose by working together with the Principal to develop diverse input and focus to the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and by supporting Blueprint 2000 and M-DCPS Strategic Planning Goals.

II. Council Members

A. Composition

The council will consist of five (5) teachers, four (4) parents, one (1) educational support employee, at least three (3) students and, two (2) business/community representatives, one (1) United Teachers of Dade (UTD) designated steward for Coral Reef Senior High School, and the Principal (or his/her designated representative). This is a total of seventeen (17) members. With the exceptions of the Principal, the business/community representatives, and the UTD designated steward, all council members shall be elected by their respective constituent groups by popular vote. Council members will be representative of the ethnic, racial, linguistic, and economic community served. By popular vote from each of the above-mentioned constituent groups, the next in line for a council seat will be designated as an alternate council member. Non-voting alternate council members are as follows: one (1) alternate principal, one (1) teacher, one (1) parent, one (1) educational support employee, and one (1) student. Alternate council members are encouraged to participate in council meetings and activities. At least one (1) member (administrative, teacher, parent, or community member) shall be a representative of the Exceptional Student Education program at Coral Reef High School.

B. Eligibility

All teachers, student service personnel, and the media specialists employed by Coral Reef Senior High School are eligible to be elected as teacher representative on the council. All other persons employed by Coral Reef Senior High School, including paraprofessionals, and those whose duties require twenty (20) or more hours in each normal working week, are eligible to be elected as the educational support employee. All parents or guardians responsible for a student enrolled in Coral Reef Senior High School are eligible to be elected as parent representatives, with the exception of those parents who are employed at Coral Reef Senior High School. Enrollment in Coral Reef Senior High School shall be defined as all students currently attending Coral Reef and those incoming students who have been accepted by Coral Reef for the following school year and who have completed registration/course selection by May 1st.

C. Responsibilities

Council members are expected to:

1. According to state statute, attend all regular and special meetings. Two (2) unexcused absences will be deemed a resignation. The member shall be replaced following election/selection procedures as stated in these by-laws.

If a member of EESAC misses four regularly-scheduled meetings within the same year and those absences are excused, he/she will be replaced by the position’s current alternate, and an election will be held for a new alternate in that position. Absences caused by illness of self or a family member, death of a family member or unexpected professional responsibilities will be considered excused. An unexcused absence is one in which there has been no prior notification of the absence nor have there been any extenuating circumstances as approved by the committee. According to the State of Florida, a member should be replaced after two unexcused absences.

2. Provide recommendations based on council decisions using consensus management in those areas that directly impact the delivery of educational programs and services such as: curriculum, budget, discipline, technology, and professional development.

3. Communicate with constituents to collect data and opinions for decision making.

4. Report to constituents the actions taken by the council.

5. Consider the needs of all students when making decisions.

6. Develop plans to support the Blueprint 2000 goals, to include: readiness to start school, graduation rate, student performance, learning environment, school safety, teachers and staff, and parental involvement.

7. Consolidate and implement the respective waiver policies to State Board Rules, Florida Statutes, School Board rules, and the M-DCPS/UTD Labor Contract, when appropriate.

8. Foster collaboration with other education stakeholders to develop and implement initiatives designed to improve the school and increase student achievement.

E. Committees

The following guidelines will pertain to committees formed by the council.

1. A committee of officers will be selected by the council at the final meeting of the previous school year. The council members will elect a chairperson, vice–chairperson, and a secretary to serve for a period of one (1) year.

2. The council may create standing subcommittees (such as budget, discipline, professional development, curriculum, or technology). Members of standing sub–committees do not have to be council members, but it is advisable for at least one (1) member of the subcommittee to be a council member.

3. Any committee formed will operate as a subcommittee to the council. Committees that address issues related to the School Improvement Plan are appropriate. All committees must operate according to the Sunshine Rules, unless they are only fact-finding or gathering information.

4. The UTD designated steward and the principal (or his/her designee) are members of all committees by virtue of their positions.

III. Elections

A. Election Procedures

The council chairperson, or his/her designee, will conduct elections accordingly:

1. At a faculty meeting prior to the first EESAC meeting of the new school year, teacher representatives shall be elected by secret ballot, which may include the use of web-based voting software such as Elect-Elite.

a. Teacher representatives shall be elected by instructional personnel including administrators, faculty members, counselors, and media specialists. Nominations will be taken from the floor at the faculty meeting or through e-mail prior to posting of the ballot. Nominating e-mails must be sent to both the EESAC Chair and the UTD Steward. Information regarding the details of the voting procedures will be disseminated through e-mail to all eligible voters, and eligible voters will have thirty-six (36) hours to cast their ballot electronically.

b. If one position is available and one person is running, the nominee can be elected by acclamation.

c. If two or more people are running for one position, the new member will be elected by secret ballot with the winner being the nominee garnering the majority of votes from eligible voters who participated in the election.

d. If more than one position on the council is open and more people are nominated than there are positions available, voters will be asked to cast as many votes as there are positions available. The nominees will be ranked according to the number of votes garnered, from greatest to least. If there are two positions available, the nominees in the top two positions in the ranking will become members of the council, etc.

2. Education support employees shall be elected by all non-instructional personnel who work at least twenty (20) hours per week at Coral Reef Senior High School. This election shall be held using a secret ballot during a meeting of said employees during the first week of school.

3. Students shall be elected by students through Coral Reef Senior High School’s Student Government election. This election will be held at the end of the school year, and the elected students will be the student representatives on the council to begin at the first meeting of the following school year. Student Government will be encouraged to select an underclassperson for the second student representative.

4. Parents shall be elected by parents. Open positions for the coming school year will be filled at an election separate from the last General Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) meeting in May and conducted by the EESAC Chair or his/her designee. PTSA membership is not required to run for the position of Parent Representative, nor is membership required to vote in the election. The term(s) of the newly-elected member(s) will begin at the first regular council meeting of the following school year. At least one (1) parent member shall represent the English Language Learners (ELL) parents or parental representative.

a. If one position is available and one person is running, the nominee can be elected by acclamation.

b. If two or more people are running for one position, the new member will be elected by secret ballot with the winner being the nominee garnering the majority of votes from eligible voters who participated in the election.

c. If more than one position on the council is open and more people are nominated than there are positions available, voters will be asked to cast as many votes as there are positions available. The nominees will be ranked according to the number of votes garnered, from greatest to least. If there are two positions available, the nominees in the top two positions in the ranking will become members of the council, etc.

5. All newly elected council members shall assume their duties at the first regular meeting of the school year in which their term starts.

B. Terms of Office

The term of office for a new member shall begin at the first regular EESAC meeting after his/her election and end at the conclusion of the last meeting of the school year in which a member’s tenure expires. Teachers and support personnel shall be elected to the council for a term of three (3) years. Parents shall be elected to a term of (2) years, and students shall have terms of one (1) year. Should a teacher, support person, parent or student resign his/her position or leave the school before the term is completed, an election shall be held to fill the position within the next thirty days. The alternate will fill the position until the election has been held. The newly-elected member will immediately begin the first year of his/her three-year term upon attendance at the first EESAC meeting following the election.


IV. Meetings

A. Regular Meetings

1. All meetings will be held at a time that is convenient to students, parents, teachers, and business/community representatives. The meetings should be conducted at 3:00 pm, on the first Wednesday of every month during the regular school year, unless otherwise determined by the council.

2. Council members should encourage their constituents to attend meetings. Non–council members may address issues at any EESAC meeting during general concerns.

3. Notice of all regular meetings must be received by the School Board’s Citizen Information Office (SBAB), and posted in the media center, faculty lounge, office, the EESAC’s webpage, and on the dadeschools.net website at least five (5) days in advance of the meeting date.


B. Special Meetings

In addition to regularly scheduled monthly meetings, the council chairperson may call a special meeting following the same notification procedures as with regular meetings.

C. Quorum

For EESAC to conduct official business, a quorum [ten (10) members] must be present. The quorum must include both teacher and parent representatives. A majority of the voting members of the council will constitute a quorum.

D. Cancellations

With the unanimous agreement of the council officers (chairperson, vice–chairperson, and secretary) the chairperson may reschedule a meeting provided at least three (3) days advance notice is given to all council members.

E. Agendas

1. The chairperson shall prepare and distribute the agenda for all regular and special meetings.

2. Council members may add items to any regular meeting agenda by contacting the chairperson, either by e-mail or by letter, three (3) days in advance of the scheduled meeting.

3. Non–council members may propose an agenda item by contacting any council member, who would then contact the chairperson regarding additions to the agenda.

4. The agenda may be amended at the meeting by a majority vote of the council members.

5. All EESAC members must receive at least three (3) days advanced notice, in writing, of any matter that is scheduled to come before the council for a vote.

V. Minutes

Written 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 be kept by the elected secretary of the council, or an alternate appointed by the chairperson in the absence of the secretary. 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 posted on the EESAC website and on the dadeschools.net website according to the Sunshine rules.

VI. Decisions/Recommendations

Council Decisions and Recommendations

All council decisions to initiate action will be made using the consensus management approach in which all stakeholders (council members of teachers, students, parents, support staff, administrators, and community) will identify priorities, make recommendations, and find solutions that will address the improvement of student achievement in a collaborative manner.

VII. Amendments

A. Proposals

Proposed amendments to these by-laws must be made to the chairperson, in writing, and will be placed on the agenda for a regular meeting date. At the appointed meeting, the proposed amendment(s) will be presented and discussed. In order for the amendment(s) to be changed, a simple majority vote of the council is required to bring the amendment to consideration for adoption.

B. Adopting

At the next subsequent council meeting, proposed amendments will be read again, discussed, and a vote will be taken. Amendments will become part of the by-laws through consensus of the council members.

C. Reviews
Council by–laws will be reviewed annually, at the first meeting of the school year, to familiarize the new members with the by–laws and to identify possible needed revisions.

D. Provided Florida School Recognition Funds are available, the EESAC Committee will review proposals submitted by the staff to determine which proposal(s) shall be voted upon by the faculty.

Proposals may be written, presented in person, or submitted anonymously and must include a detailed account of how shares will be divided.