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Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion

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Site Council – Gen Information

Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School

The Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century (House Bill 3565) mandates that schools will create 21st Century School Councils which consist of parents, administrators, classified district employees, and certified employees. The district’s guidelines for site-based decision making state, “Each school will have a site council composed of stakeholders that work together collaboratively and cooperatively to plan programs, make operational decisions, consider curriculum issues, adopt building policies, and rules. Each site council determines what decisions it will participate in making.”

Site-based decision making is a participatory, decentralized form of school governance and organization in which the major decisions are made by those closest to the students and classroom, including building staff (administrators, teachers, and classified), and parents.

Site Council Bylaws
Approved October 15, 2020

Meeting Times

The Site Council will meet monthly on the third Thursday of each month from 3:15 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Room 17 of Yujin Gakuen Elementary School, unless otherwise agreed upon and posted in a timely manner. Special meetings can be called one week in advance by any site council member provided five additional site council members concur. A calendar of all meeting dates will be published on the school’s master calendar and be available at the beginning of the school year on the web. All Site Council meetings are open meetings.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the Yujin Gakuen School Site Council shall encompass the development and coordination of programs under the 21st Century Schools Act which include but are not limited to:

  • The development of plans, and administration of grants to improve the professional growth of the school’s staff as related to student learning
  • The improvement of the school’s instructional program to ensure success for all students;

Site council duties also include:

  • The development and review of Title One budgets (if the school is identified as a Title I School) action plans and activities.
  • Review grants that require site council approval.
  • Support improvement of professional growth of school staff
  • Serve as a forum for ideas, issues, and concerns related to school improvement.
  • Communicate activities of the council with staff, parents, students, and other district site councils.
  • Approve school fundraising activities on school grounds or using school name.

Team Members

The Site Council at Yujin Gakuen strives to consist of not more than half the members as staff and not more than half the members as parents/guardians of children attending Yujin Gakuen Elementary School. At least one member shall be a classified employee. One member shall be the building principal or designee.

Member Selection

All members shall serve voluntarily without pay. Membership will be determined in the first meeting in the fall.

Teachers shall be selected by the licensed staff at Yujin Gakuen.

Classified employees shall be selected by their peers.

Parents/Guardians of children attending Yujin Gakuen Elementary School will be selected by their peers in an election held in the spring. Parent representatives are selected by their stakeholder group, and site council recognizes that the PTO may choose a different method for choosing parent representatives.

If no parent, teacher or classified employee representatives volunteers, the site council has the ability to appoint members who agree to serve.

Terms of Office

Teachers, classified, and parents/guardians shall serve two years on the site council. Site Council member terms will begin and end in staggered years so not all parents, teachers or other staff begins new in one given year. The Site Council will review at the end of each school year the effectiveness of the team, and use the consensus model to make recommendations for the continuing membership.

Early Vacancies

In the event a Site Council position is vacated during the school year, the position may be filled by appointment of the council to serve the remainder of the term vacated.

Site Council Duties

While the site council is a collaborative group the following roles will be agreed to at the beginning of the school year by the council:

  • Facilitator (set agendas and facilitate meetings)
  • Recorder
  • Process Observer/Time Keeper

Procedures for Meetings

  • Agendas will be set at the end of each meeting.
  • At the first meeting, site council will prioritize goals for the year
  • Each agenda will begin with a report of the current activities that address the School Improvement Plan action items.
  • A stakeholders’ report will be on a permanent agenda for each meeting, including:
    • Parent’s Report and Classified Staff’s Report,
    • Teacher’s Report and Principal’s Report
  • New Business items may be submitted to the Facilitator a minimum of 8 days prior the next scheduled Site Council Meeting. New business may be submitted in person during the New Business section of the Site Council Meeting. The Site Council will determine when or if it will be discussed at a future Site Council meeting.
  • Meetings generally one-hour, not to exceed 90 minutes.
  • Special meetings can be called provided the site council members agree by consensus and must be scheduled with reasonable notice (one weeks) given to parents.

Consensus

The Site Council will use a consensus model for decision-making. In the event of an impasse, a vote will be called and the majority will pass. A quorum equals 50% plus 1 or 60% of the members. Members agree that if a member is dissatisfied with any activity of the group or the process of the council they will report the reasons for dissatisfaction directly to the group rather than caucus outside the group. Members of the council can report on or answer questions concerning team decisions but opinions should not be linked to individuals or interest groups. Individual ideas, opinions and feelings expressed are always kept confidential by team and visitors alike.

Minutes

A summary of all Yujin Gakuen Elementary Site Council meeting minutes will be posted on the School website. A report of site council activities will be given at each monthly PTO meeting.

Amendments

The bylaws may be amended or revised by consensus of all the members present at a meeting designated for that purpose. Copies of proposed amendments shall be given to members in writing one month prior to the meeting.