Transcript CAC TRAINING - Austin Independent School District

CAC OVERVIEW
CAC Bylaws and
Other Information
Last Revised 12/19/2013
Campus and District Accountability
INTRODUCTION
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CAC Webpage
• The CAC webpage is located at:
http://www.austinisd.org/advisory-bodies/cac
• The CAC webpage includes a number of useful
resources, such as:
 CAC Bylaws
 AISD Glossary
 Effective Leadership & Parliamentary Procedure
 Citizens Communications & Visitors Guidelines
 CAC Agenda Template
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Assistance
• If you have a CAC question or problem, please call or
email the DAC/CAC Coordinator:
Joey Crumley, AICP, Planning Supervisor
Campus and District Accountability
512- 414-9961
[email protected]
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DAC-CAC Relations
• DAC/CAC Coordinator consults with DAC Executive
Committee to develop and revise CAC bylaws
• By policy, DAC must hold at least one of its regular
meetings each year at a campus with CAC members
invited
• A CAC may request to place an item on the DAC
agenda (item must be of a district-wide concern, or
affect several campuses) – request form on CAC
website
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Law, Policy, and Bylaws
Campus and District Advisory Councils are required
for all public school districts (Texas Education Code,
Subchapter F)
This state law is reflected in district polices
BQA(Legal) for the DAC, and BQB(Legal) for CACs
Additional requirements generated by AISD are
included in district policies BQA(Local) for the DAC,
and BQB(Local) for CACs
CAC and DAC bylaws combine state and district
requirements, and also include other operational
details
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ROLE OF THE CAC
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What Does the CAC Do?
By law, the CAC must approve an annual campus
professional development (PD) plan
Other than this one approval requirement, the CAC is
“exclusively advisory” by district policy
Although an advisory body, the CAC is very important
– the CAC provides direct input to the principal, thus
helping the principal in making informed decisions
Major functions of the CAC that recur annually
include the “Campus Report Card,” Campus
Improvement Plan (CIP), and campus budget process
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Campus Report Card
The CAC is required by law to discuss annual campus
performance data (“Campus Report Card”) provided
by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in a public
meeting
This usually occurs in January
This could be done in a special meeting, but is usually
done as part of a regular CAC meeting
The district also provides instructions to campuses on
how to notify parents about accessing the TEA
campus performance data
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Campus Improvement Plan
• One of the most important functions of the CAC is to
provide input into development of the annual CIP (the
level of CAC input is documented in the CIP)
• The CIP must be based on a campus needs assessment
– the CAC reviews state Academic Excellence Indicator
System (AEIS) data and other information (such as
results of parent, student, and staff surveys) and
identifies the greatest needs of the campus
• The district provides campuses with data, which
should be shared with the CAC, including a
comprehensive annual “Campus Data Profile”
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Campus Improvement Plan
• The CIP includes a detailed work plan to address
campus-identified needs, as well as district priorities
• Work plan components in the CIP must align to goals
of the district Strategic Plan
• Although the CAC does not approve the overall CIP,
there are two exceptions:
 The CIP includes the campus PD plan, and this
particular piece requires CAC approval
 The CIP includes a checklist of important steps,
which the principal and co-chairs must confirm
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CIP Schedule
Principal receives CIP template and instructions by
end of February and shares with CAC (template
ensures compliance with legal requirements) – this
information also placed on CAC webpage
March - May, CAC reviews data, conducts needs
assessment, and discusses possible strategies
CAC also provides input on general approach to
target-setting (e.g., stay the course, or ramp it up)
Over summer, campus leadership develops draft CIP
and sets targets based on CAC input and latest data
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CIP Schedule
August-September, CAC reviews complete draft CIP
and revisions are made as needed
This may seem like a lot of time for CIP development,
but not really, given that CACs usually meet once a
month for an hour or two at a time
Typically, a CIP would be developed with about 5-6
hours of CAC input (but this could be extended
through use of a subcommittee)
After CIPs are completed, the CAC agenda should
include regular or at least periodic updates on CIP
implementation
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CIP Review
CIPs must be submitted by end of September for
review by applicable central office departments
Campuses may be required to make certain revisions
These revisions do not require review by the CAC,
but the principal should share the revised CIP with
the CAC
Once all revisions have been made, all completed
CIPs are posted on the Campus and District
Accountability website: http://www.austinisd.org/cda
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Campus Budget Process
Board approves staffing formulas in November
District develops budget allocations – Basic Tables of
Organization (BTOs) – in December for each campus
Largest component of BTO is staffing allocation,
which is based on Board-approved formulas
There is also a non-staffing allocation, which is the
“discretionary” funding available to the campus
Campus budgets also include eligible State
Compensatory Education (SCE) and federal No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) funding (Title I, Title II, Title III)
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Campus Budget Process
In January, campuses accept budgets or request
revisions, based on CAC input
Positions within the BTO may be exchanged, but
within guidelines; additional FTEs may be purchased
with non-staff allocation
CAC approval of budget not required, but principal
must confirm that CAC had opportunity for input
CACs don’t have to wait until January to start
thinking about the coming year budget – unless
Board changes staffing formulas, FTEs only vary with
changes in campus enrollment
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What Else Does the CAC Do?
Provide input on campus-level waiver requests to TEA
Provide input on seeking and utilizing outside funding
Discuss news at the federal, state, and district levels
Provide input on various issues (e.g., safety, learning/
working environment, transportation/traffic, resource
conservation, dress code, parental involvement/
communication, community/business partnerships)
Regular or periodic reports from principal, PTA,
student council, school departments
Request presentations from and/or discussions with
district-level representatives
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CAC MEETINGS
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CAC Meetings
At least 8 regular CAC meetings per year, with first
meeting of year in May
Because many DAC members are also CAC members,
CAC meetings can’t conflict with DAC meeting times
The CAC may form subcommittees, but they must be
smaller than a quorum of the CAC – subcommittees
report back to the CAC
If necessary, principal and co-chairs may cancel a
meeting with good cause, but members must be
given reason of cancellation and sufficient notice of
any rescheduled meeting
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Open Meetings
All regular and other plenary meetings of CAC must
be open to public
Subcommittee meetings may or may not be open to
public at discretion of co-chairs
Agendas for regular and other plenary meetings of
CAC must be posted at least 72 hours in advance
At minimum, postings must be in a place viewable to
public at all times (e.g., on glass door pane or window
by main entrance)
In addition to posting, best practice would be wider
announcement (e.g., newsletter, email, marquee)
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Open Meetings
• Items may be pulled from agenda, but not added – no
significant discussion of items not on agenda
• Main idea of posted agenda is to give reader enough
information to decide whether to attend – do not use
generic listings such as “Old Business” or “New
Business” unless topical bullets are listed beneath
• May have “CAC Business“ listed at end of agenda, but
must be brief and no significant discussion (e.g.,
recaps, announcements, upcoming meetings/items),
and must be asterisked with explanation on agenda
(see agenda template on CAC website)
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Open Meetings
Welcome and encourage visitors, but within
boundaries – must follow “Citizen Communications
and Visitor Guidelines” (on CAC webpage)
Visitors should sign in for attendance record, and
receive the guidelines and asked to read them
Make meeting handouts available to visitors
As standing agenda item, have brief period at start of
each meeting for citizen communications – written
comments may also be provided (speaker/comment
card on CAC webpage)
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Open Meetings
During citizens communications there is no discussion
between the speakers and CAC members
The reason for this is because you never know what
topics speakers may cover, and open meetings
requirements don’t allow significant discussion of
items not specified on the agenda
However, the speakers may be asked to repeat/clarify
After citizens communications, visitors may stay and
observe, but may not participate in meeting – visitors
should have designated seating
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Open Meetings
• It is possible to allow for discussion with visitors and
still comply with open meetings requirements
• One way is to specially invite a non-member to a
meeting and place that person on the agenda under a
certain item as a “resource person” or “guest
presenter” for that item
• Another way is to call a special meeting (e.g.,
“community conversation”) for the express purpose
of discussion, but this should be on a specified topic
so that people know whether they want to attend
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DECISION-MAKING
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Decision-Making
Except for approval of the campus PD plan, any
decision of the CAC, as an advisory body, would relate
to which recommendation to make
The preferred decision-making process is consensus,
or “does anyone object to this” – consensus may
sometimes be a matter of acceptance (“can we all live
with this”) rather than total agreement
If consensus can’t be reached, then a vote must occur
Under parliamentary procedure, the presiding cochair asks for a motion, a second, and whether there
is any discussion
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Decision-Making
If there is no discussion, then the vote is taken – if
there is discussion, the vote is taken afterwards
This is usually the extent of parliamentary procedure
in CAC meetings, but if a new (substitute or
amended) motion is made and seconded, discussion
may occur on that motion
With more than one motion, voting goes in order
from last to first motion
A “friendly amendment” is one accepted by the
maker and seconder of the original motion, and does
not count as a new motion
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Decision-Making
For any decision, whether by consensus or vote, a
quorum is necessary
A quorum is the majority of the current CAC
membership (not counting any vacancies)
Meetings may still take place without a quorum, but
only for purposes of presentation and discussion
Members must be present at the meeting site to take
part in a decision – participation in a decision (even
approval of minutes) by proxy, absentee ballot, email,
or other means of communication is not allowed
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CAC RECORDS
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Minutes
Minutes must be prepared by the CAC secretary for
all regular and other plenary meetings
Minutes must include meeting location, times of call
to order and adjournment, member and other
attendance, record of any decisions, and a high-level
summary of meeting proceedings (minutes are not
intended to be lengthy accounts)
CAC must approve minutes
Minutes not normally required for subcommittee
meetings, but co-chairs may direct otherwise (CAC
approval not required for subcommittee minutes)
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Records Maintenance
• At minimum, hard copies of agendas and approved
minutes must be maintained by the campus for two
years (e.g., place agendas and minutes in binders and
keep in school office or library)
• These records must be made available for viewing by
the public upon request (the principal should
designate someone on campus as point of contact)
• In addition to hard copies, best practice would be to
maintain electronic archives of CAC records and, if
possible, include them on a dedicated CAC webpage
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CAC MEMBERSHIP
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Membership Restrictions
• Parent members must live within the district and be a
custodial parent or guardian of student currently
enrolled in the CAC’s school – parent members may
not be employees of the district
• Professional staff members must be assigned to the
CAC’s school, and are not administrators – at least
2/3 of the professional staff members must be
classroom teachers, and at least one must have
expertise in Special Education
• Classified staff members must be assigned to the
CAC’s school
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Membership Restrictions
Business members must be able to speak on behalf of
a business – business members need not live or work
within the district – businesses do not include public
sector agencies, but may include non-profit agencies
Community members must live within the district, be
at least 18, and are not parents or district employees
The same person may serve as a business member
and a parent member, if meeting definition of parent
The same person may not serve as a business
member and community member
No close relatives may serve on CAC at same time
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Member Selection and Election
Principal selects professional staff member with
Special Education expertise
Parent, community, and business members are
selected by membership selection committee
(consists of principal, co-chairs, secretary, and one
other non-staff member)
Selection committee must develop and follow written
selection criteria (sample on CAC webpage)
Selection criteria must be made available to public
upon request
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Member Selection and Election
• Application process is preferred (application form on
CAC webpage), but direct recruitment is allowable
and may even be necessary if few or no applications
received
• Submittal of an application does not in itself
guarantee a position on the CAC, but the selection
committee must consider all applications received
• However, not choosing an applicant to serve must be
based on the written selection criteria
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Member Selection and Election
• Professional staff, classified staff, and students are
elected by their peers – principal ensures that these
persons are notified of available positions sufficiently
in advance to let their interest be known
• Ideally, there would be a lot of interest, but if there’s
no competition an election is not required
• If there is competition, principal ensures elections are
conducted
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Member Selection and Election
Why are some members selected and others elected?
State law requires the election of professional staff
State law does not require classified staff or students,
but the district wants their representation, and
election was the process chosen by the district
State law requires a selection process developed by
the district for parents, community members, and
business representatives
The CAC used to do the selection, but a selection
committee is now used – this gives the CAC more
time to focus on its charge
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Membership Structure
The principal serves as a non-voting member, and
one other administrator may also serve as a nonvoting member
Non-voting members may not serve as CAC officers
Standard voting membership includes 6 parents, 6
professional staff, 1 classified staff, 1 community
member, 1 business representative
High schools must also have 2 students (middle
schools are encouraged but not required to have
students)
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Membership Structure
• PTA president or president’s designee must be one of
the voting members (this is usually one of the
parents)
• Membership selection committee may exceed
standard voting membership, but must maintain
balanced number of parents and professional staff,
and classified staff may not exceed two (in order not
to have an imbalance with the non-staff community
and business members)
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Customized Membership Structure
• For example, membership structured so that all grade
levels or all major subject areas are represented
• May be allowable only if:
 Minimum required membership is still met,
including member balances
 No one is excluded from being considered to
serve (i.e., not offered opportunity to compete)
 Other than principal and PTA president, no one
serves automatically by virtue of position (e.g.,
department heads), unless there is no
competition
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Term of Service and Vacancies
Members serve two-year terms beginning the first
CAC in May
Members may serve multiple terms, but renewed
membership is not automatic (must go through same
consideration process as everyone else)
In filling vacancies that may arise, members may
serve partial terms (i.e., remainders of terms), with
may as a reference point
If a member resigns or is dismissed, if a year or more
remains in the term, it must be filled promptly; if less
than a year remains, the position may be left open
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Term of Service and Vacancies
• If a member’s status changes (e.g., a parent or
community member takes a job with the district, or
the business representative takes a job with a public
agency), if less than one year remains in the term, the
member is allowed to serve out the term; if a year or
more remains in the term, the member must step
down and the position must be filled promptly
• Irrespective of the membership category, the
member selection committee fills partial terms (i.e.,
elections are not required to fill partial terms)
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ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL
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Role of the Principal
Principal is key source of information and school
leader, so will usually have significant role in meetings
However, principal does not preside over meetings
(the co-chairs do), and does not dominate meetings
Principal ultimately makes decisions but, as a good
leader, listens well and carefully considers the input
of the CAC
If principal disagrees with CAC, reasoning should be
explained
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Training
• The principal ensures that new CAC members receive
training in one or more of the following ways:
 Self-training through review of materials on the
CAC website
 Orientation session conducted by school or CAC
 Orientation conducted by DAC/CAC Coordinator
 District-wide orientation session
• Training is documented in the CIP
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MEMBERSHIP
EXPECTATIONS
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Attendance
• Perfect attendance may not always be achievable, but
reasonably regular attendance is expected
• The co-chairs monitor attendance, and work with
members to try and resolve any problems
• More than three absences within a one-year period
may result in dismissal by the co-chairs (the co-chairs
must determine whether absences are excusable
based on circumstance)
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Conduct
Members must be courteous at all times to other
members, visitors, and district staff
Members must be recognized before speaking, and
respect the order maintained by the co-chairs
Members must not speak on behalf of the CAC unless
authorized by the CAC, or speak on behalf of the
district unless authorized by the district
Members, by their comments or actions, must not
reflect badly on the CAC
Violation of this code of conduct may result in
reprimand or dismissal by the co-chairs
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Undue Advantage
• Members must not use their position to gain or
attempt to gain an undue advantage for themselves
or anyone else (e.g., do not include being a CAC
member in the reasoning for why your child should
get a transfer or be admitted into a program)
• But it’s okay to include CAC membership in a list of
affiliations or resume
• Undue advantage may result in reprimand or
dismissal by the co-chairs
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Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest is defined particularly in terms of
pecuniary (monetary) connection to a certain matter
Even the appearance of a conflict of interest should
be avoided
If a member has a conflict of interest, he or she must
abstain from any discussion or decision (it’s best to
completely leave the room until the matter is over)
Any questions or problems with conflict of interest
should be referred to the DAC/CAC Coordinator
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CAC OFFICERS
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Officers
At first meeting of year in May, CAC elects from its
voting members two co-chairs and a secretary
If there is no competition, an election is not required
Each officer serves a one-year term, but may serve
multiple terms
One co-chair is an AISD employee (professional or
classified) and one is not (parent, community, or
business member)
Although the PTA president has a dedicated seat on
the CAC, this person is not automatically an officer
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Officers
• The secretary prepares minutes for all regular and
other plenary meetings, and may preside over
meetings in absence of both co-chairs
• Officers serve at the will of the CAC – a majority of
the CAC may at any time remove an officer (i.e., vote
of no confidence)
• Co-chairs are responsible for discipline of other
members, but refer any cases of non-attendance,
misconduct, or undue advantage by a co-chair to the
DAC/CAC Coordinator for possible action
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Agenda Development
Normally, the principal and co-chairs work together
to develop agendas
There may be a standing or periodic item on the
agenda to discuss possible future agenda items (see
Slide 18)
CAC members may place items on upcoming agendas
through parliamentary procedure
There is a sample agenda on the CAC website
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Orderly Meetings
The main functions of co-chairs are to maintain basic
parliamentary procedure, pace meetings to get
business done, and facilitate member participation
Co-chairs must be firm when necessary (e.g., wrap up
comments, move on to next item, cite misconduct)
Each item on the agenda should be assigned to one
co-chair (avoids any confusion over who is presiding)
Members should only speak if recognized by the
presiding co-chair
Follow standard guidelines for visitors and citizens
communications (on the CAC webpage)
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CAC AUDITS
AND SURVEYS
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CAC Audits
Required under revisions to policy BQB(Regulation)
CACs to be audited are randomly selected
Not financial audits, rather compliance with law,
policy, and bylaws
Intended not only to address improvements, but also
to identify and share best practices
Campuses receive at least one month advance notice
DAC/CAC Coordinator reviews CAC records, observes
a CAC meeting, and conducts separate interviews
with principal and co-chairs
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CAC Audits
Standard procedures and checklist (on CAC website)
developed with input of Schools Office
Principal, co-chairs, and Schools Office may respond
to audit results for the record
Audit results and any responses provided to CAC
DAC/CAC Coordinator may require progress reports
and/or follow-up visit
Annual summary provided to Board and placed on
CAC website
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CAC Surveys
Have been conducted every two years, but may start
doing them annually
All CAC members in the district asked to participate
Responses are anonymous, and results reported as
district-wide composites
Survey relates to CAC member satisfaction in several
areas
Survey is used to identify strengths and areas for
improvement
Survey results available on CAC website
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