GreatNeckSouthHighSchoolSharedDecisionMakingCommittee

Bylaws

I.

STANDARDOPERATINGPROCEDURES

A.CommitteeFormation

1.Eachspringaletterwillbedistributedtoparents,teachers,andstudents

outliningthe
selectionprocess,alongwiththescheduledmeetingdates,fortheSharedDecision
MakingCommitteeandinvitingthemtosuggestgoalsforthefollowingyear.Sample
lettersareavailableuponrequest.

2.Werequestthatparents,teachers,andstudentsformtheircommitteesinthespringso
thatasmanynewmembersaspossiblecanattendthefinalSharedDecisionMaking
Committeemeeting.

B.Priortothefirstmeetingthefollowingmaterialsshallbedistributedtoall
shareddecisionmakingcommitteemembers:

1.TheDistrictPlanforSchoolBasedPlanningandSharedDecisionMakingaswellas
theByLawsforSouthHighSchoolsSharedDecisionMakingCommittee.

2.TheAnnualSharedDecisionMakingReportfromthepriortwoyears.

3.TheMeetingDatesincludingthedatesforthedistrictwidefalltrainingsessionand
yearendmeeting.

C.Attendance

AllmembersoftheSharedDecisionMakingCommitteemustmakeeveryefforttoattend
everymeetingfromstarttofinishsothatthecommitteecanachieveitsmandateof
improvingtheeducationalperformanceofallstudents.

II.GOALSOLICITATION

Inanefforttosolicitmeaningfulandtimelyinputregardinggoals,asurveywillbe
distributedeachspringandlatesummertostudents,teachers,parents,andadministrators
askingforgoalsuggestionsforthefollowingyear.

Eachconstituencyshallreviewandvetthelistpriortothefirstmeetingsothata
reasonablelistofgoalscanbepresentedtotheentirecommittee.Oncethegoalshave
beenpresented,theentireCommitteewillvoteonthegoalsthatwillbepursuedthatyear.
Everyeffortwillbemadetochooseagoalsuggestedbyeachconstituency.

III.TERMLIMITS

A.CommitteeMembers

Toensurecontinuity,allmembersareaskedtoserveaminimumofonetwoyearterm.

B.CommitteeChairs

Thereshallbeamaximumof2teachersandtwoparentswhowillserveasChairsofthis
committee.Thereshallbeanequalnumberofcochairsrepresentingeachconstituency.

Eachconstituencyshallberesponsiblefordeterminingthemethodbywhichchairswill
beappointed.

Thesetermsshallbestaggeredsothatthereisatleastoneveteranchaironthecommittee
eachyear.

Itissuggestedthatparentchairsserveamaximumoftwoconsecutivetermsandteacher
chairsserveamaximumofthreeconsecutiveterms.

IV.COMMITTEECOMPOSITION

TheselectionprocessfortheSharedDecisionMakingCommitteemembersisestablished
byeachconstituencyandwillbepublicizedinwritingtotheentireschoolcommunity
eachyear.SeeDistrictCompactatpages24.

A.Students

TheCommitteeshallconsistof9students,twostudentsfromeachgradeaswellasa
StudentGovernmentBoardmember.Thestudentgovernmentwilldeterminethemethod
forselectingstudents.SeeDistrictCompactatpages34.Thestudentsareentitledtoa
totalof9votes.

B.Teachers

Atotalof9teachersmaysitonthisCommittee.TheGNTAwilldeterminethemethod
forselectingfacultymembers.SeeDistrictCompactatpages34.Ideallytherewillbe
representativesfromeachdepartment.Ateacherwhocurrentlyhasachildinthat
buildingcannotrepresentteachersonthatbuildingcommittee.SeeDistrictCompactat
page3.Theteachersareentitledto9votes.

C.Parents

TheCommitteeshallconsistof9parentmembersincludingthePTSAPresidentand
wherepossible,twoparentrepresentativesfromeachofthegradesninethroughtwelve
includingoneSpecialEducationparentrepresentative.ThePTSAwilldeterminethe
methodforselectingparents.Pleasenotethataparentwhoisanemployeeorofficerof
thedistrictcannotrepresentparentsonthecommittee.SeeDistrictPlanfor
SchoolBasedPlanningandSharedDecisionMakingatpage2.Theparentsareentitled
to9votes.

D.Administrators.

Theprincipalwilldeterminethemethodofselectingadministratorsateachschool.
DistrictCompactatpage3.Theprincipaland/orhis/herdesigneewillhaveonevote
representingadministration.SeeDistrictCompactatpage4.

E.VotingParity

Thereshallbevotingparityamongparents,teachers,andstudents.

F.ImmediateFamilyMembers

ItisrecommendedthatimmediatefamilymembersnotserveonthesameShared
DecisionMakingCommittee.

SeeDistrictCompactatpage4.

G.Observers

ObserversfromtheschoolcommunityareencouragedtoattendtheSharedDecision
MakingCommitteemeetingsandspeakasnonvotingparticipants.Theschool
communityisdefinedastheparents/guardiansofstudents,students,teachers,
administrators,andotheremployeesofthedistrict.SeeDistrictCompactatpage3.
Whenappropriate,specificguestswhohaveknowledgeonacommitteegoalwillbe
invitedtoattendandparticipateinthecommitteediscussion.

V.CONSENSUS

A.Consensusshallbeusedastheprimarymechanismfordecisionmaking.

Consensusisageneralagreementresultingfromasystematicgroupdecisionmaking
process.Thismeansthatallparticipantssupportthedecision,althoughoneormore
participantsmayhavereservations,butthecommitteeasawholecanlivewiththe
decision.


B.Ifconsensuscannotbereached:

i.theissuewillbedeferredtoasubsequentmeeting

ii.if,afterreasonableefforts,thechairpersonsandthecommitteeagreethat
consensuscannotbereached,andinanefforttocometoclosureontheissue,
the
committeemaychoosetotakeavoteontheissue

SeeDistrictCompactatpages34.

VI.

PROTOCOLFORFOLLOWINGUPONGOAL(S)

Reviewoftheprioryearsgoalsshallbeontheagendaatthefirstmeetingeachyear.

Theentirecommitteeshalldiscusstheyearendshareddecisionmakingcommitteereport
fromtheprioryearinordertodevelopanactionplanforunresolvedorcontinuinggoals.

VII.

AMENDMENTOFBYLAWS

TheseBylawsmaybeamendedatanytimebyaunanimousvoteof
allcommitteemembers,providedthat:

(a) Theproposedamendment(s)hasbeenpreviouslysubmittedtothe
entirecommitteeinwritingforitsreviewandrecommendation

(b) Sometimeaftertheproposedamendment(s)hasbeendisseminatedand
reviewed,ithasbeendiscussedandreviewedataregularcommittee
meetingwithatleasttwothirdsofthemembersinattendance,where
thereareatleasttwovotingmembersfromeachconstituency*have
beenpresent.

*InthecaseoftheAdministratorsonlyonerepresentativefromthat

constituencymustbeinattendance.

VIII. BIENNIALREVIEWOFTHEBYLAWS

ThiscommitteeshallreviewtheseBylawseverytwoyears.Itisrecommendedthatthis
reviewtakeplacepriortothemeetingofTheDistrictsBiennialCommittee*sothatany
recommendationsimpactingthe
DistrictPlanforSchoolBasedPlanningandShared
DecisionMaking
canberaisedintimetobeconsideredbythatcommittee.

*TheDistrictsBiennialCommitteemeetsduringevennumberedyearssometimeafter
thewinterbreak.