Leading School Community
Councils: Responsibilities of Local
School Boards
USBA REGIONAL TRAINING
SPRING 2015
Board President’s Role
Utah State Code: 53A-16-101.5 (9)
The president or chair of a local school board or charter
school governing board shall ensure that the members
of the local school board or charter school governing
board are provided with annual training on the
requirements of this section.
Training must occur before school plans can be approved
and the date of training must be provided annually to the
USOE
Five Key Local Board Responsibilities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Train members of all School Community Councils
(SCC)
Read and approve each School Community Council
plan or return to SCC for amendment and
resubmission
Encourage dialog/sharing among all members of
SCC’s and the local board of education
Disperse funds for approved uses
Monitor and celebrate school successes
Training SCC Members
 Ensure all principals, chairs and co-chairs fully
understand SCC requirements of election, voting,
participation, leadership, plan production, data
mining, and expenditures.
 Establish a training program whereby all members of
each SCC are fully informed of all applicable laws
and State Board rules and methods by which to
develop an effective plan.
 Encourage and model collaboration toward academic
achievement planning and resource allocation
Key Components of SCC Plans
 School improvement plan
 Reading achievement plan (for elementary schools)
 Professional development plan
 Class size reduction needs
 Access routing plan
 Ensuring responsible filtering systems and internet
use by providing training to parents and students, in
partnership with school administration
Helping Schools to Develop Effective Plans
 Note strengths and weaknesses in the school
 Issue a parent/community member survey regarding
achievement in the school
 Review data about student achievement, teacher
quality, assessment practices, curricular patterns,
etc., disaggregated for subgroup information
 Note trends of success and failure; face the concerns
 Read studies and/or visit other schools/districts
where similar concerns have been improved
What Constitutes Plan Approval?
 Did the plan address all areas required in statute?
 Were expenditures “academic” under law and State
Board rule?
 Were expenditures consistent with those outlined in
the plan?
 Does the plan have specific and measurable goals
and projected outcomes?
 If a plan is not approved, the local board shall give
specific, written feedback for resubmitting an
approvable plan.
Ensure Plans Are Riveted Around Goals
 Is each plan focused on improving academic




achievement?
Are funds strategically targeted around the goals in
the plan?
Are data being used by each SCC to understand
trends, successes and challenges?
Are the resources of time, money, schedule, people
all focused around the goals?
Are only evidence-based practices included in the
plan? (programs that have a positive track record of
improving teaching and learning)
Examples of Approved Expenditures
 Instructional software and hardware
 Study skills classes and after school tutoring
 Classroom equipment and materials such as
flashcards, math manipulatives, calculators,
microscopes, maps, or books
 Professional development directly tied to school
academic goals
 Nominal student incentives that are academic in
nature or of marginal total cost
Examples of Non-Approved Expenditures
 AV systems in non-classroom locations
 Auditorium curtains
 Sports equipment
 Non-academic field trips
 Security
 Phone costs
 Food and drink for council meetings or parent nights
 Printing/mailing for notices to parents
 Staff bonuses
Disperse Funds for Approved Uses
 Ensure early access to funds to enable today’s learner
 Require a final report from each SCC
 Make sure final report matches planned goals and
expenditures
 Allow no more than 10% carry over funds unless the
school submits in writing and the local board
approves the “savings” for a larger, significant outlay
of funds in the coming year
Monitor, Celebrate and Replicate Success
 Visit schools and talk with SCC members regularly. Take




interest in school data and activities to help students
succeed.
Help schools set up student reinforcement programs that
celebrate academic success of every type (grades, GPAs,
attendance, improvement, rigorous course-taking,
state/regional/national recognition, etc.)
Invite SCCs into Board meetings to share updates and
successes.
Recognize excellent teachers and staff members who
have contributed to the success of the SCC plans.
Establish a district wide process of disseminating and
replicating best practices and achievement methods.