The School Board Policies include guidelines addressing how students, parents, teachers, administrators, business, and professional leaders will be involved in contributing to the successful operation of the school program. The Board encourages citizen participation in the decision-making processes. Advisory Committees of either the two following categories may be organized when appropriate.
- Board-appointed Advisory Committees, both district wide and at the school level, shall function within the organizational frameworks approved by the board. A staff member or members will be assigned to each group to help it carry out its functions. The composition of advisory committees shall be broadly representative and shall take into consideration the specific tasks assigned to the committee. Only the Board shall have the authority to dissolve advisory committees it has created.
The Board will instruct each committee as to:
- the length of time each member is being asked to serve;
- the service the board wishes the committee to render;
- the resources the board will provide;
- the approximate dates on which the board wishes to receive major reports;
- board policies governing citizens' committees and the relationship of these committees to the board as a whole, individual board members, the superintendent, and other members of the professional staff;
- responsibilities for the release of information to the press.
- School and district level advisory committees that are required under federal and state programs, shall function in accordance with the requirements pertaining to each specific federal or state program; the board shall grant to those bodies the advisory responsibilities relevant to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of such program or project.
Since the legal powers and prerogatives of the board cannot be delegated or surrendered to others, all recommendations of an advisory committee must be submitted to the Board for action.
The Mississippi Public School Accountability Standard for this policy is Standard 18.
PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
The committee is established and authorized by the Board of Trustees for the purpose of making recommendations to the Board through the Superintendent.
Objectives
1. To improve teacher-administrator-board relationships and communication within the system;
2. To provide a definite procedure, known to all, for the study and solution of common problems, thereby preventing duplication of effort and nurturing a spirit of cooperation and consensus.
QUALITY WORK LIFE COMMITTEE
A communications Advisory and Quality Work Life Committee is to be set up each year with the following representation:
- one (1) teacher representative from each elementary school;
- one (1) teacher representative from the middle school;
- one (1) teacher representative from the high school;
- one teacher (1) representative from vocational-technical school;
- one (1) teacher representative from the alternative school;
- one (1) counselor representative for the district;
- one (1) person to represent the cafeteria workers;
- one (1) person to represent maintenance employees;
- one (1) person to represent bus drivers;
- three (3) persons to represent assistant teachers and aides as follows:
- 1-Oak Park/Taconi;
- 1-Pecan Park/High School & Keys Technology; and,
- 1-Magnolia Park/Middle School,
- one (1) person to represent Technology Department;
- one (1) person to represent School Security Officers; and,
- one (1) person to represent clerical workers (district-wide).
In cases where the representatives are not appointed he/she will be elected by secret ballot by their respective groups. If the representative is not elected by a majority, two (2) nominees with the highest number of votes will be in a run-off election which will be conducted immediately after votes are counted. Meetings shall be held on the first Tuesday of the months of October, December, and March, at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of these meetings will be to hear comments and suggestions of representatives. Five (5) days in advance of the meeting, a written agenda is to be forwarded from each group to the Office of the Superintendent, where it will be incorporated into a master agenda for the meeting.
Basic Principles and Understandings
- Attainment of objectives of the educational program of this school district requires mutual understanding, the cooperation among the Board of Trustees, the Superintendent, the administrative and supervisory staff, and the professional teaching personnel. To this end, free and open exchange of views is desirable and necessary with all parties participating in deliberations leading to the determination of matters of mutual concern.
- Cooperative study and recommendation in regard to policy and/or problems does not mean the cooperative adoption of the same. This is the legal prerogative and responsibility of the board.
- Cooperative study and recommendation in regard to policy and/or problems whether existing or recommended for the future, does not mean cooperative administration of the same. This is properly the prerogative of the Superintendent of Schools and his/her staff.
- This committee will in no way seek to usurp from the Board or administration their rightful responsibility for the operation of our schools, for the committee is composed of representatives of the board of trustee s, the classroom teachers, and the administrative and supervisory staff.
- The committee should be a vigorously independent committee in posture, applying free and fearless objective judgment, when submitting its recommendation to the board, in terms of what is best for education in this school.
LEGAL REF.: MS CODE as cited
Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards
ADOPTED: 07/11/1978
REVISED: 06/26/1979
08/12/1980
03/09/1982
06/28/1983
12/13/1983
08/11/1987
10/10/1989
04/13/1993
10/08/1996
03/18/2003
10/11/2005
10/09/2007
08/11/2009
05/11/2010