Lexington Middle School

School Improvement Council BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

Name of Organization

The name of this organization will be the Lexington Middle School Improvement Council.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

The purpose of the Lexington Middle School Improvement Council will be to:

• Assist in the development of the 5-year Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (Act 135);
• Assist in implementing the plan and evaluating the outcomes (Act 135);
• Assist in the writing of the annual updates (Act 135);
• Advise on the spending of school incentive grant awards (EIA, Act135, EAA);
• Participate in writing the Report to the Parents about the progress of the school and district to achieve the goals and objectives of the strategic plan by April 30^th (ACT 135);
• Participate in writing the narrative to the School Report Card in conjunction with the principal (EAA);
• Participate in the revision of the school improvement plan if the school is rated unsatisfactory on the School Report Card (EAA);
• Serve as a liaison between the school, school organizations, the community, and the local school board by collecting and disseminating information about school improvement; and
• Provide other assistance that the principal may request as well as carrying out any other duties prescribed by the local school board.

The council will not have any of the powers and duties reserved by law or regulation to the local school board.

ARTICLE III

Representation and Membership

The Lexington Middle School Improvement Council will strive to balance the number of teachers, parents and appointed members and will be composed of:

• 6 parents of students in the school elected by the parents of the students enrolled in the school;
• 3 teachers from the school elected by the faculty (one per grade level and one non-core);
• 5 community (non-parent, taxpaying) members may be appointed by the principal to represent one-third of the SIC (EFA, EIA). Attention is to be given to creating a balanced representation by gender, race, age, geography, or other variables,
• 6 ex-officio members to include the principal, the assistant principal of instruction, the current Teacher of the Year, the president of the PFE (Partners for Education), a student representative to be appointed by the principal, and the immediate past chairperson of the School Improvement Council.

Each member (excluding ex-officio members) will have one vote and absentee ballots or proxy voting will not be permitted. At least 50% of the voting members must be present when voting on school improvement issues. A simple majority will pass the vote.

ARTICLE IV

Election and Appointment Procedures

Elections will be held no later than September 15^th of each year and council members will assume their responsibilities immediately. The principal will make community member appointments within fifteen (15) days of the elections. Ex-officio members will be notified within the same time frame.

Information about the upcoming election of parent representatives will be advertised at student registration. A nomination form will be sent home later in a student information packet.

Nomination forms will be returned to the school on or before the Wednesday prior to open house. The SIC chair will appoint an outgoing member of the SIC council member to contact all nominees to verify that they are willing to serve. Elections will be held on the day of open house. The ballots will be counted by three (3) members of the council and be retained for one year by the council secretary.

During a regularly scheduled faculty meeting, the faculty will elect teacher representatives to the council. Outgoing teachers will be responsible for the election process.

Membership information will be forwarded within thirty (30) days following the elections to the district contact person who is responsible for sending them to School Improvement Council Assistance (SICA) at the University of South Carolina.

The names of all council members will be published in the first school newsletter and school website following the elections.

ARTICLE V

Tenure

All elected members of the council will serve two-year terms. The terms are to be staggered. Ex-officio and appointed members will serve one-year terms.

No limit will be set on the number of terms a member may serve.

The council may establish standing committees made up of teachers, parents, business leaders, and other citizens to reflect goals of the School Improvement Plan. Ad hoc committees may be established to perform a specified task. Ad hoc committees will not be permanent and will have no responsibilities beyond those outlined by the council when established.

Membership on the council will terminate when members:

• No longer have a student enrolled in the school or no longer live in the school attendance zone;
• No longer hold a teaching position at the school;
• Have missed two (2) consecutive scheduled meetings without proper notice to the chairperson or principal or;
• Submit a letter or resignation to the chairperson or principal.

In the event of any of the above situations, the chairperson will appoint, in the case of an elected member, the person with the next highest number of votes in the most recent election. In the case of an appointed member, the principal will select a replacement. The replacement will not serve a full term, but will finish the term of the person begin replaced.

Should a circumstance arise whereby there is not an available candidate from the previous election, the chairperson shall appoint, with the approval of the council, an individual to serve for the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE VI

Officers

The officers of the Lexington Middle School Improvement Council will consist of a chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary to be voted on by elected and appointed members at the first council meeting of each academic year. Ex-officio members are not eligible to be an officer of the neither council nor vote for officers.

ARTICLE VII

Duties of Officers

The chairperson will preside at all meetings and have general supervision of the activities of the council. The chairperson will work with the principal in planning and directing the activities of the council including monitoring committee progress.

The chairperson, in consultation with the principal, will prepare an agenda for all council meetings, arrange for the agenda to be mailed to each member at least one week before each meeting, and have the authority to modify the agenda if it is determined to be in the best interest of the councils’ work. The chairperson will appoint temporary or standing committees as needed and serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.

The vice-chairperson will exercise all functions in the absence of the chairperson and assist the chairperson as needed.

The outgoing chair conducts the initial meeting until the election of officers.

The secretary is responsible for:

• Keeping a full and accurate account of the proceedings and transactions of all council meetings;
• Providing a copy of the minutes to the council member, the school improvement council district contact person, and/or other appropriate district administrative staff no later than one week before the next meeting;
• Preparing any official correspondence that the chairperson may request;
• Maintaining a council file in the school administrative offices containing copies of all minutes, council correspondence, the annual school improvement report, the annual summary report, and the current council by-laws; and
• Maintaining a listing of the council membership with current telephone numbers and addresses.

ARTICLE VIII

Meetings

The council will meet monthly as deemed necessary by the membership for a minimum of seven meetings per academic year. The principal or chairperson may call special meetings as long as all council members are notified of the meeting at least 24 hours in advance.

The first council meeting of the academic year will be called in September.

The date, time and place of council meetings will be listed in the school newsletter and school webpage.

A simple majority of the council membership will constitute a quorum if at least one parent and one teacher representative are present. Council decisions should be made by consensus. If voting becomes necessary, a simple majority will be sufficient for a vote on any issue. All council meetings are open to the public and anyone showing interest in the council and its activities will be encouraged to observe. Persons interested in presenting at a council meeting may request to be put on the agenda no later than seven days before the meeting date.

ARTICLE IX

Training

An orientation session that includes information about council roles, responsibilities, and functions as well as information on school and local district policies and procedures will be held annually for all council members. Council members should also attend school improvement training workshops sponsored by the district office, the Professional Development Section of the State Department of Education, or School Improvement Council Assistance (SICA) in the University of South Carolina College of Education.

The principal will share information on school activities, successes, and concerns with council members.

Training and technical assistance is available from the district, the State Department of Education, and SICA.

ARTICLE X

Adoption

These by-laws may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the voting membership at a regular meeting of the council.

ARTICLE XI

Amendments

These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the council by a two-thirds vote of those present provided that the specific amendments have been introduced at a prior meeting, included in the minutes of that meeting, and are listed on the agenda for the current meeting.

Approved April 13, 2004