Williams Junior Senior High School

A school that operates a categorical program funded through the consolidated application (ConApp) shall establish a schoolsite council (SSC) if such program requires a School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) (California Education Code [EC] Section 65000[b]).

 

The SSC shall develop the content of the SPSA (EC Section 64001[g][1]). The SPSA shall be reviewed annually and updated, including proposed expenditure of funds allocated to the school through the ConApp and the local control and accountability plan (LCAP), if any, by the SSC (EC Section 64001[i]).

 

The SPSAs shall be reviewed and approved by the governing board or body of the local educational agency (LEA) at a regularly scheduled meeting whenever there are material changes that affect the academic programs for pupils covered by programs identified in this part (EC Section 64001[i]). If a SPSA is not approved by the governing board or body of the LEA, specific reasons for that action shall be communicated to the SSC (EC Section 64001[i]).

 

Modifications to any SPSA shall be developed, recommended, and approved or disapproved by the governing board or body of the LEA in the same manner (EC Section 64001[i]).

 

A LEA shall ensure, in the ConApp, that the SPSA has been prepared in accordance with the law, that SSC have developed and approved a SPSA for each school participating in programs funded through the ConApp process, and that SPSAs were developed with the review, certification, and advice of the school English learner advisory committee (ELAC), if required (EC Section 64001[c]).

 

For more information on the SPSA, please visit the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) web page.

 

 

Schoolsite Council Composition

The members of the SSC represent the composition of school’s pupil population and notwithstanding the size of the school, the composition of the SSC shall ensure parity between the groups (EC Section 65000[a]).

 

The SSC in an elementary school shall be composed of the both of the following two groups (EC Section 65000[c][1]):

 

School Group Members (Elementary Schools):

• The principal of the school or his or her designee;
• school personnel employed at the school who are not teachers, selected by school personnel employed at the school who are not teachers, and
• classroom teachers employed at the school, selected by classroom teachers employed at the school; The classroom teachers selected shall constitute a majority of the school members selected (EC Section 65000[c][1][A]); and

Parent and/or Community Group Members (Elementary Schools):

• Parents of pupils attending the school, or other members of the school community, selected by parents of pupils attending the school. The number of parent and/or community members selected shall equal the number of school members selected (EC Section 65000[c][1][B]).

In other words, the minimum number of SSC members at an elementary school is a total of ten (10) (e.g. 1 principal or his or her designee, 1 other school personnel, 3 classroom teachers, and 5 parent/community members).

 

The SSC in a secondary school shall be composed of the following two groups (EC Section 65000[c][2]):

 

School Group Members (Secondary Schools):

• The principal of the school or his or her designee;
• school personnel employed at the school who are not teachers, selected by school personnel employed at the school who are not teachers, and
• classroom teachers employed at the school, selected by classroom teachers employed at the school; The classroom teachers selected shall constitute a majority of the school members selected (EC Section 65000[c][2][A]); and

Parent and/or Community and Pupil Group Members (Secondary Schools):

• Parents of pupils attending the school, or other members of the school community, selected by parents of pupils attending the school; and pupils attending the school, selected by pupils who are attending the school. The number of parent and/or community members and pupil members selected shall equal the number of school members selected (EC Section 65000[c][2][B]).

In other words, the minimum number of SSC members at a secondary school is a total of ten (10) (e.g. 1 principal or his or her designee, 1 other school personnel, 3 classroom teachers, and 5 parent/community and pupils members).

 

An employee of a school who is also a parent or guardian of a pupil who attends a school other than the school of the parent’s or guardian’s employment is not disqualified by this employment from serving as a parent representative on the SSC established for the school that his or her child or ward attends (EC Section 65000[d]). Therefore, the parent or guardian is allowed to serve as a parent representative on the SSC for the school that his or her child or ward attends, if selected.

 

 

Schoolsite Council Composition for Schools with Fewer than 300 Pupils

A school with a population of fewer than 300 pupils may operate a SSC that has the representation of all of the following:

• One principal
• One teacher, selected by the teachers
• One school staff member representing the other school personnel, selected by the other school personnel
• If the school is an elementary school, three parents or community members selected by parents, or if the school is a secondary school, two parents or community members selected by parents and one pupil selected by the pupils (EC Section 65001[d][1])

In other words, the minimum number of SSC members for schools with fewer than 300 pupils is a total of six (6) (e.g. 1 principal, 1 teacher, 1 school staff, 3 parents/community members or pupils). Additionally, the local governing board or body of the LEA shall obtain approval from its local bargaining unit, if applicable (EC Section 65001[d][2]).

 

 

Shared Schoolsite Council

Schools with a common site administration may operate a shared SSC if the school site has a pupil population of less than 300 (EC Section 65001[a]); or

 

Up to three schools with a combined pupil population of less than 1,000 may operate a shared SSC if the schools have at least one of the following characteristics: a shared campus or geographic proximity to one another with similar pupil populations (EC Section 65001[b]).

 

Pursuant to EC Section 65001(c), the composition of the shared SSC shall have representation from each group as required in EC Section 65000(c).

 

 

Schoolsite Council Composition Waiver

The state board may grant a SSC waiver of any provision in EC sections 65000–65001 to a school district or county office of education. A school district governing board or county board of education, on behalf of a SSC, may request that the state board grant a waiver of any such provision (EC Section 65001[e]).

 

To submit an SSC Waiver request and for more information, please visit the Waivers Office web page.

 

Schoolsite Council Meeting Requirements

Any meeting held by the SSC shall be open to the public, and any member of the public shall be able to address the council or committee during the meeting on any item within the subject matter jurisdiction of the council or committee (EC Section 35147[c][1]).

 

Notice of the meeting shall be posted at the meeting at the schoolsite, or other appropriate place accessible to the public, at least 72 hours before the time set for the meeting. The notice shall specify the date, time, and location of the meeting and contain an agenda describing each item of business to be discussed or acted upon (EC Section 35147[c][1]).

 

The SSC may not take any action on any item of business unless that item appeared on the posted agenda or unless the SSC members present, by unanimous vote, find that there is a need to take immediate action and that the need for action came to the attention of the SSC subsequent to the posting of the agenda (EC Section 35147[c][1]).

 

Questions or brief statements made at a meeting by members of the SSC or public that do not have a significant effect on pupils or employees in the school or school district, or that can be resolved solely by the provision of information, need not be described on an agenda as items of business. If a SSC violates the procedural meeting requirements of this section, upon demand of any person, the SSC shall reconsider the item at its next meeting, after allowing for public input on the item (EC Section 35147[c][2]).

 

Any materials provided to a SSC shall be made available to any member of the public who requests the materials pursuant to the California Public Records Act (EC Section 35147[d]).

 

 

Retention Requirements for Schoolsite Council Records

SSC records, materials, and supporting documents must be retained for a period of three years (2 Code of Federal Regulations 200.333[a]). The only exceptions are if any litigation, claim, or audit is started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records must be retained until all litigation, claims, or audit findings involving the records have been resolved and final action taken.

 

 

Resources

California Education Code

Code of Federal Regulations