BARREN COUNTY SCHOOLS
SCHOOL-BASED DECISION MAKING
FUNCTIONAL SCHOOL OPERATIONAL POLICIES
District: Barren
DATE ADOPTED__________________
School: Red Cross Elementary
Policy Type: Function Policy Number: 10.01
POLICY TOPIC DESCRIPTION
By-laws
POLICY STATEMENT
Attached are the revisions to the current by-laws
SIGNATURE___________________________
(COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON)

Mission Statement
The students of Red Cross Elementary School will be educated to achieve success as productive citizens in a changing world. Educators, students, families, and the community will strive to work in partnership to provide quality instruction in a safe, positive, challenging, and supportive environment to meet the needs to each individual child.

The membership of the school council includes:
1.
Two parents with one vote each
2.
Three faculty representatives with one vote each
3.
The building principal
Parent members must be the parent, stepparent, or foster parent of a child who will be enrolled at the school during one’s term of office. Legal guardians are also considered parents if the child lives with them. Those parents who may not serve on the council are:
1.
Employees of our school or their parents, children, siblings, spouses, aunts, uncles, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law.
2.
Employees in our district administrative offices or their parents, children, siblings, spouses, aunts, uncles, sons-in-law and daughtersin-law.
3.
Members of the district school board, or spouses of district school board members.
Teacher’s members must hold a position at the school that requires a state certificate and must not hold the position of principal or assistant principal.
Terms of the school council members shall be for one year and shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year. Annual elections for the following year’s terms shall be held by April 1. Teacher and parent council members are eligible for reelection.
If Red Cross’s minority student enrollment reaches 8%, the council will have at least one minority member. A special election will be held to elect an additional member.
When a council member resigns, is removed or dies, a new member shall be elected to complete that term. The principal shall post a notice in the staff workroom and in a place readily accessible to parents stating that there is a vacancy. The principal shall also communicate this information to the president of the PTO. These steps shall be taken within one school day after the principal learns of the vacancy.

For the replacement of a teacher member, nominations shall be submitted to the principal within ten school days after the vacancy occurs, and the election shall be held five school days after that. If a parent is to be replaced, the president of the PTO shall call an election to be held not less that ten or more than twenty school days after the vacancy occurs. The principal shall send notices of the election home with each student and send notification to the local paper.
Members of the council shall attend all council meetings unless the absence is excused. A member who has three unexcused absences from the council meetings shall resign. Any member who ceases to be eligible to serve on the council shall resign. Examples include teachers who transfer to other schools, parents whose children transfer to other schools, and any other change that makes a person ineligible for their position.
II.
The council will be composed of two parents, three teachers, and the principal of administrator. The membership of the council may be increased, but it may only be increased proportionately.
Teachers may nominate themselves or another teacher. Nominations shall be made in writing to the principal no later than five days before the election.
The principal shall prepare a ballot containing the names of all teachers agreeing to be nominated. Teacher members shall be elected by April 1. On the day of the election, each teacher shall be given a ballot listing the names of nominated teachers and shall vote for the number of seats that are vacant. The principal shall collect the ballots, count them, and announce the results. Any person or persons receiving a majority on this ballot shall serve as a council member in the coming year.
Parents may nominate themselves or another parent. Nominations shall be made in writing and submitted to the principal five days prior to the date scheduled for the election. The PTO shall conduct parent elections no later than
April 1. The parents of all children enrolled or preregistered to attend next year may vote. The principal shall assist the PTO in alerting parents to the election schedule. The PTO shall notify the current council of the names of those elected no later that April 1.
If the school has 8% or more minority enrollment on October 1, we must have at least on minority member. The principal shall notify all parents in writing of the date, time, and place he or she has selected for an additional election.
At that time, those parents shall nominate candidates and elect one additional parent minority member by plurality. Minority members must be American
Indian, Alaskan native, African American, and Hispanic, including persons of

Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or South American origin, Pacific
Islander, or other ethnic group underrepresented in the school. Parent minority members must meet the other qualifications for parent members as stated previously.
Council Responsibilities
Instructional Duties
Determine textbooks used
Determine instructional materials to be used
Determine student support services provided at the school
Set curriculum policy
Set instructional practices
Set policy on procedures to determine technology use
Set policy on procedures to determine program appraisal
Review assessment date and create a plan for success
Determine organization of ungraded primary program
School Climate
Determine number of persons employed in each job classification
Set staff time policy
Set student assignment policy
Set discipline and classroom management policy
Set schedule policy
Set space policy
Set discipline and classroom management policy
Set extracurricular policy
Safety planning
Set committees policy
Determine the frequency and agenda of meetings
Select new principal
Set policy on consultation procedures
Be consulted by principal before other vacancies are filled
Accept consensus as the decision-making style utilized by the council
Agree to come in to the process seeking to find a “common interest” rather that promoting a “special interest”

The principal shall be chair of the council. In addition to presiding at council meetings, the chair of the council shall:
1.
Provide all members of the council with copies of all school-wide test results.
2.
Keep a file of all correspondence addressed to the council.
3.
Be the official custodian of council records.
4.
Exercise any other responsibility specified in these by-laws.
The vice-chair shall be elected by the council from among its members at its first meeting each year. The vice-chair shall preside at any council meeting that the principal is unable to attend.
The council shall select a secretary. The secretary does not have to be a member of the council, but must be willing to perform the duties of the office.
The secretary shall take minutes that state accurately each motion made and the action takes on it by the council. Then the secretary will prepare a typed copy of the minutes, sign his or her name at the bottom of the minutes, and place the typed copy in the official binder of council minutes. At its next meeting, the council shall review the minutes. If amendments are needed, they shall be recorded in the minutes of that next meeting. After amendments, the council shall approve the minutes, which will then become available for public inspection.
The council shall use committees to accomplish the goals established by the Kentucky Education Reform Act. The council chairperson shall allocate a period of time each meeting for reports of committee activities. Each committee shall have a parent representative. Only the school council may waive parent representation.
The council shall establish committees, as it deems appropriate.
Committees shall be of two types: standing and ad hoc. Standing committees shall be established and appointed at the beginning of the term of that council. Ad hoc committees may be established by the council to address specific issues not otherwise within the jurisdiction of any standing committee. Each ad hoc committee will be abolished upon the completion of its work.

The standing committees of the council will be as follows:
Curriculum and Instruction
Assessment and Planning
Budget
Professional Development
Staffing and Hiring
Governance
Technology
School Climate
Committees will be made up of, at least, one Intermediate teacher, one Primary teacher, one special teacher, and one parent. The committee will appoint a chairman and a secretary. The secretary will take minutes of each committee meeting. All meetings must be conducted according to the open meetings law---time and place must be posted, minutes are open for public review.
One member from each committee shall be encouraged to report monthly to the
Council. Standing committees will meet at the discretion of the committee chairperson. The principal will appoint committees and membership may not change without the permission of the principal.
V.
The meetings will be held monthly at a site designated by the council. Each new council will determine the day and time annually. Presently, the council will meet one hour before the regularly scheduled PTO meetings unless for some reason the council cannot meet. The council shall comply with the Open
Meetings Law. It will operate under Robert’s Rules of Order with flexibility. A quorum is necessary to conduct business. A quorum shall be two-thirds of the council members, one of which must be a parent member. The principal, giving tow day’s notice, may call special called meeting.
Open Sessions
Anyone who wants to attend a council meeting may do so, except for those portions that are conducted as closed sessions.
Closed Sessions
A closed session is a portion of a regular or special meeting of the council during which the members meet in private. For a closed session, the chair or other member must make an announcement in open session. This announcement must state that the council needs to discuss business involving a

topic that the law allows to be discussed in closed session, the general nature of business that needs to be discussed in closed session, and the specific section of the law that allows the session to be closed (KRS 61,810(1)(c) proposed or pending litigation by or against the council or KRS 61,810(1)(f) selection of a new principal or other new staff member). The chair or another member of the council must make a motion to go into closed session to discuss the business mentioned in the announcement, and a majority of members must vote for the motion. During the closed session, only the business stated in the announcement can be discussed, and no final decision may be made. After full discussion, the council must return to open session and make any official decision needed on the matter, and the decision must be recorded in the minutes of the open session.
VI.
All decisions of the council should be made in the best interest of children and for school improvement. Decision of the council and committees shall be by consensus. If, in the opinion of the chairperson, consensus is not possible, the chairperson may ask each member to make a final comment on the issue and then declare that consultation has been completed. The chairperson may then make a final decision.
VII.
New Members elected for the first time shall complete at least six hours of training in the process of school-based decision making no later than 30 days after the start of their terms. A person endorsed by the Kentucky Department of Education for new member training must provide the training. Members who have served on a council before shall complete at least three hours of training in the process of school-based decision making no later than 120 days after the start of their terms. A person endorsed by the Kentucky Department of Educations for experienced members must provide the training. Members who are elected to fill a vacant position in the middle of the year shall complete the required training no more than 30 days after they are elected, from a person with appropriate endorsement from the Kentucky Department of Education. Requests to be reimbursed for training cost shall be made according to board policy requirements.

By November 1 st
each year, the principal shall give the superintendent the names and addresses of each council member and verify that the required training has been completed. The superintendent will forward that information to the
Department of Education.
VIII.
A tentative agenda for the next meeting shall be prepared at the conclusion of each meeting. The final agenda will be prioritized after consultation with members of the respective groups. The council agenda will follow this format:
1.
Opening Comments
2.
Roll call and announcements
3.
Reading and approval of Minutes
4.
Action Items
5.
Reports of School Council Members and Committees
6.
Unfinished Business
7.
New Business
8.
Comments from the Floor
9.
Items for next meeting’s agenda
Items may be placed on the agenda by faculty or parents. Items must be submitted in writing and signed to the principal one week before the scheduled council meeting. At special meetings, the council may not add items to the agenda listed in the special meeting notice, but may subtract items if it chooses to.
IX.
All motions to amend the by-laws of the council shall be submitted in writing. No decision on a motion to amend the by-laws shall be made until after the topic has appeared twice in the preliminary agenda for council meetings and the proposed amendment has had tow readings during those meetings. Then, the by-laws may be amended by consensus of the council at a council meeting. The

Board of Education has established a process of appeals of council decisions and any appeals to council decisions shall follow that board policy.
X.
The school office is open from 7:15 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. each day.
During those hours, any person who wished to see the binder of council documents kept there may do so immediately. Persons who want copies of documents in the binder or to see or get copies of documents that are not kept there shall give the principal a written statement of the items they wish to see. The principal, as official records custodian shall make the documents available within three business days after the request unless the records are subject to a specific exception of the
Open Records Law. The fee for copies shall be five cents per page. The principal shall post a copy of this section of the by-laws in the school office where citizens visiting the office can easily see it.