BYLAWS
PREAMBLE
The St. Clare School
Advisory Council’s core values are derived from our Catholic beliefs which
include educational equity, just wages, and acting ethically in our mission of serving
all the families of
ORGANIZATION
JURISDICTION
The St. Clare School Advisory
Council shall 1) provide policy
direction for selective program needs of the school, 2) promote the implementation of said policies, and 3) insure that all local policies are
in accord with the intent and spirit of the policies established by the
Archdiocese of Portland in
NUMBER AND TERMS OF MEMBERS
The Advisory Council shall consist of up to 12 voting members, the pastor of the parish, and the school administrator. The pastor and the school administrator shall constitute ex officio but non-voting members of the Advisory Council.
Each elected/appointed member
shall hold office for three (3) years.
The present and future members shall hold office until June of the year
their term expires unless they resign or are disqualified by unexcused absences
from two Advisory Council meetings during one academic year or are disqualified
by a policy promulgated by the Archdiocese of Portland in
MEMBERSHIP
Members of the St. Clare School Advisory Council shall be elected/appointed in a process determined by the elections committee, and approved by the pastor. The elections committee shall consist of the pastor/canonical administrator, the principal, and the chairperson of the Advisory Council.
Election/Appointment will normally be announced at the May Advisory Council meeting and published in the Sunday Bulletin and Dragon Post.
Un-expired terms of Advisory Council members who resign or who are disqualified shall be filled by the pastor or his designate through appointment.
OFFICERS
Officers shall be elected at the June meeting of the council. They shall hold office for one year and may be re-elected for one year. Voting is done by secret ballot. All elected/appointed members of the Advisory Council are eligible for any office.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
The School administrator shall be the executive officer of the Advisory Council but shall not be a voting member; s/he shall, however, participate in the deliberations of the Advisory Council. The school administrator shall have the responsibility of implementing Advisory Council policies and shall have discretionary authority to make administrative decisions.
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
The principal and Parent’s Club Liaison shall be considered ex-officio members of the School Advisory Council.
TEMPORARY ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMITTEES AND
WORKGROUPS
The Advisory Council may, by resolution, provide for ad hoc committees/workgroups drawn from the community to prepare studies and bodies of information permitting the Advisory Council to make informed judgments. The Advisory Council may discontinue such committees/workgroups at its pleasure and, in any event, each ad hoc committee/workgroup will be considered dismissed with thanks at the completion of its task. Each entity shall have such powers and shall perform such duties as may be assigned to it by the Advisory Council and shall be appointed and vacancies filled in the manner determined by the Advisory Council. In the absence of other direction, the Chairperson shall appoint all committees/workgroups.
STANDING ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMITTEES
The Advisory Council may, by resolution, provide for such other committees as it deems advisable and may discontinue the same at its pleasure. Each committee shall have such powers and shall perform such duties as may be assigned to it by the Advisory Council and shall be appointed and vacancies filled in the manner determined by the Advisory Council. In the absence of other direction the Chairperson shall appoint all committees.
The Standing Committees of the St. Clare School Advisory Council are Development, Finance & Facility, Marketing & Enrollment , Policy & Process, and Election Committees.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS/MEMBERS
CHAIRPERSON
The Chairperson shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the Advisory Council; appoint all committees unless otherwise specified by the Advisory Council; execute on behalf of the Advisory Council all written instruments except as otherwise directed by the Advisory Council and, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of Chairperson and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him/her by the Advisory Council.
ASSISTANT CHAIRPERSON
The Assistant Chairperson shall be an aide to the Chairperson, and in case of the absence or disability of the Chairperson, shall pro tempore assume and perform the duties of the Chairperson.
SECRETARY
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Advisory Council, be they open or closed; submit a copy of the minutes within a reasonable time to the pastor for approval; see that all notices are fully given in accordance with the provisions of the constitution; be custodian of the records of the Advisory Council and provide the school administrator with copies of same for the school office/archives; and, in general, perform all duties incident to the office of the Secretary of the Advisory Council and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned by the Chairperson; in the absence of the Chairperson and Assistant Chairperson, the Secretary shall chair the meetings of the Advisory Council.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
Advisory Council members have authority only when acting as an Advisory Council officially in session. The Advisory Council shall not be bound by any statement or action on the part of any individual member of the Advisory Council except when such statement or action is in pursuance of specific instruction of the Advisory Council.
METHODS OF OPERATION
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
The
Advisory Council’s goals shall emanate from school-wide evaluation data (which
includes parent surveys), empirical information, administrative/staff/committee
recommendations, and policy mandates.
The goals are reviewed and updated annually in May/June. The Advisory Council shall utilize a rolling
three year work plan in the delineation of council level and committee level
efforts. The work plan shall be a
working document with an annual review and update taking place in June/August
to capture institutional memory and to facilitate transition for new members.
ADOPTION OF ADMINSTRATIVE REGULATIONS
The Advisory Council does not adopt administrative regulations and is not to involve itself in the administration of the school.
ADOPTION/AMENDMENT OF POLICIES AND
BYLAWS
Any proposed new policy or bylaw of the Advisory Council must be submitted in writing and read at a regular meeting of the Advisory Council and must lie over until the next regular meeting. The bylaws must always state that 1) the council is advisory to the Pastor, 2) the Pastor is the enactor of all school policy, and 3) all school policies must be in accord with archdiocesan policies. A two-thirds vote of the Advisory Council shall be necessary for its adoption as well as the approval of the pastor and the Archbishop or his designate.
Bylaws of the Advisory Council may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the total members of the Advisory Council providing the amendment has been presented at the previous meeting of the Advisory Council and has been approved by the pastor and the Archbishop or his designate.
MEETINGS (REGULAR, SPECIAL)
The Advisory Council shall meet once a month, subject to change by the Advisory Council itself or to postponement by the Chairperson, pastor or school administrator. Special or additional meetings shall be held whenever called by the Chairperson or the majority of the Advisory Council. Meetings will not be held without the pastor and/or principal in attendance.
TIME, PLACE, AND NATURE
All meetings may be held at such times and places as fixed by the Chairperson or by a voting majority of the Advisory Council upon not less than five (5) day’s notice. All meetings of the Advisory Council are to be open meetings unless designated as being closed.
VISITORS
Meetings of the School Advisory Council shall be open. The Advisory Council reserves the right to declare closed sessions whenever confidential matters may be discussed
The right of non-members to address the Advisory Council shall be limited to those whose petition has been approved by the pastor, school administrator, and Advisory Council Chairperson.
The Chairperson will stipulate the time allotted to each non-member for presentation. If a decision is required, the School Advisory Council will respond with a written summary decision by the next regularly scheduled meeting.
CONSTRUCTION OF AGENDA
The chairperson with the assistance of the pastor and principal shall be responsible for preparing the agenda. Agenda items should closely mirror items from the corresponding time frame on the rolling three year work plan. Individual Advisory Council members desiring an item to be included on the agenda shall notify the Chairperson or school administrator at least five (5) days prior to any regular meeting.
ADVANCE DELIVERY OF
MEETING MATERIALS
Each Advisory Council member shall receive notice and copy of the agenda and supporting materials at least five (5) days prior to the meeting.
QUORUM
A majority of the voting members of the School Advisory Council is necessary for the transaction of any business.
MEETING CONDUCT
I. Order of Business
II. Call to Order and Opening Prayer
III. Recommended Actions
A. Routine Matters
1. Approval of Minutes
2. Acceptance of Agenda
B. Old Business
C. New Business
IV. Information/Communications/Reports
A. Official Delegations
B. Non-Staff Communications and Reports
C. Principal
D. Advisory Council members
V. Future Business/Events
A. Meeting Dates
B. Preview of Topics for Future Agendas
C. General Discussion to Guide Future Recommendations
VI. Executive Session (if one is held)
VII. Adjournment and Closing Prayer
LENGTH
OF MEETING
The goal of the St. Clare Advisory Council shall be to conduct its meetings within a two-hour time limit.
DECISION-MAKING
The School Advisory Council will reach decisions by consensus. If the members reach an impasse, decisions will be reached by majority rule.
MINUTES OF MEETINGS
The minutes of each meeting shall be sent by the Advisory Council’s Chairperson to the pastor and individual Advisory Council members with the agenda packet of each meeting. As a courtesy, Advisory Council minutes may be sent to the Superintendent of Catholic Schools.
OFFICIAL SIGNATURES
DATE: ___________________
APPROVAL: __________________________________________________________________________
(Pastor)
DATE: ___________________
APPROVAL: __________________________________________________________________________
(Superintendent of Catholic Schools)