School Community Councils are forums for exchanging ideas about how to improve student achievement among the school’s stakeholders: principals, teachers, school staff, parents, students, and community members. School Community Councils serve in an advisory capacity to the principal. Successful SCCs do not organize to “run the school.” They do not try to replace the principal’s authority in school operations, personnel, curricular and instructional classroom decisions.
The School Community Council:
- Is not a governing board
- Does not hire and fire the principal
- Does not control school finances
- Does not evaluate teachers or other staff
- Is not a forum for promoting personal agendas
- Is not a body whose members “represent” constituencies
School Community Councils are a major part of the overall leadership structure at each school. They are a group of people who advise the principal on specific matters that affect student achievement and school improvement. Their primary role is to participate in the process that ensures that the needs of all students are specifically addressed in the overall education plan for the school. The Academic and Financial Plan is a document that highlights the goals for the school, the programs, and the available resources to reach these goals.
